The New Commons is designed for 9th through 12th grade students, and graduated seniors who have not yet entered freshman year. We are excited to work with anyone who wants a taste of college-level reading expectations in a discussion-based learning environment. At the moment, we are not open to currently-enrolled college students or adults, but this may be part of our programming in the future. If you are interested in this, please let us know!! You can also sign up for the occasional newsletter for updates on our cohorts and programming.

We’re so excited you are interested in joining a cohort! Please fill out the General Application—and be ready to indicate the specific cohort you wish to attend and write a brief Statement of Interest!  We look forward to reading it. You'll hear back from us promptly, within 2-3 business days.

There are no formal requirements to join (e.g., a transcript, test scores, or letters of recommendation). The only requirement is that you must be a high school student who commits to reading the entire text, participating fully, and attending all the sessions. See more specifics on the application under Apply and on participation requirements under our Program Policies.

The New Commons is open on a first-come basis, but the application allows for a general vetting process. Do your best to represent who you are and your interest in the program. Applicants may be turned away due to poor fit, a timezone incompatibility, or a lack of ability to fully participate. Write a thoughtful response, and feel free to have fun and get creative — we want to get to know you!

Once you have submitted your application, your application will be reviewed promptly by the founder, Lauren. You will know promptly, within 2-3 business days, if you have been accepted.

Well, gee. We’re honored! You are absolutely welcome to attend multiple cohorts. Say you want to attend Hamlet and Frankenstein — that’s great! All you need to do is indicate that in your application. 

Please note a few important caveats: 

• Please don’t select more than one if you don’t actually want to attend both. Applying two cohorts doesn’t necessarily increase your chances of getting into one. So when you apply, only check the boxes for the cohorts you can commit to attending. 

• Tuition is per cohort, so please be sure to check with your parent/guardian to confirm that you have financial support for both.

Upon acceptance, two emails will be sent:

• Parent/Guardian Email: The Parent or Guardian will be contacted via the email included in the application, notifying them of the student’s acceptance. This will include a link to the cohort-specific tuition payment portal. By purchasing a spot, the Parent/Guardian, as well as the student, agree to the Program Policies, which include cancellation and attendance policies.

• Student Email: The student will be notified of their acceptance and the next steps to begin their reading! This will include a run-down of the reading schedule and the Reading Guide.

Please kindly note that the student’s spot will be held for up to 7 days, and will be secured only after tuition has been paid. After the tuition payment is received, the student will receive an additional email with links to the Zoom meetings for each session, as well as the Calendly link to book Office Hours.

As a new program, we currently do not have the financial resources to offer scholarships at this time. We are price-conscious, and it is our goal to be able to offer scholarships to students in need as soon as possible.

We offer a 15% discount to all students who apply well before the deadline. (Please visit each cohort page for  specific discount deadlines.)

No grades, darlings! To receive the Certificate of Completion, students must complete the reading and attend all the sessions. If students do not fully participate—for instance, if they end up skipping a session without proper notice or reason, or if they have evidently not done the reading—they will not receive the certificate. See our Program Policies on Participation for more of the heart behind this policy. 

No. As an independent program, we provide extracurricular, supplemental training for students in high school. Think of us as a program where solo study meets community dialogue, where private reading meets individual mentorship. The program should not be used to replace regular high school classes, although this process will absolutely support the mastery of texts that appear on advanced placement and college-entry examinations. 

The conversations we have in session can absolutely support content knowledge, critical thinking skills, and writing and analysis required in English classes and beyond. The mission of this program is to support that academic work, not replace it, by deepening the student’s reading experience and knowledge of core texts through the work of long-form dialogue. 

Only on very rare occasions, with proper notice given beforehand. If there is a specific concern or question for us, parents should send a direct email to Lauren.

The New Commons was founded by Lauren Frey, MA—a lifelong reader, writer, and lover of the humanities—who also teaches each cohort. The cohorts are minimal in size and number to ensure that each runs smoothly as the program develops and evolves.

Yours truly. All the content that you read and web development was created by Lauren over the course of several months of writing, soul-searching, drafting, cutting up slips of paper, and rearranging them on the kitchen table, reading books and articles on teaching methods, revisiting old college notebooks, talking to friends and her husband, and clicking and dragging things on Squarespace. No AI was used to develop this content.