Summer Hallmark Courses

College Prep 101 Workshop

At Tufts, we know preparing for College is a difficult task, and we are here to help! Each year, we bring in speakers and panelists — which might include real undergraduates, grad students, admissions and financial aid officers, career advisors, and more — as you discover the skills you need to prepare for college applications, college life, and beyond!

Our hallmark college prep offering, this program begins each day with a workshop during which students will explore topics like career / major planning, time management, interview skills, resume building, the college application process, and library research. Each afternoon, students will attend a college admissions session and tour one of the many leading universities in the Boston area. Schools may include Harvard, MIT, Tufts, Amherst, Boston College, Boston University, Northeastern, Brown, Emerson, Brandeis, etc.

The syllabus changes every year based on the availability of speakers and campuses. View the 2022 Syllabus here. Details for Summer 2024 will be available soon!

Pre-College Course Details

• College Prep 101 is offered on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. during Summer Session II (July 2-August 9, 2024) hybrid (in person and online).
• Students in the Tufts College Experience are automatically enrolled in College Prep 101 with no additional costs; students in Courses at Tufts for High Schoolers are welcome to enroll in this workshop course for an additional fee.
• The first class meets on July 2, 2024.
• The last class meets on August 9, 2024.

Pre-College Course Tuition

• Tufts College Experience Students: no cost
• Courses at Tufts for High Schoolers Students: $1,300

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Writing Persuasive Prose: Style, Rhetoric, Clarity (UCPC - 0094)

Writing Persuasive Prose is an intensive workshop-style class devoted to cultivating style, voice, and rhetorical flair in each student’s written work. Approximating a typical first-year undergraduate writing seminar, the course will guide students through the process of drafting, revising, and polishing four essays in four different genres. Our central focus will be the careful development of arguments and insights on specific topics (chosen by students), and the intersections of grammatical precision and stylistic choices that make good writing memorable and compelling. Along the way, we will study the published nonfiction works of several well-known contemporary essayists. Students will complete the course with a portfolio of work and the opportunity to give a reading of their strongest piece in our end-of-summer completion ceremony.

Pre-College Course Details

• Class meets hybrid (in-person/online) on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 10:00 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
• The course is worth 3 credits.
• A Wednesday afternoon extra study section may be scheduled as needed. This additional session will be used to conduct additional course activities, such as a writing lab, group feedback sessions, or other writing exercises, as determined by the instructor.
• The first class meets on July 2, 2024.
• The last class meets on August 9, 2024.

Pre-College Course Tuition: $3,147 (does not include $65 registration fee)

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Law and Ethics (UCPC - 0091)

Are you considering a career as an attorney or looking at a pre-law course of study in college?

This summer, consider the practice of the law and our modern legal system from the perspectives of philosophy, the history of jurisprudence, and current social and applied sciences.

The Law & Ethics program will introduce you to the fundamental concepts of legal thinking, examined through the lens of historical and contemporary issues. Improve your ability to write and convey your viewpoints more clearly, assess the validity of arguments, and learn to identify mistakes in reasoning. Exploring these foundations of legal thought and practice will give you the opportunity to see yourself in the role of an advocate for others and help you assess your interest in this field.

You will gain insights into five key areas: the history of legal thinking; the philosophy of justice; the relationship between legal theory and scientific research; the study of valid and effective forms of linguistic communication; and the exploration of important, concrete legal issues such as hate speech, juvenile punishment, and mitigating mental factors. Additionally, you will be introduced to current legal issues through guest lectures by experts in law, philosophy, psychiatry, and forensic neuroscience.

You will also participate in group exercises that will help improve critical thinking, public speaking, and presentation skills. Opportunities include debates, argumentation, forensic activities, moot court, and more.

When you are finished with the Law & Ethics course, you will have gathered knowledge about potential professional law careers from those currently practicing in the field, gained valuable insights into the preparation and training most needed during undergraduate and law school studies, honed your public speaking and presentation skills, and you might just get a better picture of yourself as a practicing attorney.

Pre-College Course Details

• The class meets in person on Tuesdays and Thursdays, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• The course is worth 3 credits.
• The last hour of each class will be used to conduct special course activities, such as debate, forensic exercises, or moot court.
• The first class meets on July 4, 2024.
• The last class meets on August 8, 2024.

Pre-College Course Tuition: $3,147 (does not include $65 registration fee)

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Health Science Honors (UCPC - 0090)

Learn about the philosophy and practice of medicine. As a Health Science Honors student, you will attend weekly physiology and anatomy lectures/labs and learn about the human body as well as its functions. You will participate in an exclusive series of behind-the-scenes visits to area hospitals, clinics, and medical laboratories. Through group sessions and the observation of patient treatments, you will discover the importance of thorough and compassionate patient interviewing skills.

In addition, the Health Science Honors program will give you experience in physical examination skills and diagnostic reasoning and show you firsthand the specialized procedures in diagnostic imaging, invasive cardiology, and general surgery. Alternative therapies, such as acupuncture and mind-body techniques, are also included.

The team approach to instruction gives students meaningful interactions with multiple medical specialties and distinct points of view on patient care.

Pre-College Course Details

• The class meets in person on Mondays and Wednesdays, from 1:30 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
• The course is worth 3 credits.
• Occasional field trips to medical facilities will require that students meet off-site at the appropriate time.
• The first class meets on July 2, 2024.
• The last class meets on August 9, 2024.

Pre-College Course Tuition: $3,147 (does not include $65 registration fee)

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Bioinformatics Inquiry through Sequencing (UCPC - 0092)

Unfortunately, this course will not be running during Summer 2024.

Many recent advances in biology revolve around the analysis of large-scale genomic information to gain insight into biological systems and processes. Next-generation sequencing technology enabled much of this research, but access to this technology has been limited to researchers at top-tier universities — beyond the reach of high school students and teachers. As DNA sequencing becomes faster, cheaper, and increasingly ubiquitous, this limitation no longer makes sense. For students interested in careers as doctors, forensic biologists, computer scientists, medical researchers, and other life scientists, exposure to sequencing and bioinformatics is critical.

This summer, Tufts is offering a six-week course for rising high school seniors titled Bioinformatics Inquiry through Sequencing, or BioSeq. This course will allow students to experience the excitement of participating in a genuine research-based activity in the field of bioinformatics. In the process, they will have the opportunity to learn important molecular biology and genetics laboratory techniques, work with a next-generation DNA sequencer, and use advanced computer technology to gather and make sense of the data.

Tufts faculty and graduate students will lead a variety of activities, from transforming bacteria to performing polymerase chain reactions (PCR) and sequencing DNA. Students will have an opportunity to learn about different mutations and the microbiome – the microbes that colonize our bodies and the environment. Students will be introduced to bioinformatics – the use of computer technology to collect, organize, and analyze complex biological data.

The BioSeq course will give students the rare opportunity to learn about cutting-edge developments in next-generation DNA sequencing with first-hand experience in collecting and analyzing real experimental data. Students will be exposed to all the components of an active research environment, including proposal preparation, data analysis, collaboration, and mentoring.

Tufts faculty and graduate students supervise all classroom and project work. They have outstanding backgrounds in many different areas of computer science, biology, and chemistry, combined with a commitment to inspire interest in science by creating opportunities for young scientists to participate in real-world research.

Although the course is at the entry-level, interested high school students must have completed either AP or honors biology.

Pre-College Course Details

• The class meets virtually on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, from 9:30 a.m. to 11:15 a.m.
• The course is worth 3 credits.
• Additional sections for special events may be scheduled as needed.
• The first class meets on July 2, 2024.
• The last class meets on August 9, 2024.

Pre-College Course Tuition: $3,147 (does not include $65 registration fee)

Register Now