Our Honest Review of Immerse Education’s Residential Programs for High Schoolers
- Stephen Turban
- 9 hours ago
- 8 min read
If you’re a high schooler looking to gain experience in college-level academics, there are multiple ways you can go about it. You could consider a virtual summer program or a short local camp in a specific subject. However, more and more students are looking to experience both college-level academics and college life. Enter immersive academic programs. These programs allow you to spend a few weeks at a university, studying and living on campus as you would as an undergraduate. Your academics are usually quite structured, and focus on a subject track that you pick before the program. As a participant, you can expect to attend lectures in college classrooms, interact with professors and students, engage in extracurricular activities, and take local excursions with peers from around the world.
Another added advantage of residential, immersive academic programs is that they often offer access to specialized resources in the university or city. For instance, if you’re interested in English literature, you can study literary theory at Cambridge while attending poetry readings in the evenings in the city. A rigorous enrichment program can also help you stand out in college admissions by demonstrating your intellectual curiosity and ability to succeed in new environments, well before you are expected to engage with college-level academics and life.
While there are many such programs open to high schoolers, in this review, we will focus on a popular residential immersion program, Immerse Education. Immerse offers academic and career training programs for high schoolers at the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, and 8 other global universities across the world. In this review, we’ll break down Immerse Education’s different programs for high schoolers, subjects offered, instructors, and the application process. We’ll assess reviews from past students and their alumni’s outcomes to see if the program is worth it. Let’s begin!
What is Immerse Education?
Immerse Education offers summer enrichment programs for high school students across 40 subjects at universities in London, New York, Sydney, Boston, and other cities. As a participant, you will take university-level classes taught by expert tutors or attend workshops led by professionals, depending on whether you pursue the academic or career pathway.
In addition to Immerse’s in-person programs, you can also pursue an online research program that allows you to write a research paper with personalized mentorship from a tutor from Oxford, Cambridge, or an Ivy League university.
Over 20,000 students have participated in Immerse’s programs since its founding in 2012. Its programs are accredited by the British Accreditation Council (BAC), which is a good sign for the program’s academic quality and safeguards for students. In addition to its programs, Immerse runs a global scholarship essay competition each year, which gives students the opportunity to earn full or partial scholarships to any of its programs! If you’d like to check out more about this essay contest, or recommend it to a peer, check their website out here.
What programs does Immerse Education offer?
Immerse Education offers three distinct pathways for high school students, each designed for different goals: Academic Insights, Career Insights, and the Online Research Programme. Let’s take a look at each pathway:
In this global two-week program for students aged 13-18, you will take undergraduate-level classes at universities in Oxford, Cambridge, or other global cities. Classes are offered in over 20 subjects, including economics, computer science, engineering, English literature, psychology, and more.
You will be taught by instructors from leading universities like Harvard in focused groups capped at 12 students. The program includes personalized sessions with your tutor, lectures, and activities that allow you to explore the applications of your field, such as building robots in engineering classes.
P.S. - We like this pathway because of its accessibility (it is open to students across the world who wish to experience college education abroad), as well as its rigor!
This two-week summer program allows students aged 15-18 to explore careers in their subject in London, New York, the Bay Area, and Tokyo. You can explore over 10 industries, including banking and finance, engineering, software development, journalism, and medicine.
You will visit offices and factories in your host city to see how your target industry operates. This can give you access to rare insights. For instance, you could visit software companies in the Bay Area and investment banking firms in New York. You’ll receive 1:1 career coaching, work on projects in your field, and attend workshops led by professionals.
This is an online program where you will work 1:1 with tutors from Oxford, Cambridge, and Ivy League colleges to study a subject and develop a research project. It is offered year-round for students aged 13-18. Available subjects include computer science, history, law, mathematics, and international relations
You will prepare for university-level research and receive personalized feedback. If you choose the publication track, you will receive guidance from a publication coach to submit your work for publication in independent high school research journals.
Who are Immerse Education’s tutors?
We looked at the academic backgrounds of Immerse’s tutors, and they come from universities like Cambridge and Oxford. They hold or are pursuing MBAs from top business schools, and have had career at companies like McKinsey. Here are some of the tutors you may learn with:
Who is eligible for Immerse programs?
Students of the following ages are eligible to enrol from anywhere in the world
Academic Insights: ages 13-18
Career Insights: ages 15-18
Online Research Programme: ages 13-18
You must be proficient in spoken English. To receive academic credit, you must be at least 14 years old.
Beyond these basic requirements, we spoke to the Immerse team to understand what makes for a successful application. Immerse looks for students who show a genuine interest in their subject and enthusiasm for learning.
How do I apply to an Immerse program?
The enrolment process begins by selecting a program on the Immerse website. You then complete an application outlining your academic background, subject interests, and motivation. Once eligibility and fit are confirmed, you can finalize enrolment, select any add-ons, and choose residential preferences.
How do I choose the right Immerse program?
With 40 subjects available across three pathways in 10 locations, it might seem challenging to decide which Immerse program would be the best fit for you. This is especially true when you have multiple interests you’d like to explore. We asked the Immerse team for their advice on finding the Immerse program best suited for you:
Start with your goal: Ask whether you want subject depth, career exposure, or a research outcome. This will help you narrow down a pathway.
Think about long-term academic and career goals: It’s a good idea to choose a program in a field you want to study or pursue long-term. You’ll gain early exposure to the field that will help you speak clearly about your interests in university applications and interviews.
Use consultations strategically: Free consultations with the Immerse team can help you clarify pathways and decide which subject-location combination it makes the most sense for you to pursue.
Be realistic about learning style: Seminar-heavy academic programs and career training programs suit different types of students. If you enjoy analyzing texts, Academic Insights would be a better fit, but if you want to visit factories and offices, you should opt for Career Insights.
Consider options and add-ons: You can choose to live on campus or commute to classes. The program also allows you to opt for US or UCAS academic credit.
Does participating in Immerse help with college applications?
Participating in an Immerse program can give you a useful introduction to university academics and living on campus, which can help you refine your search for the best university for your needs. Some students may prefer quieter universities located in small towns, while others prefer open campuses in the heart of the city. Choosing a residential program early on helps you understand which university makes the best fit! Immerse also givesyou the option to receive a letter of recommendation from your tutor, which is great external evidence of your academic ability. For the Academic Insights program, you can choose to receive 3 US credits or 8 UCAS credits for UK universities. All participants receive a Certificate of Completion.
We also looked into the admissions outcomes of Immerse alumni. We found that program alumni have been accepted to the University of Oxford, the University of Cambridge, and Cornell. While these are strong outcomes, the program does not release comprehensive college admissions outcomes, so it’s difficult to estimate how many Immerse students get into top colleges.
What do past students say about Immerse?
We looked through multiple reviews on TrustPilot and Reviews.io and found that students generally have positive reviews of Immerse Education. On TrustPilot, the program has an overall rating of 4.8/5 with over 400 reviews, and on Reviews.io, an overall rating of 4.9/5 with over 200 reviews.
One student mentioned that her tutor made her fall in love with psychology and that the program helped her finalize her college major. Another student said the program helped them develop their communication skills and adapt to a college environment. You can check out a few more student reviews below:
Pros and cons of Immerse Education
Pros
Academic depth and range of subjects: Academic Insights and the Online Research Programme expose you to university-style learning, which will be helpful as you transition to university. Immerse programs are offered in 40 different subjects, which means you can explore multiple different interests, including more niche fields like fashion design and nanotechnology.
Customizable experience: With 40 subjects, 10 locations, and 3 pathways, you can customize your summer experience with multiple combinations. You can choose a location that offers opportunities that align with your subject. You can also choose residential or non-residential options and receive academic credit.
University life in a global city: Studying on university campuses around the world allows you to experience different cultures, adapt to new environments, and develop independence.
College applications boost: Apart from getting a completion certificate and recommendation letter, you will gain valuable experience in your subject that can strengthen your university applications and interviews. Many students also benefit from discovering early whether a subject or career path is right for them, helping them choose a college major.
Cons
Vast program menu: With many subjects, locations, and formats, it may not be immediately clear which program is the best fit. You may need to rely on the prospectus or book a consultation to decide which program would meet your long-term goals.
High level of independence required: Adapting to a new culture and city requires a certain level of independence and adaptability. The Online Research Programme requires strong self-motivation and time management. Students committed to learning would benefit most from Immerse programs.
Cost and logistics: Immerse can be expensive, and in-person options require travel and visas. Although the program offers scholarships through its essay contest and financial aid to students of all nationalities through bursaries, not all students receive financial support.
Final thoughts: Should you apply?
Immerse Education offers a well-structured enrichment experience for high school students who are curious about their subject and are looking for a trailer into life as an undergraduate student. Immerse is a great option if you want to study a subject at a specific university or explore industries in a global business hub. You can study the humanities in Oxford and Cambridge, visit major businesses in London and New York, and learn from software engineers in the Bay Area!
Immerse is also a super useful optionif you’re trying to figure out what you want to study in college or pursue as a career. In the Immerse reviews we looked at, many students valued the friendships they made with peers. That said, Immerse programs can be expensive, so you should assess the impact they would have on your goals. Overall, Immerse is strongly worth considering if you want to explore different pathways and develop academic or industry-specific skills in a university setting.