For parents and guardians
Your child does the research. You stay in the loop.
TopEdu connects high school students with PhDs, researchers and software engineers for a 12-week research project in computational math or physics. You approve each mentor, and you can read every message.
Where we are: TopEdu is new and has not yet opened to students under 18. We are finishing a legal and safety review first. Nothing on this page has been used by a real family yet, and we would rather tell you that than imply otherwise.
What your child would do
About 3 to 4 hours a week for 12 weeks, from a laptop, with simple experiments at home that usually cost under $20.
- Choose a project, such as how pipes make sound, or how deep summer heat reaches underground
- Run real simulations, and check them against known answers
- Compare them with their own measurements, or with public data
- Write up what they found, in their own words
What you control
Nothing starts without you
If your child is under 18, we email you a private link. They can't join until you agree, and if you decline, we delete the application.
You approve each mentor
You see who they are and what your child wrote to them. The mentor doesn't know your child asked until you approve.
You can read everything
Every message, at any time, from your private link. You don't need an account.
You can stop anything
Close a conversation, withdraw consent, report a concern, or delete your child's data. It takes effect at once.
How students are protected
- Students under 18 are never listed in any directory, so an adult can't browse for them
- Mentors can't contact them first
- A person checks each mentor's credentials, and a background check is required before they can work with anyone under 18
- Mentors see the name your child chose, their stage, graduation year, interests and one line about them. Never their full name, school or email
- Emails, phone numbers, social handles and most outside links are blocked in their conversations, in both directions
- Reports about students under 18 are handled first, by a person
What we can't promise
No safeguard is perfect, and you should know where these stop:
- A background check doesn't catch everything
- A determined person can get around a message filter
- Nobody reads conversations routinely unless there is a report. You being able to read them only helps if you do
- We don't yet send you an alert for new messages, so please check in
Please look at the messages and talk with your child about what they are working on. Tell your child to come to you if an adult ever asks them to move to another app, keep a secret, or meet alone.
Questions parents ask
Will this help my child get into college?
We can't promise that, and you should be wary of anyone who does. Admissions readers are increasingly alert to paid “research” programs that do the work for students. Our aim is different: real work your child can explain without notes, with the help they had honestly disclosed.
What does it cost?
TopEdu charges nothing today. Pricing isn't decided yet. If that changes, we will tell you clearly before you owe anything.
Who are the mentors?
PhDs, researchers and software engineers, at least 21 years old, each reviewed by a person who checks their credentials. You will see each mentor's background before you approve them.
Could a mentor do the work for my child?
The Code of Conduct forbids it, and anyone can report it. Since you can read the messages, you can see the help being given. Your child should be able to explain every number in their paper to you. That's a good test.
What information do you keep?
The application, the date your child turns 18 (not their birth date), your name and email, and their messages and work. We don't sell personal information or show ads. See the Privacy Notice.
Does my child need special equipment or advanced math?
A laptop and Algebra II are enough. Some projects use inexpensive items such as PVC pipe. Experiments are low-risk, such as tapping pipes or loading rulers with coins. One optional project uses a small heater, and should be done with an adult.
What happens when my child turns 18?
They become an adult member. Your access ends automatically, and they can continue for internships, jobs and early-career advice.
Is TopEdu connected to any other website?
TopEdu is run by the same founder as Crafted Life Journey, an adult portfolio site, and shares its sign-in system. The same system also serves a separate dating site for adults, run by the same founder. Accounts we know belong to someone under 18 are blocked from both sites, and TopEdu never links a student under 18 to them.
Explore it together.
Look through the projects with your child. Ask which one they would want to answer.