The Independent Immersion Program
The Independent Immersion Program (IIP) at Lawrence Academy allows qualified students a chance to create unique programs of year-long or summer study that can include intensive independent studies with on- and o-campus professionals, internships, and traditional course work, all under the supervision of the director and a faculty mentor.
IIP at Lawrence Academy Experience has taught us that if students are allowed to focus in the year-long IIP on a deep interest, their inquiries will lead them naturally into related fields, creating individualized distributions of studies which grow like branches from the roots of a central passion. To be accepted into the program, students must display the motivation and maturity necessary to work independently.
IIP at Stanford and Johns Hopkins Qualified sophomores and juniors favoring a shorter program of studies in the IIP may apply through LA to an 8-week or 5-week program of independent scholarship at Stanford University or Johns Hopkins University, respectively, while enrolled in undergraduate courses for college credit. Summer IIP students reside on campus and participate in evening and weekend programming offered to other high school students enrolled in a highly selective pre-collegiate studies program.
Being in college-level classes with actual college students opened my
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eyes to so many more intellectual perspectives I normally wouldn’t have come across in a high school setting.” – Tati Suriel ’16
My sociology seminar gave me a chance to talk about my favorite social issues with
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20 of the smartest high school students in the country. Together, we dug deep into inequalities in society and explored the possible and impossible solutions.” – Lisa Li ’16
Summer IIP students have pursued independent scholarship in these areas of interest, among others: • the influence of social media on the recruitment process of 5-star athletes • the implementation of water sanitation in developing countries • food safety in China as a human right • protocols for overseeing the return of concussed students to the classroom • the difference between how Native Americans understand their history and what is taught in U.S. schools • the environmental and bioethical impacts of GMOs • the phenomenon of “left behind children” in China • abstract impressionism used as propaganda in the 1940s and ’50s • designing a replicating database that propagates via Bluetooth • dissociative identity disorder
For more information about the Independent Immersion Program, contact Andrew Brescia at abrescia@lacademy.edu.
Q&A Q. What guidance do IIP students receive? A. In addition to their adviser, students are guided by a faculty sponsor, a professional contact in their field of study, and the program director. In the summers, they receive support from adult partners supplied by the host university and/or Lawrence Academy. Q. Do students in the IIP receive grades? A. IIP students receive narrative assessments in lieu of letter grades in their classes and their independent work. Summer students receive grades for their classes and narrative assessments for their independent work. Q. How do students in the IIP fare in the college admissions process? A. Founded in 1972, the IIP enjoys an excellent track record with respect to college admissions. Stanford IIP alumni are currently attending Butler, UMass-Amherst, Columbia, Trinity (CT), George Washington University (Honors Program), Bryn Mawr, the University of Rochester, Villanova, and Hobart and William Smith. Q. What are the special requirements of IIP students? A. In addition to writing their curriculum guide (contract) and keeping a journal, year-long IIP students are required to mount an oral defense six times each year. Summer students do so twice at Stanford and once at Johns Hopkins. Q. What are the criteria for admission to the program? A. To be admitted, students must have a passion for their subject; demonstrate an ability to direct their own learning; submit a compelling proposal; receive endorsements from classroom teachers; and be accepted by the IIP faculty. Q. What have year-long IIP students studied? A. Year-long IIP students have studied in the following fields: film/video, marine biology, visual arts, dance, performance theatre, international affairs, creative writing, and a variety of subjects in music that include ethnomusicology, music composition, and voice.
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