Attention 7th and 8th graders! If you’ve ever wondered what college will be like, experience it firsthand this summer at the Honors College at the University of Houston. Preview college courses in various topics, taught by actual University faculty, including English literature, creative writing, engineering, and chemistry.

When: July 22–26, 2013
Times: 9 am to 4 pm
Tuition: $400 (limited scholarship opportunities may be available)
Where: The Honors College, 212 MD Anderson Library

2013 Application
Regular Registration is March 1- May 8. Application deadline is May 8.
Decisions will be mailed the week of May 13. 

Class Descriptions

Literature

Reading great literature can feel as intimidating as solving a mystery, but with the right tools anyone can become a sleuth who knows how to investigate books critically. Together we will investigate the way character, setting, conflict, and details really work in a text, and what you can meaningfully say about them on paper. By reading together a series of short mysteries by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, we will learn our own "science of detection" with the incomparable Mr. Sherlock Holmes.

Chemistry

Some simple and important chemical concepts will be explained and exemplified using hands-on activities and demonstrations. The topics will include (but are not limited to) the periodic table, thermochemistry, reaction equilibrium, and reaction kinetics.

Creative Writing

Good critical writing begins with good critical reading. This week we will learn how doing a little "detective work" with stories can help solve the "mystery" of writing a good story or a good critical paper. As we read through a series of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s mysteries, we will also put together critical “clues” to write fun stories of our own. 

Engineering

Students will be introduced to a number of basic principles in engineering, including demonstrations based on current research activities at the University of Houston. Opportunities will also be given for hands-on construction of simple communications systems that are a part of today’s wireless environment.