If you’re interested in a career in medicine, psychology, or neuroscience, attending a pre-college program focused on the brain can be a great way to show colleges just how passionate you are about these topics. Summer pre-college programs are a great way to meet students interested in your chosen topic, and the residential programs will give you a taste of college life—and independence.
Let’s take a look at some of the best programs focusing on neuroscience and medicine. Some of these programs are in person while others are online—we’ll try to survey a range so that there’s something in this list for everyone.
While application requirements vary by program, you should expect to have to provide a letter of recommendation, your transcripts, and a personal statement or sample of previous work.
Stanford Institutes of Medicine Summer Research Program
Location: Stanford, Palo Alto, CA
Overview: Stanford University’s Medicine Summer Research Program is a full-summer research program wherein students partner with a faculty member to study a topic of their choice. The program aims to increase students participation in medical research, and students are given direct access to a faculty mentor. This program is definitely competitive—it’s absolutely free if you can get in. Stanford’s application deadline is somewhat early—it may have already passed by the time you’re reading this—but bookmark this program for next year at the very least.
Age: Juniors and Seniors, 16+
Application Deadline: February 26th, 2022
Dates: June 13th-August 4th 2022
Tuition: FREE
Stanford’s Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Program
Location: Stanford, Palo Alto, CA or Online
Overview: Stanford University’s Clinical Neuroscience Immersion Program offers students exposure to topics in neuroscience, psychology, and psychiatry. The two-week program is offered in-person, but it’s not residential—thus if you’re not living nearby you’ll have to figure out your own accommodations for your stay.
Age: Juniors and Seniors, 16+
Application Deadline: March 7th, 2022
Dates: July 11th - July 22nd Or July 25th - August 5th
Tuition: ~$2,500
Columbia Summer Immersion Program
Location: New York City, Online
Overview: Columbia’s Summer Immersion Program offers numerous courses focusing on psychology and neuroscience. Students can choose courses of various lengths, and a number of courses are offered both online and in-person. Relevant courses include Fundamentals of Neuroscience, Inside the Animal Mind: What Animals Think and Feel, and Introduction to Neuroscience: Understanding the Brain.
Age: All HS Students
Application Deadline: March 3rd, 2022
Dates: Various dates depending on program / course selected (1 week or 3 week, offered at different times in summer.)
Tuition: Varies based on program length and residential/commuter/online
UChicago Summer Immersion Programs
Location: Chicago, IL, Online
Overview: UChicago offers a number of online and in-person courses that focus on neuroscience and psychology. The most relevant course offered is probably The Workings of the Human Brain, but UChicago also has a four-week immersion program in biological research that could be steered in a neuroscience direction if desired.
Age: Juniors and Seniors
Application Deadline: March 9th, 2022 (regular decision), April 7th, 2022 (Extended Decision), May 1st (Rolling)
Dates: July 5th-July 22nd, 2022
Tuition: $4,500
Harvard Summer School
Location: Cambridge, MA, Online
Overview: Harvard’s Summer School offers full-summer courses and shorter intensive programs that focus on psychology and neuroscience. Relevant courses include Cracking the Code of the Human Brain: From Neuroanatomy to Behavior, Introduction to Neurobiology, and The Neuropsychology of Mental Disorders. Fees vary by course length and residential/commuter/online choices.
Age: 16 or older by June 18th, 2022
Application Deadline: March 2nd, 2022 (regular decision), May 11th, 2022 (Late Decision)
Dates: June 18th-August 6th, 2022
Tuition: $3,500–$13,200
Stanford Pre-Collegiate Summer Institutes
Location: Online
Overview: Stanford also offers a full slate of online courses, with a couple focusing on psychology and neuroscience. The most relevant course for young neuroscientists is probably Investigations in Neuroscience, which is two weeks long and offered during the second summer session.
Age: All HS Students, but certain courses are Juniors/Seniors only
Application Deadline: March 15th, 2022
Dates: June 20th-July 1st 2022 OR July 11th-July 22nd 2022
Tuition: $2,700
UCLA Summer Sessions
Location: UCLA, Los Angeles, CA
Overview: UCLA’s Summer College Immersion Program (SCIP) offers a number of courses focused on neuroscience and psychology. Courses such as Brain Made Simple: Neuroscience in the 21st century, Introductory Psychobiology, and Introduction to Neuroscience Methods are great introductions to the field for young learners. Courses are also offered online through eSCIP. The tuition marked below is for the in-person option, fees are lower for online students.
Age: Juniors and Seniors
Application Deadline: May 15th, 2022
Dates: June 20th-July 29th, 2022
Tuition: ~$6,500
Brown Pre College Programs
Location: Providence, RI, Online
Overview: Brown offers a number of summer courses both online and in-person. Relevant courses include Brain Basics, The Neuroscience of Decision Making, and Neuroscience in Health and Disease. Brown’s program is open to all high school students, and as such, we feel it’s an especially great option for students who are too young for some of the other programs.
Age: All HS Students
Application Deadline: April 18th, 2022
Dates: Various, courses offered in different sections throughout the summer
Tuition: $2,500-10,000
NYU Precollege Program
Location: New York City
Overview: NYU’s Pre-College Program allows students to study whatever they desire while living in the heart of the city. NYU’s courses cover a variety of subjects related to neuroscience and the biology of the brain, and students can choose to take one or more for summer credit. The program also features a ‘college 101’ component, wherein students can get help preparing their college applications and materials.
Age: Grades 10-12
Application Deadline: March 15th (priority), June 24th (final)
Dates: July 6th – August 17th, 2022
Tuition: Varies by credits
Yale Summer Sessions
Location: New Haven, CT, Online
Overview: Yale’s Summer Sessions feature a number of courses focusing on neuroscience and psychology that are offered both online and in-person. Students can choose from offerings such as Neurobiology, The Philosophy and Cognitive Science of Consciousness, and Autism and Related Disorders. Prices vary by online/in-person offerings, and the prices listed below are for one course—students taking two will pay about double. Deadlines vary based on when the selected course is offered and in-person/online courses.
Age: Seniors
Application Deadline: April 30th, 2022 (Session A), June 3rd, 2022 (Session B)
Dates: May 30th-July 1st, 2022 (Session A), July 4th-August 5th, 2022 (Session B)
Tuition: $4,650 (1 credit), $3,630 (residential fee)
If you’re serious about attending one of these programs, start getting your application in order now—many will require a letter of recommendation that might take your teacher some time. Remember that while summer programs are a great way to spend your time, they’re not the only way to show an interest in neuroscience—you could reach out to your local hospital and shadow a neurologist.
If you have any further questions, or if you’d like to discuss your upcoming summer plans, feel free to reach out to us here.