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Independent Study

Independent Study is an option for students in good academic standing who either exhaust the course offerings within a given department or wish to pursue a particular idea or topic in-depth.

Throughout an Independent Study, a student is loosely mentored by one faculty member who steers him or her through the work and provides feedback throughout the research and presentation period. Each study is a graded, one-, two-, or three-trimester commitment on the part of students and their faculty mentors.

This individualized approach is often attractive to highly-motivated students who wish to conduct specific academic inquiries in addition to all required courses. Students are required to keep journals or blogs throughout the course of the Independent Study and to present their work at the conclusion of the Independent Study in products and venues determined in consultation with their faculty mentors.

Students interested in undertaking an Independent Study must submit a proposal to the Independent Study Committee, comprised of the student’s Advisor, the Department Chair most closely aligned with the student’s topic, the Assistant Head of the Upper School, the Assistant Head of the Upper School for Academics, and the Director of College Counseling.

Since I’ve had to create the curriculum and have the discipline to do the work on my own, the program has helped develop my time management. Additionally, both studies have helped me foster meaningful relationships with my faculty sponsors. At any school, they won’t have every class you’re interested in, but this program helps fill that gap by allowing students to pursue almost anything they’re curious about. I’m extraordinarily grateful this program exists."
- Sam Gruber '20