The Senior Year at BASIS Independent Schools is unlike any other
The final year at BASIS Independent is a bridge from traditional classroom learning to applying knowledge in a real context. By this time, most students have their Advanced Placement® (AP®) courses and graduation requirements completed. As such, this year is designed to be the culmination of their whole educational experience through three elements: daily college counseling courses, college-level Capstone and post-AP courses, and the Senior Project, a unique opportunity to independently pursue their own research interests.
BASIS Independent students take a daily class solely dedicated to college counseling throughout their senior year. The focus is to help seniors identify, target, and ultimately gain admission to the college or university best suited for them. Our expert College Counselors are dedicated to understanding each student’s strengths and aspirations, and teaching them how to convey themselves compellingly in the college admissions and scholarship application processes. They work closely with our students to explore their passions, career interests, and long-term goals, and provide personal letters of recommendation and ongoing support during the application process itself.
Capstone courses are the teacher-created counterpart to AP® courses. While AP® courses typically cover a breadth of content, Capstones offer students the opportunity to explore a topic’s depth. Our teachers’ talents shine as they develop these college-level original courses tied to their own academic passions. In each course, students transition from classroom-style learning typical of high school to seminar-based or lab-based learning typical of college courses.
In the past, Capstone courses have included Neuroscience, Multivariable Vector Calculus, The Biology of Cancer, Post-Colonial Literature, and more.
The Senior Project is an independent, student-led culmination of our high school experience. After three years of academic preparation, our seniors are ready to spend the last trimester of their high school careers applying the skills and knowledge they have gained to develop a project that is insightful, academically rigorous, and professional in nature.
Our seniors start by designing a research question that is often centered on a subject they are passionate or curious about. Then they embark on a journey to answer it, documenting and analyzing their findings as they go. They partner with both an internal and external advisor to support and guide their research. Students may choose to conduct their research in the form of internships or experimental research at university research labs, field work abroad, or research conducted remotely from home. From explorations into new-age technology to cutting-edge medical advancements to social justice, the Senior Project offers students the opportunity to channel their innate curiosity. This experience readies them for the type of self-direction and self-discipline expected in an undergraduate and graduate setting.