The program is free of charge for all participants. Participants spend two weeks on the UMass Amherst campus to get a taste of college and explore life’s big questions. They live in university dormitories, eat in UMass’s award-winning dining halls, and have access to recreational facilities and libraries. During the weekdays, they gather with program instructors to discover exciting philosophical issues in a fun and supportive environment through dialogue, role-play, debates, and research projects. On evenings and during the weekend, the students participate in social activities and college preparedness programming organized by UMass’s Summer Programs office. All admitted participants will automatically receive a full scholarship that covers room, board, fees, all academic and social activities, and transportation. Question Everything aims to foster a college-going mindset in participants, increase their intellectual curiosity, improve their critical thinking and reasoning abilities, and help them understand the college application process. Each year, Question Everything will focus on questions that are subsumed under a specific theme. The pilot program, which took place in summer 2022, had “Identity and Diversity” as its theme. This program is funded in part by Mass Humanities, which receives support from the Massachusetts Cultural Council and is an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
