GT Education for Students, by Students

Kate Murray

Envision over 600 middle and high school students invading a college campus for a day.  They arrive on busses from all over the state and start teeming through the quad like an army of ants.  Their purpose?  To attend classes taught by undergraduates on topics ranging from pottery and Salsa Dance to “Political Structures in the World of Harry Potter.”

The scene described comes from my memory of Boston College’s SPLASH program this past spring.  SPLASH is a nationwide program designed to inspire middle school and high school students and to show them that learning can be fun.  Originally started by two MIT alumni some 20 years ago, SPLASH has spread to numerous college campuses, and was initiated at BC by Hanyin Cheng in the fall of 2010.

Boston College’s most recent SPLASH session hosted hundreds of young students, offered over 150 different classes, and involved 250 undergraduates in teaching and volunteering.  The SPLASH program offers a unique opportunity for the middle and high schoolers as well as the university students, and the university itself.

For the younger students, SPLASH gives them a chance firstly to explore a college campus and interact with fun and excited undergraduates.  Secondly, they get to choose from a variety of hour-long courses that cover topics not taught in a traditional school.  These classes are often interactive, such as art, dance, debate, and language classes.  If not interactive, they are sure to be interesting as the undergrads teach about pop culture or the history of rock and roll.  Middle and high schoolers who are so often trapped in a school system’s strict curriculum have an opportunity to learn about something totally different than their every day subjects.  Furthermore, it might introduce them to something interesting about a subject they do study, such as how sleep affects the brain and memory.  SPLASH courses can open doors into new areas of interest and even potential careers for young students that the traditional education system might not.

On the college student side, SPLASH is an exciting time to showcase expertise in a subject matter and inspire a younger generation to take interest in something you find fascinating.  While Boston College has a strong service culture, this is not the push factor for student teachers.  College students can get trapped in the same career-driven path as the younger students, only having time to study for their pre-med or business classes and losing sight of their other passions.  They crave a time to talk about something they love, whether related or not to their studies.   It’s like their own little TED Talk, finally a chance to be the experts on something!

For the universities, SPLASH is a perfect marketing opportunity.  The university plays host to 500-1,000 students from nearby areas, all of who will at least ponder the idea of college in the future.  SPLASH allows a university to put its best face forward, with tons of enthusiastic students volunteering to teach on a Sunday morning or afternoon.  Also, universities can offer parent sessions on admissions, financial aid, or a sample SPLASH class while the kids are attending their own.  If the middle and high schoolers enjoy their time, chances are good that they’ll consider that university in the future, even if only to attend a sporting event or information session.

Programs like SPLASH are a wonderful example of a way to make education and learning fun and accessible to a wide audience of students.  Programs that allow younger students to see and learn from excited, engaged college students have a powerful impact.  Institutions can leverage that to make an impact of their own, as they have a day to show off their campus and student body to hundreds of students and parents who may otherwise not ever make a visit.

Kate Murray is a senior at Boston College studying International Studies and Chinese. She is spending the summer working with Gingko Tree in downtown Detroit, writing about higher education and the Edu Tech industry. Kate loves baking, Boston, bao zi, and believing in Detroit! 

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