Knowledge for Freedom

Spend two weeks on the Smith College campus; experience college life while studying humanity’s deepest questions through major works of philosophy and literature. Challenge yourself in a safe and supportive environment, build friendships, and break barriers. After the summer session, your group will continue to meet throughout the academic year, focusing on civic engagement, the college application process, and more.

The Smith College Knowledge for Freedom invites rising high school seniors to lead lives of purpose and civic responsibility. Join us to experience the intensity of a seminar-sized discussion taught by a college professor and focused on major works of philosophy and literature. These texts are treated as opportunities to reflect on the problems of the present, to enrich our capacities to engage in democratic citizenship. The seminar’s central question is “What do we owe each other in our freedom?” How must we balance our own needs and priorities with those of others in order to ensure a thriving civic culture? When might we need to prioritize the needs of others over our own? How can we negotiate acceptable limits on freedom to enable our collective flourishing? Over the following year, while applying to college as high school seniors, the program’s students will engage in civic initiatives inspired by the recognition that their lives are interconnected with the lives of others.

A two-week residential seminar for rising 12th-grade students at Holyoke High School, Mohawk Trail Regional High School, and Northampton High School

Program at a Glance

Dates

July 19–August 1, 2026

2026 Cost

Tuition: $0
Deposit: $50 (refundable upon participation)
Application fee: $0

You’ll Gain

A new depth of understanding of the challenges and rewards of engaged citizenship

Participation in civic engagement

College-level writing and reading skills

Confidence in your own ability to make and support arguments both in the classroom and in the world beyond campus

Mentorship and support from Smith College faculty and experienced undergraduate students

What You’ll Do & Learn

Each day is built around a seminar session during which we will discuss the day’s reading, looking not only to understand its ideas but also, crucially, to apply them to the problems of our own society. Additional time will be spent reading and writing for the seminar in an environment of support and community, whether that takes the shape of a group reading of a play or a field trip to Historic Northampton to ground our discussion in the realities of the city’s history.

  • Close reading: Practice engaging the ideas of important writers and thinkers.
  • Critical engagement: Argue both about and with philosophers and authors from the long tradition of thinking about citizenship.
  • Raise our voices on the page: Develop writing skills to become an active participant in the discourse of democracy.
  • Final presentation: Produce your work in a form that can be shared with an audience of peers, family, and friends.
  • Field trips: Expand our thinking by incorporating the arts (at the Smith College Museum of Art) and local history during time together with these collections.

Campus Community & Life

Students live in Smith College residence halls and dine on campus, experiencing the independence of college life within a fully supervised, creative community. Evenings bring rehearsals, film nights, and social events that foster collaboration, friendship, and artistic exchange.

Three students sit on the ground with water bottles.

Applying

Who Should Apply

KFF is open to rising high-school seniors. Smith is a residential women’s college. Our Precollege Programs offer a Smith experience for high school students. Review our Codes of Conduct for students and parents/guardians to ensure that this program is the right fit for you. College credit is not offered.

To learn more, see the Apply to Summer Programs webpage.

How to Apply

Applications opens soon! Enrollment is limited for individualized attention. Applicants submit:

  • A short statement of interest
  • One teacher recommendation
  • Transcript or most recent grade report
  • An essay in response to one of several prompts

All program costs are covered; students who complete the summer seminar will receive a modest stipend.

Why KFF?

Smith College has a rich history of cultivating bold voices and creative leaders. The Knowledge for Freedom program contributes to that history by offering opportunities for collective reflection, debate, and civic engagement.

Faculty

Michael Thurston

Michael Thurston is the Helen Means Professor of English at Smith College. The author or co-author of four books, he has had a career-long interest in the relationship between the humanities and thriving civil society.