Cambridge College Programme

  England

• Cambridge: 
Cambridge

Duration of Program: 2-4 weeks
Dates: Three-week session and an optional one-week Paris trip. Please contact us for the dates.

Description: Type of Program: Pre-college academic and cultural enrichment
Participants: Co-educational, high school ages
Enrollment: Limited
Three-week session and an optional one-week Paris trip afterward
Head of Program: Ms. Taryn Edwards, Director

Location
The University of Cambridge is made up of more than thirty colleges located in the city centre and its environs. The programme is held at several of these colleges. Headquarters is at Queens College, one of the most beautiful of all the colleges, which is located on the banks of the River Cam in the historic centre of Cambridge.

Background and Philosophy
This programme is the oldest established teen program at Cambridge. It is the only program at either Oxford or Cambridge where students are lectured only by faculty members associated with the University of Cambridge. Founded in 1986, the programme provides a stimulating and rigorous course of study for qualified and well-motivated students. It stresses the needs of the individual student and provides an opportunity to explore subjects on the skill-building level where no prerequisites are required.

Faculty members guide students to master skills, to acquire knowledge, and to think critically, creatively, and independently. The programmes structure fosters close association between staff and students for personal, social, and intellectual development.
The director and staff live at the colleges with the students to supervise and ensure their safety and well-being. Academics are enriched with both field trips and day trips to historic sites, plus trips to London, Bath, Stratford-upon-Avon, and Stonehenge. Cultural enrichment is achieved through visits to London museums, a workshop for Shakespeare and Drama classes at Shakespeares Globe Theatre in London, and theatre performances in the West End.

Program Offerings
The program offers a choice of academic study in courses. Last year they included History of Chemistry, Criminal Law, English Literary Villains, Veterinary Medicine, Philosophy of Mind, The British Monarchy, History of Calculus, Tibetan Buddhism, Jane Austen, Marine Biology, Special Relativity, Superstrings, A Hitchhikers Guide to 20th-Century Physics, Comparative Law, Psychology of War, Sociology, International Relations and Terrorism, Astrophysics, British Intelligence and the Art of Espionage, War and Chivalry, Biomedical Ethics, Photography, Scriptwriting, Moot Court, Archaeology, Philosophy, Shakespeare, Hamlet, Cambridge Scientific Discoveries, Studio Art, Saxons, Saints and Scholars, Psychology, Creative Writing, Debate, History of Art, Latin, Quantum Physics, Major World Religions, DNA Fingerprinting, Evolutionary Biology, Economics, Alfred Hitchcock, Journalism, Psychology and Law, World War II, Egyptology, Drama, Architecture and History, and Political Theory. In addition, there are daily group lectures and field trips on British cultural history. Supplemental lectures by distinguished professors enrich the curriculum on a variety of subjects, such as Roman Britain, the mysteries of Stonehenge, and much more. The large variety of evening activities includes tennis, punting, rowing, volleyball, croquet, basketball, lacrosse, squash, soccer, rugby, cricket, aerobics, swimming, field hockey, golf, running, chess, movies, salsa dancing, concerts, choir, plays on the College lawns, polo, fencing, ice-skating, a James Bond party, and barbeques.

Most students participate in the program to broaden their knowledge and strengthen their skills rather than to gain academic credits. Each student receives an evaluation of performance for classwork, including detailed comments by their instructor, a syllabus of each course, and a certificate of attendance. Many students include these in their applications to colleges and universities, and many high schools and colleges give credit to students on the basis of these reports.

Highlights: One of the most pleasant and beneficial experiences of the Cambridge College Programme is living and working with other students who represent diverse geographic locations, religions, races, and economic circumstances.

This Program is open to Worldwide Participants.

Application Process Involves:

• Written Application

Cambridge College Programme's Mission Statement: Summer program for American high school students as an introduction into British academic and cultural experience at Cambridge University in Cambridge, England.

Year Founded: 1986