Junction

Junction is a summer program for advanced, self-driven high school students held on the MIT campus. This year, Junction is being redesigned to give between 40 and 48 students the opportunity to execute an in-depth independent study project through a unique mentoring experience. By mid-April we will select six Junction mentors, each of whom will write a biography that introduces themselves to students and summarizes their interests and skills. Junction student applicants will read these biographies and write a proposal to work with one of the mentors on an independent study project. Each Junction mentor will use these proposals to select either six or seven students and help these students refine their proposals throughout the summer to prepare them for Junction. Junction will be an immersive academic program held on Sundays in June, July and August that combines individual mentoring with diverse afternoon classes taught by the mentors and various admins. We’re looking for mentors who can guide and support students in their projects and are enthusiastic about teaching college-level seminars on a variety of topics.

Are you interested in mentoring for Junction? Here’s what you need to know!

Mentoring Commitment

Mentors will handpick 6-7 students to mentor in an independent study of the student’s own design. After working with students to refine their project proposals in early June, mentors will regularly check in with students over the summer as students start researching and working on their projects.

On the seven Sundays of Junction, mentors will meet in-person with their students both individually and in groups. Mentors will also prepare and teach afternoon seminar classes in their areas of interest.

During the Spring, you will:

Attend Spring preparation sessions. Specifically you must be available for a day-long retreat on April 30 to meet your fellow mentors and select your students. Other worksessions will be scheduled according to mentor availability. Select six to seven students who you’ll stay in touch with online throughout the early summer and mentor extensively during the seven weeks of Junction. Prepare 4-6 one-shot (Splash-style) classes to be taught in the afternoons.

Over the summer you will:

Help students refine their independent study proposals and check in with them regularly during the first part of the program. Get to know your fellow teachers at optional weekly worksessions on Sunday evenings (dinner will be provided) Prepare 4-6 one-shot (Splash-style) classes that will run during Junction. Do any necessary preparation to ensure you can mentor students in their studies.

During Junction you will:

Be at Junction from 10:00am-4:30pm on the seven Sundays of the program (breakfast, lunch, and dinner will be provided!) Meet with students individually or in groups every day and provide guidance on their projects. Supervise students during their independent work time. Teach seminar classes for one hour each day. Eat lunch with students and help build a Junction community. Have at least one hour of downtime during the day when you can do last-minute prep and relax. Attend a daily staff meeting after students leave for the day (which will include dinner).

Compensation

Mentors for Junction will receive a $1000 stipend to help cover housing and other living expenses associated with being a mentor for Junction.

Meals will be provided at preparatory meetings and during Junction.

How to apply

The online Junction 2017 mentor application will be open until April 8th. All applications submitted before this date will be treated equally. If you seem like a good fit for the program, we may invite you for a 60 minute interview so we can get to know you better. After your interview, we will let you know whether we would like to extend you an offer by mid April.

Here is the link to the application: https://esp.mit.edu/junction2017-mentorapp