Homeschooled until he reached college age, Robinson began his undergraduate education at a much larger and more traditional school. Looking for an environment better suited to his independent style of learning, he decided to transfer to Hampshire because its computer science program is so closely tied to cognitive science. He felt he would be freer to pursue his interests. Hampshire encourages students to learn skills they can apply to the work they're already doing. Lee Spector, associate professor of computer science, one of Robinson's professors, said that computer science, like every other program at Hampshire, is open-ended.
Students define their own objectives, in consultation with the faculty.
Like most computer science students, our students are project-oriented. The difference between Hampshire and other colleges is that student projects make up the bulk of the learning here, and other schools have to fit them in when time and curriculum allow. Each idea is unique, and each is backed by the extensive knowledge he has gained on the topic. That's good news as Robinson begins his Division III project, the final academic stage at Hampshire, in which each student creates a substantial independent project. He is considering research programs in cognitive psychology or artificial intelligence, using evolutionary principles as a basis for a handwriting recognition program.