Camp Info
| Ages: | 14–18 |
| Type: | Day, Overnight |
| Month: | Summer |
| Gender: | Co-Ed |
| Setting: | City |
| Lodging: | Dorm |
| Academics: | Academics, Liberal Arts, Psychology |
[email protected]
Stanford, CA, USA
Psychology 9th–12th at Stanford introduces high school students to the foundations of psychology through an interactive, relevant, and easy-to-connect-with course. Students explore major topics such as personality, sensation and perception, memory, stages of psychological development, understanding of self, relationships with others, and interactions with social groups. Rather than treating psychology as a list of terms to memorize, the program presents it as a way to better understand behavior, identity, and everyday social experience.
One of the biggest strengths of the camp is the way it turns abstract concepts into active learning. The course uses inversion goggles and optical illusions to explore how the brain processes what we see, a taste lab to examine the chemical senses, and memory games paired with strategies to strengthen recall. This approach helps students do more than listen. They test ideas, discuss what happened, and connect those experiences to core psychological concepts.
The course also includes a more reflective side. Students use personality theories to reflect on their strengths, growth areas, and current relationships, and are encouraged to consider how those insights could connect to future majors and career interests. Stories, discussions, current events, and “what if” scenarios help make social psychology feel current and familiar. This camp is likely to appeal most to students in grades 9–12 who enjoy human behavior, discussion-based learning, and subjects that sit at the intersection of science and everyday life.
| Ages: | 14–18 |
| Type: | Day, Overnight |
| Month: | Summer |
| Gender: | Co-Ed |
| Setting: | City |
| Lodging: | Dorm |
| Academics: | Academics, Liberal Arts, Psychology |
You won’t be charged yet. The camp will contact you to confirm all terms first.
| Dates | Days | Price | Apply |
|---|---|---|---|
| Jul 12 - Jul 18, 2026 | 7 | $2,785 | |
| Jul 12 - Jul 18, 2026 | 7 | $3,285 |
Students can attend this camp either as extended day campers or as overnight campers. The overnight option gives teens the chance to stay on campus and experience more of the daily rhythm of camp life beyond the classroom, while the extended day format still keeps them involved in the full instructional program through the evening.
Overnight campers live in student residence halls in shared rooms, most commonly doubles. Students attending with a friend can request to room together if they are the same gender, although housing requests are considered rather than guaranteed. The overall setup is designed to feel like supervised campus living, not independent college housing.
The residential environment includes secure building access, sex-separated dorm floors, and adult supervision built directly into dorm life. Same-sex staff members stay on the dorm floors with campers, and senior camp leadership also remains on site in the residence halls during the session. For students who want more of the social and residential side of the Stanford experience, the overnight format creates a fuller sense of camp community beyond class hours.
Meals are built into the camp day's structure to help the program feel continuous and immersive. Overnight campers receive breakfast, and both overnight and extended day students are included for lunch and dinner as part of the on-campus schedule.
That arrangement works especially well for a camp that mixes class time, discussion, activities, and evening sessions. Students move from morning meeting into class, then into shared meals, recreation, later sessions, and evening programming without having to leave the flow of the day. Meals become part of the social side of camp as well, not just a break in the schedule.
Families with dietary restrictions or food allergies need to coordinate those details directly with campus dining services. The camp can help point families to the appropriate university contact, but specific food accommodations are handled through the dining system. The official information notes that campuses can generally accommodate many common dietary restrictions and allergies.
The camp uses a structured supervision model throughout the day and evening. Education Unlimited states that its summer programs average a 1:12 instructor-to-student ratio, with about one adult for every ten campers across the program. That helps create a setting where students can stay actively involved while still having visible adult oversight.
For overnight campers, supervision continues after class hours. Same-sex staff members live in the same dormitory hallways as the campers, and roll calls are taken each morning, before meals, and before classes or activities.
Because this is a high school program, students may sometimes move between the dorms, dining hall, and class locations without an adult directly beside them, but they are expected to do so in groups. Secure dorm access and annual staff background checks add another layer to the overall structure. The result appears to be a program that gives teens some independence while still maintaining clear routines and supervision.
The program gives students a broad and interactive introduction to psychology through discussion, demonstrations, activities, and reflection. The course covers major foundations of the subject, including personality, memory, sensation and perception, development, self-understanding, relationships, and group behavior. Instead of moving through those topics as separate textbook units, the camp ties them together through practical experiences that help students connect psychology to everyday life.
A lot of the learning happens through direct participation. Students use inversion goggles and optical illusions to explore how perception works and how the brain interprets visual information. They take part in a taste lab to learn about the chemical senses, and they use memory games and strategies to better understand how recall works and how to improve it. These activities help make the subject feel concrete rather than abstract.
The program also includes self-reflective and discussion-based work. Students use personality theories to consider their strengths, growth areas, and how they relate to others. Stories, current events, open-ended discussions, and “what if” scenarios help make social psychology feel familiar and meaningful to teenagers. The course also examines how positive psychology and newer technologies have expanded our understanding of human thought and behavior.
The week ends with a final project in which each camper selects one of the course concepts and develops a psychology experiment around it. That gives the camp a clear academic arc and allows students to finish by applying what they learned in a more independent and creative way.
Registration starts with a deposit.
A separate $300 security deposit is also required before attendance is confirmed.
The remaining balance must be paid by the deadlines listed in the camp payment schedule.
Tuition is generally not refundable after enrollment unless a Tuition Protection Plan was purchased during registration.
The Tuition Protection Plan must be added at the time of application and does not provide refunds once camp is already in session.
Roommate requests and housing preferences may be considered, but the camp does not promise specific placements.
