The Self-Exploratory Benefits of RIEP

Our Research Interest Exploration Program, or RIEP, exists because of our pragmatic approach to academic advancement. We know how challenging it can be for students to choose a research subject to study, especially after they’ve spent so many years counting on teachers to choose what they learn.

But as we look ahead to college and beyond, it’s clear we should be encouraging our young people to make decisions of their own. And for those of us at Scholar Launch, that starts with inviting students to explore various fields of study to find out where their interests lie. 

What RIEP Has to Offer

Consider RIEP a pre-research-program program. It’s the ideal solution for scholars who are considering pre-collegiate research but don’t quite know which discipline suits them best. This 8-week, multidisciplinary course is curated to reveal students’ strengths and weaknesses.

Whether working with one of our esteemed experts one-on-one, or joining a group of like-minded students to collaborate and learn with, RIEP scholars can expect to explore:

• Applied Mathematics

• Neuroscience

• Clinical Psychology

• Earth & Environmental Science

• Public Health

• Sociology

• Religious Studies

After 8 weeks of in-depth lectures with esteemed professors and in-person sessions with our expert Faculty Advisors, students should be equipped with a multidisciplinary research portfolio and research proposal aligned to their chosen discipline. The impact of the Research Interest Exploration Program extends beyond tangible academic benefits, though. 

Deliberate multidisciplinary study not only enriches scholars with transferable skills like critical thinking, intellectual flexibility and self-management. It also affords them an opportunity to take low-level risks with advanced subject matter they may not have access to in the classroom yet. And taking risks, as it happens, is essential for healthy adolescent development.

Self Exploration in Adolescence

It’s not exactly news that kids of all ages are curious about the world around them. Teens specifically, however, are definitively more inclined than children and adults to take risks and approach the unknown. UCLA’s Center for the Developing Adolescent determined that this explorative trait of the teen years is “a fundamental aspect of learning that helps us expand our skills, discover who we are, and ultimately leave the familiarity of home.”

Thanks to significant changes in the brain’s dopamine system during adolescence, teens have a heightened sensitivity to the positive feelings that come from new experiences. We don’t pretend to believe that participating in middle or high school research is as fun as a school trip or birthday party. 

We do, however, believe in the power and impact of multidisciplinary enrichment at an age when new and challenging information pairs perfectly with the adolescent penchant for risk taking and exploration.

It’s not the end of the world if a student doesn’t know what subject they want to research. It’s an opportunity. Our Research Interest Exploration Program offers scholars the guidance and resources needed to discover various fields of academia.

The best part? They walk away with documented evidence of all they’ve learned. They also end the course with a newfound interest they may choose to pursue either in a Scholar Launch Research Program, or as future college major.

It’s our job to give our scholars their best shot at academic success and it’s a job we take pride in. Apply to RIEP today. Those passions won’t discover themselves.