PROGRAM CONTENT
Structured for Success
Our nine-month program is designed to prepare students for research at the college level through weekly research training and monthly college search and application guidance. This will maximize their competitiveness to CS and engineering programs at top colleges.
Weekly One-on-One with a Professor
You will meet weekly with a professor as you work on a computing project that will prepare you for university-level research and coursework. Your mentor will guide your project development, suggest solutions to challenges, and help debug problems.
Through personal experience, our team has found that students who start class with higher baseline knowledge in programming and math are more successful in the classroom. RESEARCH U prepares future college students by helping them fortify their skills before they enter the hypercompetitive world of top-tier university classrooms.
The skills our participants build throughout the year will prepare them to contribute to a capstone summer-intensive research project in which they collaborate with a university computer science or engineering research lab to write a technical research paper. Very few high school students get the opportunity to participate in research projects, and we have found that the ones who do often struggle to make meaningful contributions because they lack the baseline technical skills. RESEARCH U's skill-building projects make it possible for students to contribute meaningfully to a research project and learn from graduate students at top universities.
Monthly Meetings with an Active Admissions Officer
Each month, our participants will sit down with an admissions officer to organize their college search process and build competitive college applications. Our admission counselors work at top universities and have current, inside understanding of the intricacies of the selection process. Students and parents will be presented with tools to efficiently and effectively construct a college list and then mentored as they fill out applications.
Summer Intensive Research Program
An optional summer intensive research program immerses participants in a computer science or engineering university research lab during the summer after their junior year. The program places participants with top research labs in the field. Participants will attend lab meetings and work alongside graduate student researchers to collaborate on a highly technical project to produce a research paper.
The skills that participants will have developed during their individual academic year project prepare them to contribute meaningfully to the research lab. In addition, participants receive mentorship from counselors at RESEARCH U to support them as they take on the technical challenges that come with university-level research.
By the end of the summer research project, RESEARCH U participants will have deep experience working on a meaningful technical project that sets them apart from other college applicants. Their applications will be able to draw on their experience in the research lab as they demonstrate a high level of depth in their interests, write essays, and compile their materials for college applications.
Weekly One-on-Ones
Topics
We will spend several months building on your existing foundation to develop your technical skills and help you write a great college application.
Here's a sample of the topics we will cover depending on your current skill level and what you want to learn.
01
Basic Linux Competency
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Bash Shell
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Networking
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Install Linux from Scratch
02
Programming
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Python, Java, or C++ beyond the level offered in high school courses.
03
Computer Hardware
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Circuit Theory
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Circuit Board Design
04
Admissions
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Institutional Priorities & Other Views from Admission Offices
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Anatomy of an Application
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Essay Writing Workshop
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Finding Your Fit & Researching Options in the College Search
Program
Costs
Get to Know Us
The RESEARCH U School Year Skills Program costs $1,200 per month for November - May.
There is also a Summer Research Intensive Program available for an additional cost for June - August following the skills program.
Need-based financial aid is available to support students who would have difficulty paying. Click here to learn more.