Independent Study Programs
What happens when a student completes AP Physics C before senior year? At many schools, the friction of a finite curriculum slows the progress of the gifted physicist. At Middlesex, the student accelerates by taking a self-designed course in quantum mechanics, replacing textbooks with the work of Stephen Hawking. This top-end academic flexibility is a signature feature of our Independent Study Program (ISP), in which seniors can design custom courses and work one-on-one with faculty expert in the field. Aviation Design and Innovation, South African Language and Culture, and Music Theory and Its Applications are just a few examples of recent ISPs taken by Middlesex seniors who have wanted to pursue college-level work in the supportive, personalized environment of Middlesex. Walk into the dining hall and you may spot a student and teacher having a lunchtime discussion about the architectural design of Disney theme parks; peek into the library and you may see another collaboration involving Greek Mythology. Our students work with (not for) their faculty sponsors in a collaborative effort that allows the pursuit of every passion, no matter how advanced, creative, or esoteric. After all, the world needs both physicists and Disney Imagineers.
