Emily Edwards says that her first week at the Bard College Young Writers Workshop was, in one-word, “different.” “Any building on campus could easily be accessed in a less than 10-minute walk through the beautiful, humid, wooded paths. The classrooms were one of the few air-conditioned buildings, providing nice cool spaces to write, read, and discuss,” Emily says.

Tanya Arun says that her first week at the Washington University Research Development Institute has been different from what she expected, “but in a good way.”

“This week’s projects were very independent and also very hands-on. On the first day, our professor had us introduce ourselves and share our hobbies. We then began our lessons, starting with the meaning of architecture, from the Latin words chief and builder,” Margaret says.

“If I had to describe the experiences I’ve had inside and outside the lectures and labs in one word, it would be memorable. I’ve learned an incredible amount in just one short week—from how medicine works in our bodies to the anatomy of various body systems. I can confidently say that this program is going to be unforgettable,” Addison says.

“My course, ‘Contagion: Infectious Diseases and Agents,’ has already been full of exciting hands-on labs, new discoveries, and growth,” Laila says.

The workshop began with a full-group meeting and free write exercise: “two five-minute sections to write anything we wanted, whether it was the same word over and over again or a detailed story.”

Although check-in day was a little awkward since no one knew anyone, Francis says he was able to quickly find friends, especially with his knowledge of Mandarin.

David says that his first week was “very rigorous and stress-inducing, but that does not distract from the enjoyment of achievement that it left me with after its completion.”

After settling in and meeting her two roommates, Isabella and friends toured the campus. “It felt like we all knew each other for years. I am excited for these bonds to grow and the adventures coming up,” Isabella says.

This group of high-achieving students is a tribute to Carbondale Community High School, Carterville High School, and Herrin High School, which provide them with such extraordinary structure close to home.

“We started by diving into linear algebra, a foundational subject for understanding and working with AI. We covered important topics such as matrices, vectors, and eigenvalues, and explored how these concepts are applied in machine learning algorithms. This solid grounding in linear algebra is essential for grasping more advanced AI topics,” Bill explains.

During his first week, Seth had an “incredible” time. He met and socialized with wide variety of students, plus learned how to navigate the St. Louis metro and shuttle services.

Alexei Kadyrov talks about his online experience at Awesome Math where he has been studying Algebra 2.5. During his virtual course, Alexei attended lectures and problem sessions, followed by challenging homework assignments, and tests.

“So far my journey at UChicago has exceeded my expectations in every way. In my friend group alone, there are people from New York, Ann Arbor, California, Britain, Hong Kong, and Turkey. Aside from my academic experience, I have learned so much about other parts of the world and cultures through these people,” Evan says.

Jordan quickly settled in, connected with a diverse variety of students, and learned unique concepts he had never experienced before. “The opportunity to meet so many new people from diverse places and backgrounds has been incredibly enriching,” Jordan says.

Zoya says that she has been “captivated by the subject matter,” and has been really enjoying the lab work sessions.