Cambridge Biology Summer School (Ages 16-18)
Advanced pre-university course in Biology in Cambridge colleges
Prepare for your future on the Immerse™ biology summer school programme. Learn alongside peers from around the world, thrive through one-on-one tutorials from expert university tutors, and immerse yourself in university life in Cambridge.
Explore the rich and varied topics in biology essential to many important and rewarding careers, such as medicine or biotechnology.
The Biology programme is designed to be challenging, but our expert tutors will guide each participant in developing a firm understanding of the university-level topics that are explored.
If you’re unsure of what subject you want to study, check out all of our Cambridge summer courses.
Learn directly from expert academics from world-class universities
You will explore novel concepts and share ideas in small groups of like-minded and ambitious peers from around the world. In small class sizes averaging 7 students, you will be guided by expert tutors who have honed their expertise through teaching undergraduate students at world-class universities, including the universities of Cambridge, Oxford, and Harvard.
Our rigorous vetting process guarantees that all participants are taught by engaging and supportive educators who are, most of all, enthusiastic about sharing their expertise to ensure our summer school teaching is of the highest quality. Immerse™ is an unrivalled academic experience.
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Average class size of 7
Maximum class size of 10 students -
1:1 tutorials
Supportive, challenging and engaging -
Academic workshops
Develop a practical understanding of your subject -
World-class tutors
Academics from Oxford and Cambridge
Boost your confidence and develop key attributes in academic skills workshops
Our workshops are geared towards unlocking participants’ potential, giving them the tools to prepare for the next steps of their education and future goals. Build upon existing study skills to support future university-level learning.
These workshops explore a diverse and enriching range of topics – past examples have ranged from ‘Productivity tips’ to ’21st Century Technology Skills’. We’re sure that you’ll learn something completely new. Unlike traditional schools, Immerse allows you to learn beyond the traditional curriculum.
This programme 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 advisor@immerse.education.
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Certificate & detailed participant evaluation
All participants receive an individual report from their tutor -
Personal project or Creative portfolio
Develop a personal project or a creative portfolio to present at the end of the course -
Experience Oxbridge life
Live and learn like an Oxbridge undergraduate -
Enhance key academic skills
Interview skills, academic writing and presentation
Example tutor:
Dr. Saroj Velamakanni
Guest speakers from previous summers
Dr Lynda Shaw
Abi Oyepitan
Dr Nigel Warburton
I’m planning on pursuing medicine and cell biology in both A-level and university, so the programme showed me how it would be taught at a higher level.
I found it very surprising how helpful my tutor was and how accommodating they were. They explained a lot of things over and over, and especially in one to one sessions beforehand, you got quite a bit of time to ask them questions about what you didn’t understand.
My tutor was very specialised in cell biology, which I found was very helpful because even in the lessons, if something wasn’t mentioned, they were able to use their own knowledge and explain it, which I found was very interesting because I learned some extra things along the way, too.
Work hard, play hard.
Action-packed social programme
Outside of lessons, we are proud to offer a busy and diverse social programme to help you get the most out of your time in Cambridge. This includes activities such as punting on the River Cam, zorb football and a murder mystery night in the college.
There are also two excursions during the programme, one day trip to visit Oxford and its constituent colleges, as well as an optional day out in London, seeing the city’s most famous landmarks as well as some free time for shopping. Those who choose not to travel to London are invited to afternoon tea in Cambridge.
Activities and excursions are run by our team of friendly mentors – whose main job is to maximise your enjoyment.
Work hard, play hard.
A unique social programme.
Experience traditional 'Formal Hall'
Formal Hall is a traditional weekly meal that takes place in every college. This is an opportunity for students to dress up, dine by candlelight in the magical surroundings of a Cambridge college’s dining hall.
As an Immerse student, you will experience formal dinner three times during your stay – once per week in Cambridge, as well as in an Oxford University college on the excursion day.
Formal hall is truly a memorable occasion, so remember to bring some smart clothes!
A unique social programme.
Live and study in a
Cambridge University College
Experience life as a Cambridge University undergraduate
All participants will be allocated to a college a few weeks before arriving, based on their dates and subject choice.
If you would like to stay in the same location as a friend/sibling – please let us know and we will do our best to arrange this, where possible.
Males and females have separate accommodation in every college, and there is wi-fi available throughout.
For more information, please visit this page.
Student Welfare & Safety
An accredited provider of academic short courses
Immerse Education is accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC), the leading mark of educational quality for the academic sector. Our accreditation with the BAC sends a positive and clear message to students and partners that they are studying with a trusted and reliable provider who has met a series of globally recognised quality assurance standards, both in terms of academic provision and student welfare.
The safety and well-being of our participants is our number one priority, and all staff undergo enhanced background checks and receive thorough safeguarding training before interacting with any students.
For more information, please visit our Pastoral Information page.
Meet some of our mentors and
college managers
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FreyaFreya is a third year Medical student at St John's College, Oxford University. She is a keen runner and cyclist and has recently enjoyed taking up college rowing. -
JemMentor
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Lily-MaeMentor
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PoppyMentor
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SophieMentor
Immerse™ Biology Example Modules
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Module 1 - Macromolecules Of Life
You will examine key biological macromolecules and explore their role in living systems. You will also learn about biological membranes and consider the idea of the membrane as a dynamic structure, through the concepts of membrane transport, cell signalling, and cell-cell recognition. In addition, you'll be introduced to the importance of Proteins, Carbohydrates, and Nucleic acids and discuss how these polymeric structures are constructed from simpler components. -
Module 2 - Cell Theory And Cell Structure
The session will begin by consideration of some early pioneers of microscopy (Hooke and Leeuwenhoek) and the subsequent development of the Cell Theory. You will be reminded of the two fundamental cell types (prokaryotic and eukaryotic) and then review some of their key differences. You will also examine the role and functions of various cell organelles in a eukaryotic cell. -
Module 3 - Principles Of Bioinformatics
Explore the importance of bioinformatics in life sciences. Bioinformatics is an interdisciplinary science developed using concepts from biology, mathematics, computer science and statistics. You will explore how advances in the field of bioinformatics enabled the mapping of the entire human genome and genomes of many other organisms which led to the discovery of novel drug targets and revolutionised the field of molecular medicine. -
Module 4 - How Will Advances In Biological Research Impact Upon Society?
Learn how to improve your scientific writing skills through a presentation or scientific essay, exploring how Biological research impacts upon society.
Download syllabus overview
Download syllabus overview
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7th – 20th July 2024
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21st July – 3rd August 2024
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4th August – 17th August 2024
