Cambridge Centre for International Research
Colleges want students who have the ability to go DEEP, and who have demonstrated serious intellectual curiosity. For this reason, among others, it’s becoming increasingly common for competitive students to pursue research opportunities with academics, professionals and even college professors. The Cambridge Centre for International Research (or “CCIR”) is one of the premier companies that connects motivated students with leading academics (called “Mentors”) in their fields of interest. For the right student, this customizable program can be a game-changer, and even lead to publication opportunities. Talk about a WOW factor!
CCIR offers two types of programs:
Future Scholars, in which small groups of students (approx five) who are sorted by interest and region are paired with an academic in a 13-week program that is partly teaching and partly self-driven, supervised research; and
One-on-One, in which individual students are linked with an academic in a highly customizable, and more flexible research relationship.
Students and academics are carefully vetted, and students are screened to ensure that they have sufficient exposure to the field of study to be able to handle the rigor of the program (and be successful). In both channels, students complete the program with a preliminary cut of a research project. CCIR provides subsequent publication support for students who are keen to continue their work. The CCIR mentors have seriously impressive pedigrees and tend to hail from top colleges in the US, as well as Cambridge and Oxford.
How do I get started? Click here.
How do I expand this narrative arc? Consider one of the following possibilities for expanding the narrative arc of your research:
get school credit for your work when you turn your research into an independent study;
look beyond academic journals for publication opportunities. Depending on your area of interest, there may be literary journals, or newspaper competitions (like the ones run by The New York Times) that might carry a short-form version of your work;
particularly if you are working in a science-related field, consider one of the many highly competitive (and often stipended) summer research programs; and
most important, be sure to continue to develop your relationship with your mentor long after your 13-week research program is over.
HOT TIP: Research companies like CCIR are not inexpensive, but for the right motivated student, the impact on intellectual development and college admissions could be priceless. There are a wide variety of course and subject-matter options, and there’s sufficient flexibility in the program to accommodate almost every motivated teen. Overall, remember that high effort will lead to high rewards. Without serious motivation, and a decent amount of time, research opportunities (like most other things) are unlikely to be helpful in the short or long run.