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Get Your Dialogue Competencies for College

The is one of the first university-based pre-college programs designed to equip high school students with advanced dialogue, listening, and civic leadership skills. Hosted on the Columbia University campus, the program offers hands-on training in constructive dialogue through interactive coursework grounded in Columbia’s nationally recognized Listening Tables model.

Students develop practical tools to navigate difficult topics, understand the conditions of polarization, and build bridges in moments of disagreement with composure, curiosity, and intellectual humility. Through guided practice, classroom reflection, and live facilitation exercises, participants learn how to bridge differences and engage thoughtfully across lines of political, cultural, and ideological division.

The Institute offers two courses:

• (Two-week summer intensive)
• (Spring, four Saturdays on campus)

Both programs provide students with meaningful exposure to academic life at Columbia University while developing competencies that selective colleges increasingly value: civic engagement, intellectual maturity, and the ability to engage across difference.

Why Dialogue?

Many selective universities prioritize applicants who can bridge differences, lead difficult conversations, and contribute to pluralistic academic communities. The Institute prepares students to do exactly that, through structured, immersive practice with peers from diverse backgrounds — all without social media, AI, or screens getting in the way.

Experience Columbia’s Dialogue Model

Across the country, colleges have struggled with polarization and conflict. At Columbia, faculty and students responded with the Listening Tables—a face-to-face dialogue initiative that builds trust through genuine listening and structured conversation. The high school program is rooted in this proven, campus-tested work and builds on a powerful formula: real in-person dialogue exercises that build understanding across differences. This experience is enriched by opportunities to learn from and interact with members of the Columbia University community.

What High School Students Learn

Students work directly with Columbia faculty to develop a comprehensive skill set in listening and dialogue. Participants acquire:

• In-person learning on Columbia University’s campus
• Experience navigating conflict and disagreement constructively
• Advanced listening, dialogue, and bridge-building skills that build civic leadership and improve communication skills
• Guided facilitation practice on and off campus
• Documented dialogue experience for college essays and interviews

Our Upcoming Courses
: July 6-17, 2026 and July 27-August 7, 2026