Frequently Asked Questions About ESP and Splash

1. Who runs Splash?
2. Who is part of ESP?
3. What other programs does ESP run?
4. Does ESP offer tutoring?
5. When and where does ESP have meetings?
6. Who can participate in Splash?
7. When and where is Splash held?
8. How do I get to Splash?
9. How much does Splash cost?
10. What classes are offered at Splash and who teaches these classes?
11. Can Splash come to my school?
12. How can I be notified about upcoming Splash programs?
13. How can I help Splash?

1. Who runs Splash?

Splash is a non-residential enrichment program run by the Stanford Educational Studies Program (ESP), a nonprofit volunteer student organization at Stanford. At Splash, we bring together passionate teachers (from the Stanford community and beyond) and students who want to learn (from the Bay Area and beyond) through educational enrichment classes on the Stanford campus. The result is, of course, great learning! Click here to find out more about Splash and our mission.

2. Who is part of ESP?

ESP is a student-run volunteer organization at Stanford University. See the Meet the Team page for more information about the members of ESP (also known as the "Splash Admin Team") and what their roles and responsibilities are in our organization.

3. What other programs does ESP run?

Currently, Stanford ESP only runs the Splash program twice a year. However, we are considering running other programs with a different format in the future.

4. Does ESP offer tutoring?

No, ESP does not currently offer tutoring.

5. When and where does ESP have meetings?

Currently, meetings are Monday 7:30 pm in the Haas Center for Public Service, Room 112. If you are interested in joining the admin team, email us at stanfordesp@gmail.com.

6. Who can participate in Splash?

Splash is generally open to most students. We do not restrict Splash to only students who go to certain schools, have certain grades, or live in the local area. A major goal of our organization is fun and accessible education. However, ESP requires that all students be in at least 8th grade to participate in Splash. If you are homeschooled and do not follow a traditional grade structure, we require that you are at least 13 years old. In addition, we absolutely cannot accept students younger than 9 years of age (for liability reasons). If you are in doubt about your situation, contact us.

To participate, all students must have their parents sign a liability waiver (emailed to enrolled participants) and must bring this signed form to Splash. Parents should keep in mind the nature of our program and that we expect a high level of maturity and independence from our students. Students are unsupervised between classes and are free to wander the Stanford campus when not in class. Parents should be certain that their children are mature enough for this level of freedom.

Additionally, please keep in mind that while we do not prevent students outside of the Bay Area from taking part in Splash, our primary focus is on our local student populations and we are unable to assist any students from outside the area in terms of travel or accommodations.

7. When and where is Splash held?
We currently run two Splashes a year, one in the fall and one in the spring. These events run over the course of a weekend, Saturday and Sunday, with classes going from about 10 AM to 5 PM. Student check-in on the Saturday starts at 9 AM. We do not currently offer any summer programs. For the current event dates, see the main page. 

Splash is held on the Stanford campus in Stanford, CA. The majority of our classes are held in the Main Quad, see the Stanford map for more details.

Check out the Learn page details about our next program.

8. How do I get to Splash? 

Directions to Splash can be found here. Please note that these directions are written for people who are trying to get to Splash from within the California Bay Area. We do not offer any sort of housing or accommodations for students who are attending Splash. In the past, our students coming from far away have found their own hotels in the area.

However, remember that Splash is an enrichment program run entirely by volunteers and that the past two years have been very unpredictable. We strive to offer a great learning experience for all of our students, but it is entirely possible for the weekend to not go as planned, or not happen at all, depending on Covid case counts and Stanford policy.

9. How much does Splash cost?

ESP strives to keep its programs as affordable as possible. We are a non-profit organization and as such, all teachers and on-site participants in our programs are volunteers. The registration fee is $50 for Fall 2024, but we have a fee waiver available. This fee covers pizza lunches on both Saturday and Sunday. Please note that while it includes meals, it does not extend to t-shirts, which are available for separate purchase. Previous T-shirts will be available to purchase on both days, while this year's edition will only be sold on Sunday.

10. What classes are offered at Splash and who teaches these classes?

You can view our previous course catalogs to see what kinds of classes we may offer at our next Splash. Please note that the classes offered will change from program to program. The topics offered depend entirely on what our volunteer teachers choose to teach. We cannot guarantee that any class topic below will be offered at our next Splash. However, we usually offer classes that range from intensive academic subjects such as physics or math or history to casual hobbies such as drawing or juggling.

ESP teachers are Stanford students, alumni, faculty, and community members; they are also students at other universities, local professionals, and other interested people in the Bay Area. All of us are drawn together because we share a love of teaching, because we want to share what we are most passionate about, and because ESP brings together the students most interested in learning.

11. Can Splash come to my school?

ESP programs including Splash are confined to the Stanford University campus. ESP does not organize Splash programs at any local middle schools or high schools.

12. How can I be notified about upcoming Splash programs?

A great deal of information is available by browsing this web site. To be added to our mailing lists, you should create an account on our website. Once you have done so, you will receive periodic emails with information about upcoming Splash programs.

13. How can I help Splash?

If you are a current Stanford student or post-doc, you can help out for Splash by teaching a class at Splash or serving as a volunteer. Regrettably, due to recent changes in Stanford policy, we are unable to accept new non-Stanford teachers. You can also help by forwarding information about our Splash programs to people who might be interested in becoming a teacher, volunteer, or student. We also welcome input about how our program is run: please speak to a director at a program or contact us.

1. How do I register for Splash?
2. How does the program lottery phase of registration work?
3. How does the class lottery phase of registration work?
4. How does the first-come first-serve sign-up phase of registration work?
5. What are Splash class "sections"?
6. Can I register for classes or change my class schedule at Splash?
7. Can students take classes that are designated for higher or lower grade ranges?
8. If I attend Splash at Stanford, do I have a better chance of being admitted to Stanford?
9. Does Splash accommodate special needs students?

1. How do I register for Splash?

Students should make an account on our website to register for the next Splash. Our registration happens in three phases: a program lottery, a class lottery and first-come first-serve class (FCFS) sign-ups.

Registration dates and details are available here.

2. How does the program lottery phase of registration work?

Starting with Splash Fall 2016, we have introduced a new program lottery (also called "phase zero") as a way to be fair to the overwhelming number of interested students. During the program lottery phase of registration, students can click a button to indicate their interest in the program, and they will then be assigned a lottery number to be randomly selected to proceed to the class lottery phase. If they choose to, they have the option of joining a group of friends/family (of up to 4 students) by switching their assigned lottery number to the assigned lottery number of one of the students in the group (all members of the same group should use the same lottery number, that assigned to the "group leader").

As this is a new feature, we have compiled a more detailed FAQ here, and the steps are described in the student guide. We want to make this as fair as possible for all interested students, including those who wish to come to Splash together as a group. Note that:

• The time you enter the Splash program lottery has no effect on your chance of being selected. You may enter anytime while the program lottery is open.
• You must enter the program lottery for a chance to participate at Splash. Unfortunately, those not selected to proceed onto the class lottery will be unable to participate at that season's Splash program.

3. How does the class lottery phase of registration work?

During the class lottery phase of registration, students can submit* their preferences for classes they want to take during each timeslot. Students can mark classes as "Interested" to say that they want to take these classes and would like to be added to any of these classes if there is space. Students can also mark one class per timeslot as "Priority," which implies that that class is their first choice class.

To fairly distribute classes among our students, this lottery will randomly place students in classes they marked as ones they are "Interested" in. However, to make sure you get a class for every timeslot, you should mark as many classes as "Interested" per timeslot as you can (we recommend choosing 10 or more options). You are not enrolled in any classes until the lottery has run. You are not automatically enrolled in classes that you mark as "interested" in the lottery. Instead, you must check your results to see which classes you received.

Provided you register before the enrollment cap is reached and submit* your preferences by the class lottery deadline, your class lottery preferences are weighed equally with those of all the other students. However, we do run the lottery and send out results very soon after the deadline so we cannot allow any late submissions of lottery preferences.

In addition, we strongly recommend that after you submit* your lottery preferences, you log back into your account and check that the classes you marked as "interested" are there. Some students have had browser or website issues that prevented them from submitting* their lottery preferences and thus received no classes in the lottery phase.

*Preferences are submitted each time you click “Save and continue”

4. How does the first-come first-serve (FCFS) sign-up phase of registration work?

After the class lottery has run and we have released the enrollment results, we will open up the remaining classes for first-come first-serve sign-ups. Students can go online and enroll themselves in any remaining spots in classes to fill up their schedule.

During this phase of registration, you can also remove yourself from any classes you received during the class lottery and switch into other classes provided the class you are switching into has open spaces. Please note that when student registration closes a few days before Splash, you will be unable to make any more changes to your class schedule online.

You may cancel your registration and remove yourself from your enrolled classes at any time.

5. What are Splash class "sections"?

Some Splash classes have multiple sections. This means that the teacher would like to offer the class more than one time. Sections are essentially copies of the same class so students are advised to not enroll in more than one section of a particular class.

Students may mark multiple sections of the same class as "interested" in the lottery, but the lottery will only assign that student to at most one section of the class.

6. Can I register for classes or change my class schedule at Splash?

Since Splash Fall 2014, we no longer allow students to register for Splash on the day of the event. All registrations must take place online during the program lottery phase. Students who have signed up online for classes at Splash may change their schedule during the event itself by going to the Class Changes station.

For students who have signed up for classes online, please note that we recommend you try to finalize your schedule on the website during online student registration. Please note that in past Splashes, very few classes that were full during online registration will open up additional spots during the day of Splash for class changes. We rely on students to cancel their registration if they are no longer able to attend and we ask that students do so, so that we may open up enrollment for students who are able to come.

If you are having difficulties with registering online or need help with the registration process, please contact us.

7. Can students take classes that are designated for higher or lower grade ranges?

No, students may only sign up to take classes if they belong in the grade range of the class that the teacher has specified. If you are interested in taking a specific class and believe you may be an exception to the rule, you can contact us. However, the decision to allow students outside of the class' specified grade range is at the teacher's discretion and we do not guarantee that you will be allowed into the class even if you email us.

Furthermore, requests for exceptions will only be considered if there are open slots in these classes following the class lottery phase of student registration. In other words, you cannot mark classes outside your grade range as "interested" or receive those classes in the lottery. However, if a teacher grants you an exception, we will add you to the class after the lottery runs if there is space.

8. If I attend Splash at Stanford, do I have a better chance of being admitted to Stanford?

No, Stanford ESP is a student group that produces enrichment learning events for local students and gives our college and graduate students and affiliated members an opportunity to teach and share their passions. We are in no way affiliated with the Admissions Committee here at Stanford and there is no guarantee that participating in a Splash will positively affect your admissions chances.

9. Does Splash accommodate special needs students?

We strive to make the Splash experience as enjoyable and accessible as possible for all our participants. Please visit this page for more information if you need special accommodation.

1. Who can teach for Splash?
2. How much of a time commitment is teaching for Splash?
3. What can I teach at Splash?
4. How do I register to teach at Splash?
5. What if I need resources for my class?
6. When is teacher training?
7. Where will my Splash class be held?
8. Can I take photos/videos/sound record during my class?

1. Who can teach for Splash?

Only the following people are eligible to teach at Splash: Stanford undergraduate students, graduate students, Stanford post-docs, and any Stanford faculty or staff member. If you have concerns or further questions please contact us.

2. How much of a time commitment is teaching for Splash?

If you sign up to teach for Splash, you are minimally committing to preparing your class and teaching it. We also host an optional teacher training session that is strongly recommended for all first-time teachers.

The time commitment for Splash can be shorter or longer, the choice is up to you. You are allowed to pick not only the length of your class in approximately one hour increments, how many sections of the class you want to teach, and also how many classes you want to teach. You could teach one class section for only about one hour or you could teach almost the entirety of Splash (about 14 hours)!

3. What can I teach at Splash?

We encourage our teachers to teach anything they are passionate about. We do not require that classes be academic in nature, nor that they be taught at an advanced level. Teachers can sign up to teach anything from ultimate frisbee to 18th century literature to quantum mechanics. Students will sign up to take your class based on their interests. You can browse past Splash classes here to get ideas or you can email us at stanfordesp@gmail.com. We would be happy to help you design a class!

While we do encourage teachers to "teach anything," there are some rules about teaching for Splash, and we reserve the right to reject proposed classes.

• Students can at no time be at risk of physical or mental harm.
• Your classes cannot include you or your students doing illegal activities, nor can you explicitly promote illegal activities (i.e. “How to deal drugs 101”). You should, however, feel free to explore exciting, if provocative territory (i.e. “Why People Deal Drugs 101”).
• We allow our teachers to cover controversial or politically-charged topics as long as they do so in a manner that does not make students feel uncomfortable or unable to disagree. While the material may be the same, there is a difference between "preaching" and "teaching" and we require that teachers cover such controversial topics in an open-minded and informative manner.
• We do not allow Splash classes to be used as vehicles for advertising or recruitment. Teachers cannot use Splash classes as an opportunity to sell products to students or pressure students to join outside organizations.
• We do not allow Splash classes to be used as a platform for gathering data for outside research purposes. In class surveys to foster discussion and improve the educational experience are permitted as long as that information is not 
• taken or used outside of the classroom.
• We allow and encourage our teachers to explore religious topics, but we cannot allow any religious proselytizing or recruitment, nor any disrespect towards a person's religious affiliations or beliefs (or lack thereof).
• Stanford and ESP are committed to equal opportunity in education for all. ESP does not discriminate on any characteristic listed in Stanford's non-discrimination statement, nor can we allow teachers to discriminate. Classes only open to students of a certain gender, race, or religion are not allowed, nor are classes that would make such groups or students feel discriminated against, marginalized, or objectified.

Please contact us ahead of the class registration deadline if you are unsure whether your proposed class will adhere to these guidelines.

4. How do I register to teach at Splash?

First create an account; then register the class you want to teach (so long as the the teacher registration period is open). We will contact you later about the specifics of your class and teacher training.

5. What if I need resources for my class?

If you need a projector or whiteboard/blackboard for your class, you can request that in your class registration form and we will assign you a classroom with those resources. You may also be reimbursed for purchases up to $50 for your class. If you need to spend more than that, or have more questions about resources, contact us.

6. When is teacher training?

The teacher training sessions change for each Splash. You can see the teacher training sessions we are offering for the upcoming Splash program.

7. Where will my Splash class be held

All classes at Splash are held on the Stanford Campus and the majority of the classes are assigned to rooms in buildings in the Main Quad. You will be assigned a specific classroom after you register your class. To see where your classroom is, check your schedule by logging in to your account on this website.

8. Can I take photos/videos/sound record during my class?

You are welcome to take photos, videos, sound record or other forms of media during your class, but you have to obtain verbal consent from all students who will be involved in your media recording and you must ensure that if a student declines to participate in the media recording, he or she can still participate in your class to its full extent. All media recordings cannot be used for commercial purposes, and a written consent from Stanford ESP is needed if you intend to use the media recordings for purposes other than keeping a personal record.

1. How do I register my child for Splash?
2. Can I accompany my student to their Splash classes?
3. What can I do during Splash while my student is in classes?

1. How do I register my child for Splash?

Parents cannot register their children for Splash using their parent account. Instead, each child needs to make their own separate student account in order to register for our programs. While we understand that some students may share their email address with their parents or may only be allowed to use our website under parent supervision, we expect that all students are able to chose their own classes when registering for Splash.

2. Can I accompany my student to their Splash classes?

Parents may not accompany their students to their classes unless the student has a known health concern that warrants the supervision of a caretaker. If that is the case, please contact us in advance of Splash.

3. What can I do during Splash while my student is in classes?

Parents are free to tour the Stanford University campus or to enjoy food or drink at the Tresidder Student Union while Splash is in session.