Exceptional Pre-College Psychology Program for Teenagers at Cambridge University
Psychology mentoring (1)
University of Cambridge Campus, UK

Exceptional Summer Pre-College Psychology Program for Teenagers at Cambridge University Campus

age icon 13-15 years old

time icon 2 weeks

book icon Weekly hours: 20

See Dates

Session Dates

Choose your preferred session from the options below and submit your details in order to complete your booking.

June - Day

Start 6/28/2026
End 7/11/2026
Duration 2 Weeks
Price £5,995

June - Boarding

Start 6/28/2026
End 7/11/2026
Duration 2 Weeks
Price £7,495

July - Day

Start 7/12/2026
End 7/25/2026
Duration 2 Weeks
Price £5,995

July - Boarding

Start 7/12/2026
End 7/25/2026
Duration 2 Weeks
Price £7,495

July - Boarding

Start 7/26/2026
End 8/8/2026
Duration 2 Weeks
Price £7,495

July - Day

Start 7/26/2026
End 8/8/2026
Duration 2 Weeks
Price £5,995

Course Description: Exceptional Summer Pre-College Psychology Program for Teenagers at Cambridge University Campus

🧠 Pre-College Psychology Summer Program (Ages 13–15)

Location: Cambridge University, United Kingdom

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📌 Key Facts

  • Age Group: 13–15 years

  • Duration: 2 weeks (13 nights)

  • Academic Hours: 30 hours of Psychology tutorials

  • Average Class Size: 7 students (max 12)

  • Tutors: Oxford, Cambridge & Harvard academics

  • 1:1 Career Coaching: Personal support and guidance

  • Professional Development Workshops: Academic + future skills training

  • Accommodation: Single/twin study bedrooms in Cambridge colleges (shared bathrooms, limited ensuite)

  • Meals: Breakfast & dinner daily, plus 2 Formal Hall dinners (👔 bring smart clothes!)

  • Excursions: Oxford day trip + optional London visit (or Cambridge afternoon tea)

  • Pocket Money Recommendation: £80 per week (for lunch + souvenirs)

  • Transfer Service: London Heathrow, £180 each way

  • English Requirement: Upper-intermediate (B2)

***

📖 Course Description

This fantastic program at Cambridge University is the perfect gateway to Psychology for curious and ambitious 13–15 year olds.

Through engaging tutorials, you’ll explore some of the most fascinating questions in this multidisciplinary field:

  • What makes you unique?

  • What motivates human behaviour?

  • How do nature and nurture shape who we are?

Taught by expert tutors from Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard, the course combines academic rigour with discussion and debate. You’ll learn directly from world-class educators in small groups, gaining confidence and building critical thinking skills.

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🎓 Academic Experience

  • Explore behavioural genetics, social psychology, clinical practice, and child development.

  • Learn how psychologists study thought, emotion, memory, and decision-making.

  • Engage in debates, case studies, and experiments.

  • Receive 1:1 academic feedback and coaching.

  • Present your understanding of Psychology in a final session with peers and tutors.

***

🛠 Academic Skills Workshops

Alongside Psychology tutorials, you’ll take part in Future & Academic Skills Workshops designed to prepare you for higher education and future goals:

  • Productivity tips ⏳

  • Academic writing & research ✍️

  • 21st Century technology skills 💻

  • Personal branding & interviews 🎤

***

📝 Sample Modules

Module 1: An Introduction to Psychology

  • What is Psychology? Study of the mind & behaviour.

  • Explore unconscious processes & neural mechanisms.

Module 2: Foundations of Psychology

  • The four pillars of Psychology.

  • Learning, memory, motivation, emotion, personality & intelligence.

Module 3: Child Psychology

  • Cognitive & physical changes during childhood.

  • Key influences on child development.

Module 4: Experimental Psychology

  • Psychology as a science: linguistics, neurophysiology, probability theory & statistics.

Module 5: Clinical Psychology

  • Observation, interviews & psychometric testing.

  • Shared decision-making in psychological intervention.

Module 6: Developmental Psychology

  • Human growth, change & adaptation across life stages.

Module 7: History of Psychology

  • Roots of Psychology in Ancient Greece (Plato, Socrates).

  • Explore memory, free will, determinism, and nature vs. nurture.

***

🏛 Accommodation & Meals

  • Stay in historic Cambridge colleges, many over 500 years old.

  • Rooms: Single or twin, shared bathrooms (1 per 4 students). Limited ensuite available.

  • Meals: Breakfast & dinner daily in college dining halls.

  • Formal Hall Dinners: 2 candlelit formal meals — once per week in different Cambridge colleges (👔 bring smart clothes).

  • Separate male/female corridors (except for ensuite).

  • Wi-Fi throughout.

  • Dietary, medical, and religious needs fully catered for.

***

🎭 Social Activities & Excursions

Outside lessons, the program offers a busy and diverse social calendar, led by friendly Cambridge mentors:

  • Punting on the River Cam 🚣

  • Zorb football ⚽

  • Murder mystery night 🕵️

  • Games night 🎲

  • Movie night 🎬

  • Talent show 🎤

  • Quiz night ❓

Excursions:

  • Day trip to Oxford University.

  • Optional London trip (sightseeing + shopping).

  • Alternative: Afternoon tea in Cambridge.

***

✈️ Arrival & Transfers

  • Arrival Day: Sunday, 2–5 pm (rooms ready from 3 pm).

  • Heathrow Transfers:

  • Chaperoned service from Terminal 3.

  • Departures at 11:00, 14:00, and 17:00.

  • Return transfers at 07:00 & 12:00 on final Saturday.

  • Cost: £180 each way.

  • Alternative Travel: Guidance provided in Welcome Pack.

***

💷 Fees & Pocket Money

  • Transfer Fee: £180 each way.

  • Pocket Money: £80 per week (for lunch + souvenirs).

  • ATMs available; Visa & Mastercard widely accepted.

***

✅ What’s Included

  • 13 nights’ accommodation in a Cambridge college.

  • Breakfast & dinner daily.

  • 30 hours of tutorials with Oxford/Cambridge tutors.

  • All study materials.

  • Future & Academic Skills workshops.

  • 1:1 academic career coaching.

  • 2 Formal Hall dinners (👔 bring smart clothes).

  • Full social program & excursions.

  • 2 coach excursions (Oxford + London).

  • Graduation ceremony & certificate.

  • Detailed written evaluation from your tutor.

  • Comprehensive summer school insurance.

  • Notebook & pen.

  • Mentor family photograph.

***

✨ The Cambridge Psychology Summer Programme (Ages 13–15) is your chance to discover the science of the mind and behaviour, debate the biggest psychological questions, and live like a Cambridge student while building confidence and new skills.

Activities

  • Outside of lessons, enjoy a busy and diverse social program including punting on the River Cam, zorb football, games night, movie night, quiz night, talent show and a murder mystery night at the college.
  • All activities and excursions are led by our team of friendly mentors, dedicated to maximizing your enjoyment.

Accommodations

  • College allocation based on dates and subject choice, assigned a few weeks before arrival.

  • All colleges are central, historical, with unique culture and character.

  • Accommodations designed for study, not luxury; many buildings over 500 years old, no air conditioning.

  • Accommodation requests for friends/siblings considered where possible.

  • Separate male and female accommodations in each college; wi-fi available throughout.

  • Single or twin occupancy rooms with shared bathrooms (one per four participants); some ensuite facilities available, prioritized for additional needs.

  • Mixed-gender corridors for ensuite facilities; gender-separated corridors for shared bathrooms.

  • Welcome Pack includes possible college details for program dates.

  • Rooms secured with locks, housekeeping access for maintenance.

  • Breakfast and dinner included on campus

  • Host venues accommodate all dietary requirements, special attention to religious observances and medical needs (Please let us know if you need to follow any particular religious observances or have any medical requirements that we need to know about.)

  • As a student, you will experience formal dinner three times during your stay: once per week in Cambridge and at an Oxford University college on the excursion day, making formal hall a memorable occasion, so remember to bring some smart clothes!

Excursions

  • Two excursions offered: a day trip to visit Oxford and its colleges, and an optional day out in London to see famous landmarks and enjoy shopping.
  • If you opt out of the London trip, you're invited to afternoon tea in Cambridge.

Transportation

  • Arrival Time: Participants should arrive between 2 pm and 5 pm on the first Sunday of the program, with registration and accommodation showings upon arrival (accommodation ready by 3 pm).

  • London Heathrow Airport Transfers: Shared airport transfer service available from Heathrow Terminal 3 directly to Cambridge/Oxford colleges. Pastoral team to meet participants at any Heathrow terminal and escort to Terminal 3.

  • Transfer departures at 11:00, 14:00, and 17:00 on arrival Sunday; return transfers to London Heathrow Airport depart at 07:00 and 12:00 on the final Saturday.

  • Transfer Fee: Available for booking post-enrollment at £180 each way.

  • Detailed information is provided closer to the program date, including contact numbers.

  • Alternative Arrivals: For those arriving at different airports or by other means, details are in the Welcome Pack sent after enrolment confirmation.

Lesson Plan

  • 40 hours of academic sessions from Oxford University and Cambridge University tutors
  • Carefully designed study and lecture materials
  • Mentor program and access to support material

Academic Skills Workshops:

  • Unlock participants’ potential, giving them the tools to prepare for the next steps of their education and future goals.
  • Focus on enhancing study skills
  • Support for university-level learning
  • Diverse and enriching range of topics – past examples have ranged from ‘Productivity tips’ to ’21st Century Technology Skills’.
  • Unique learning experience outside traditional schools

Sample Modules:

Module 1: An Introduction to Psychology

  • Study mind and behavior, including thinking, feeling, decision-making
  • Examine unconscious processes and neural mechanisms

Module 2: Foundation of Psychology

  • Understand basic psychological processes and their everyday applications
  • Explore cognitive processes, learning, memory, motivation, emotion, personality, intelligence

Module 3: Child Psychology

  • Investigate physical and cognitive changes during childhood
  • Address key questions in child development

Module 4: Experimental Psychology

  • Delve into experimental psychology, including philosophy, linguistics, neurophysiology
  • Study probability theory and statistics in psychology

Module 5: Clinical Psychology

  • Learn about clinical psychology methods like observation, interviews, psychometric testing
  • Understand psychological intervention in clinical settings

Module 6: Developmental Psychology

  • Study human growth, change, and adaptation throughout life

Module 7: History of Psychology Studies

  • Trace the roots of psychology back to Ancient Greece
  • Discuss philosophical topics like memory, free will, determinism, nature vs. nurture

Sample timetable Academic insights 2024

Sample Tutors

Benjamin F:

  • PhD Candidate and undergraduate supervisor at the Department of Psychology at the University of Cambridge.

  • Doctoral thesis is entitled "Evidence, Bias and Replication in Animal Intelligence" and examines the process by which researchers generate facts about animal minds.

  • Published 5 articles in international peer-reviewed journals and given invited lectures at the American Psychological Association and the Stockholm Cultural Evolution Symposium.

  • Has taught on a range of undergraduate courses at Cambridge from the Natural Sciences and Psychological and Behavioural Sciences Triposes.

  • Graduated from the University of Cambridge with a 1st Class degree in Natural Sciences.

Guest Speakers from Previous Summers:

  • Abi Oyepitan - Former Olympian: A two-time Olympian and Commonwealth Gold and Silver winning track and field athlete.

  • Dr Lynda Shaw - Neuroscientist & entrepreneur: A journey in personal development - how to create your own set of tools to fast track success

  • Dr Nigel Warburton - Philosopher, author & journalist: How do great people find answers to deep and meaningful questions?​​

Extras

  • Transfer Fee: £180 each way.

  • Pocket Money Advice: Money we recommend that participants bring £80 per week to cover any souvenirs that they may wish to purchase. Various banks and ATMs are available throughout Cambridge, and Visa and Mastercard are widely accepted.

Security

  • This program is accredited by British Accreditation Council (BAC)

  • Meets global standards for academic provision and student welfare

  • Top priority for participant safety

  • Staff undergo enhanced background checks and safeguarding training

  • Participants assigned to a “Mentor Family” of 10 students

  • Mentors offer support, advice, and share their experiences

  • School management and supervision is managed by senior, experienced College Managers in Cambridge, Oxford, London, and Sydney

  • College Managers trained to Level 3 Safeguarding standards

  • Resident summer team and college personnel supervise sites 24/7

  • Encourage student independence within safe boundaries

  • Team supervision ensures safe and rewarding experience

Requirements

  • This program is designed for students with at least an upper-intermediate level of English (B2). If you are unsure if you meet this requirement, please contact with our advisor.

Video

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