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Program Description
We are currently planning for in-person and online options for summer 2021. We hope to have more information about what our offerings will look like by early 2021.
Happening Now! Smith Precollege Online
Join us for one of our online programs. Choose from weekend crash courses and non-academic community workshops. Our online opportunities are for students in grades 9-12, plus any interested current gap year students. Visit Precollege Online.
Now in its 30th year, the Smith Summer Science and Engineering Program (SSEP) is a four-week residential program for exceptional young women with strong interests in science, engineering, and medicine. Each July, select high school students from across the country and abroad come to Smith College to do hands-on research with Smith faculty in the life and physical sciences and in engineering.
Established in 1990, the SSEP annually serves more than 100 girls. Since its inception, nearly 1,800 high school students have participated, representing 46 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and 53 countries. After the program, participants return to high school better prepared to tackle tough science courses and understand what to expect in college.
Smith College is among the top-rated liberal arts colleges in the United States and one of the nation's largest colleges dedicated solely to the education of women. The Smith science faculty employs some of the finest researchers and teachers in the country. In 1999 Smith became the first women's college in the nation to establish its own program in engineering science, the Picker Engineering Program.
Central to the program is a learning environment that is rich in role models. SSEP offers hands-on, cooperative, investigative, and challenging learning—where girls get all of the faculty's attention as well as the opportunities and encouragement to achieve their best. Smith undergraduate students with science majors also serve as teaching assistants.
Research Courses
Unlike regular school classes, SSEP research courses emphasize asking questions and learning by doing, not only by listening and watching.
Students choose two two-week research courses; in these, groups of up to 17 students work alongside Smith faculty members, assisted by undergraduate interns. Informal lectures in the laboratory and out in the field encourage students to ask research questions, and they learn to conduct actual experiments. Most of the work is carried out as a cooperative team effort, with ample opportunities for individual contributions. SSEP participants learn how scientists and engineers formulate questions, work on amazingly sophisticated scientific instruments, and develop valuable critical thinking and analytical skills.
Last updated Nov 2020
About the School
Smith College Precollege Programs welcomes international students each year from around the world into our programs. You'll find that our small classes, similar to the undergraduate experience at Smit ... Read More
Smith College Precollege Programs welcomes international students each year from around the world into our programs. You'll find that our small classes, similar to the undergraduate experience at Smith, offer exceptional learning in an environment where women are taken seriously and inspired to excel as leaders. Smith is located in the northeastern region of the United States, an area with some of the highest concentrations of international students anywhere in the country.
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