The Academic Program
The courses offered to Pre-College students are on the same level as courses offered to William & Mary undergraduates. In order to offer these courses, NIAHD has condensed a 13-week semester into 3 weeks. We hold Pre-College students to the same high standard of excellence as all William & Mary students and consistently challenge them to produce their best work. It is an academically rigorous program.
Students who attend NIAHD's Pre-College Program can expect to:
- Visit a historic site every weekday - learn history where it happened!
- Dig at an archaeological site
- Participate in seminar discussion with a maximum of 12 students
- Complete 30-60 pages of college-level reading each night
- Submit written work each week
- Earn 4 transferable college credits from William & Mary
- Live in a William & Mary dorm with other Pre-College Students and Resident Program Assistants (RPAs)
Site Visits
Monday through Friday, NIAHD Pre-College students visit an historic site in the morning with their Instructor. Students explore heritage sites, museums, national parks, historic houses, and battlefields and speak with experts and guides in the field. Occasionally, classes will travel to a more distant site for a full-day experience.
Seminars
After the morning site visit, students meet in afternoon seminars to discuss, analyze, and question ideas relevant to the day's historic site and related readings. Instructors guide students in conversation where they may express their ideas and perspectives. Seminars offer spaces to deliberate topics with other students in a forum that maintains civility and respect.
Written Assignments
In addition to participating in seminar discussion, students are required to submit several written assignments. In written work, students have the opportunity to further analyze the ideas encountered in readings, at historic sites, and in seminar. Instructors will help students to develop and defend a thesis and will provide supportive feedback as students edit and refine their work.
