Gilman Students in Future Scholars

Almost every afternoon during lunch, you might see seniors Jackson Heether, Jerry Huang, and Liam Rivers walking down to the Lower Lot. While you might think they are just another group of seniors trying to skip assembly, they are actually headed to Johns Hopkins University’s Homewood Campus, where they take college mathematics courses in Differential Equations and Multivariable Calculus.

They take these classes through JHU’s Future Scholars Program, which, according to their website, is “an opportunity for high school seniors to take college math classes for credit.”

Beyond receiving college credit, these students have had the opportunity to experience what it’s like to take college courses that are vastly different from high school classes. For their first semester class, Differential Equations With Applications, they had lectures on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 1:30 to 2:20 pm and a teacher’s assistant’s recitation session on Thursdays from 6:00 to 6:50 pm. Professors only have office hours twice a week for about an hour (sometimes during times that conflict with Gilman classes), so students need to take advantage of these TA sessions to receive help.

Even the grading differs from high school, as in their second-semester class, Honors Multivariable Calculus, midterm and final exams are worth 85% of their final grade. In comparison, many exams at Gilman count as 20% of your final grade. These college courses consider exams as a much more significant part of your grade.

Professors at JHU also teach these courses in a vastly different style than how teachers run classes at Gilman. With many more students per class, these classes are lecture-style, as opposed to the more intimate classroom environment at Gilman. Jackson commented, “I would say the transition was kind of hard. It’s a lecture style, so you’re not going to ask a lot of questions during lectures, and professors usually only have one time where you can come in and ask questions.” Additionally, the material in these classes is considerably more complex than in high school, requiring more time commitment from students outside of class.

Taking these college math courses has also reinforced Jackson's passion for the subject. “I was really thinking about going into math, and I still think I’m going to, but [the class] has allowed me to open my eyes and see what the future might look like course-wise,” Jackson said. “It’s just changed my mindset about how I’m going to tackle these courses in the future.”

Having a group of students who take the class together makes the experience all the more memorable. “I got to bond over the coursework together because we all thought it was pretty difficult,” Jackson said. “Being able to form memories of the drives over to Hopkins and building memories in any way we can was cool.” He also had the opportunity to explore Hopkins’ campus and meet many college students with unique experiences to share.

Jackson’s experiences have also taught him lessons about learning in general. He mentioned, “Especially in these courses, utilizing my resources and making sure that I’m showing up to optional stuff and getting as much help as I can if I don’t understand something really does play to your benefit.” College courses are much more independent than high school classes, so it is really easy for students to fall behind. There is no support like the Math Lab or the Academic and Learning Support team to guide students through their academic commitments, so learning to ask for help was crucial for these students’ success.

So, how do current students receive this opportunity? Mr. Gouline ‘00 nominates students who are taking AP BC Calculus or beyond in their junior year to take a one-hour exam to try and qualify to be a part of the program. Ultimately, the program accepts the top 10 students in the Baltimore area. It’s a challenging path, but for those with a passion for math, it’s a unique opportunity to grow academically through a glimpse into college learning.