15 Summer Camps in the UK for 13-Year-Olds

TL;DR

You'll find 15 UK summer camps here for 13-year-olds, spanning creative tracks like fashion, graphic design, and set design at UAL and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, alongside STEM and medicine tasters at Imperial College London and the University of Southampton. Costs range from free coding sessions with Kode With Klossy to residential stays such as Guildhall's drama camp at £3,295. Most run for a single week, though several, including Leighton Park's international school, offer multi-week residential formats. Immerse Education's Academic Insights Programme, open to students aged 13 to 18 worldwide with a bursary programme available, rounds out the list.

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If you are looking for a way to learn beyond your school, a summer camp can be an opportunity to explore new subjects while experiencing a university-style learning environment at an early stage of your academic journey. Camps offer access to interactive workshops, seminars, practical projects, laboratory activities, and collaborative challenges, designed to help you build skills in communication, creativity, critical thinking, research, teamwork, and problem-solving. Whether you are interested in science, engineering, business, medicine, law, computer science, or the arts, camps let you dive into your interests through hands-on learning rather than traditional classroom lessons.

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These structured summer experiences can act as a foundation for your college journey by giving you an early introduction to university life while helping you build academic confidence, discover new subjects, and develop practical skills that can support your future studies.

Why should you consider summer camps in the UK?

The UK is home to internationally recognised universities, research institutions, museums, and cultural landmarks that create an engaging environment for young learners. Studying in cities such as Oxford, Cambridge, and London will let you experience historic campuses, world-class teaching, and an international community while exploring subjects beyond your school curriculum. Alongside academics, you will develop independence, meet students from around the world, and experience a residential learning environment that prepares you for future educational opportunities.

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For related options, consider summer camps in the UK for 14 year olds.

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To help you find the right fit, we have compiled a list of 15 summer camps in the UK for 13-year-olds. We have focused on options that combine engaging academics with an immersive on-campus experience.

15 Summer Camps in the UK for 13-Year-Olds

1. University of the Arts London (UAL) 3D Design for 11- to 15-Year-Olds 

Location: UAL Central Saint Martins, London, England; virtual option also available
Cost: Typically, £710.00; price and duration vary by format
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Multiple week-long sessions during the year; summer session dates: July 12-16; July 26-30; August 9-13
Application deadline: Not specified; you can book directly through the course's online booking section
Eligibility: Students, ages 11 – 15; international student eligibility not specified

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This UAL camp introduces you to the field of 3D design, spanning areas like sculpture, architecture, interior and spatial design, product design, and jewelry design. Taught by working artists and designers, daily sessions will combine drawing, 3D construction, model making, and mixed media work to help you develop your own creative ideas. 

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You will explore a range of design techniques, including working with sheet materials and fabric, 3D weaving, and building large-scale 3D projects, while practicing communication and presentation skills for your work. At the end, you will walk away with a small portfolio of drawings and documented 3D pieces, along with a digital badge and certificate of attendance. You can choose between a more intensive on-campus format or a flexible, part-time online option, depending on your schedule and preferred learning style.

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Why it stands out: It lets you learn from working professional artists with real industry backgrounds in fashion, advertising, and craft practice and get a taste of art school-style teaching.

2. Immerse Education’s Academic Insights Programme

Location: Oxford, Cambridge, London
Cost: Varies; summer school scholarship available through our bursary programmeAcceptance rate/cohort size: Selective; an average of 7 participants per class
Dates: Two weeks in the summer
Application deadline: Multiple cohorts with rolling admissions
Eligibility: Students ages 13 – 18 currently enrolled in middle or high school; open to students from around the world.

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The Academic Insights Program lets middle and high school students experience university life firsthand. You will live on campus and study in small groups of 7 to 10, and learn from tutors from top universities like Oxford and Cambridge. You can choose to explore an area of interest, with tracks spanning over 20 options, including Computer Science, AI, Business Management, Economics, Architecture, Medicine, and Philosophy. 

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The courses are experiential, letting you practice what you learn over two weeks. You may find yourself conducting dissections in medicine, designing a robotic arm in engineering, participating in a moot court for law, or building creative writing portfolios and business case studies. By the end of the program, you will complete a personal project, receive written feedback, and leave with a certificate of completion. You can find more details about the application here.

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Why it stands out: You will get early exposure to university life and explore new disciplines through a mix of independent project work and discussion-based classes.

3. Kode With Klossy Summer Camps

Location: Virtual and in-person camps, including in London, UK
Cost: Free
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not officially disclosed

Dates: Two weeks in the summer; dates TBA for the next cycle

Application deadline: March 31st
Eligibility: Women and gender expansive teens, ages 13–18, from around the world

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This free, two-week camp series is designed for middle and high school students who want to learn to code through guided sessions and hands-on projects such as programming a chatbot or creating a website. You will join a focused track like data science, web development,  or artificial intelligence/machine learning and work with Python, JavaScript, SQL, algorithms, HTML, CSS, and natural language processing. 

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Beyond track-specific learning, you will attend a speaker series in which women in technology offer insights into what careers in the field entail. You will also get access to the broader Kode With Klossy alumni community following the summer program.

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Why it stands out: It lets you gain experience in computer science and programming through project work and connects you with women in tech at no cost.

4. Arts University Bournemouth’s Creative Arts Summer School: Fine Art Festival

Location: Arts University Bournemouth, Bournemouth, England, UK
Cost: £389
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 16 – 20 students/class
Dates: July 27-31
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students, ages 12 – 15; international student eligibility is not specified.

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This five-day fine art camp, offered by Arts University Bournemouth, provides students with exposure to traditional and modern studio techniques through project-based workshops. You will learn to work with materials such as plaster, wire, oil paint, charcoal, clay, and mixed media to produce artwork within your chosen area of creative interest. 

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The schedule will also include life-drawing sessions in specialist studios and collaborative critiques. The curriculum is designed to encourage experimentation while familiarizing you with university facilities, exhibition spaces, and how creative disciplines are taught in higher education settings. A final showcase will let you share your work with an audience of peers and family members.

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Why it stands out: It offers early exposure to studio-based university art education and the chance to work with a variety of fine art materials and techniques, all within five days!

5. Royal Conservatoire of Scotland Summer Schools: Introduction to Set and Costume Design

Location: Wallace Studios at Speirs Locks, Royal Conservatoire of Scotland, Glasgow, Scotland, UK
Cost: £335; scholarships available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Open-access course; cohort size is not publicly available
Dates: July 20-24
Application deadline: Rolling until the course reaches capacity
Eligibility: Students, ages 13 – 17; international students can apply

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This one-week summer camp introduces you to the development of sets and costumes for theatre and other forms of live performance. You will explore the costume design process through research, idea development, sketchbook work, and presentation under the guidance of experienced practitioners. 

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At the end of the camp, you will create a model box and costume designs that can be part of your creative portfolio. Group discussions and workshops will help you understand how designers collaborate with performers and production teams. You will use facilities and resources associated with the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland’s full-time production programmes. The experience can help you assess whether theatre design, production arts, or a related creative degree is something you can explore after high school.

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Why it stands out: It gives you access to resources and facilities at a top performance arts school and offers guidance as you complete a full set-and-costume design project.

6. UAL’s Architecture for 11 to 15 Year Olds

Location: UAL Central Saint Martins, London, England, UK
Cost: From £690; price can vary by format
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Several week-long sessions during the year, including sessions in July
Application deadline: Not specified; you can book directly through the course's online booking section
Eligibility: Students, ages 11 – 15; international student eligibility not specified

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This introductory course, taught by a practicing architect and interior designer, covers the core principles of architecture and spatial design, exploring how structure, narrative, site, scale, light, and materials shape the built environment. Centered around the theme "Transform," the course will begin with observational drawing around King's Cross campus before moving into research, speculative drawing, and hands-on model-making workshops. 

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Each day will combine lectures with practical design sessions. You will also get the chance to present your work and receive feedback from both peers and tutors throughout the course. By the end, you will develop your own design proposal for transforming an existing building or space, and present it through both drawings and a physical model. You will walk away with a small portfolio, a UAL digital badge, and a certificate of attendance.

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Why it stands out: It is taught by a practicing architect and interior designer, offering you insights grounded in current industry practice rather than just academic theory.

7. Leighton Park International Summer School

Location: Leighton Park School, Reading, Berkshire, UK
Cost: £3,115 (including tuition, residential accommodation, meals, insurance, scheduled excursions, and airport transfers on designated dates)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified; classes are limited to 16 students
Dates: July 13-27 | July 27th – August 10th | August 10-24
Application deadline: Rolling until full
Eligibility: Open to international groups of ages 8 – 17 and individual applicants of ages 13 – 17; program is designed for students visiting from outside the UK

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Leighton Park’s International Summer School combines English-language study with sports, creative activities and cultural excursions. You will complete approximately 30 hours of English tuition, with classes assigned based on a placement assessment taken upon your arrival. 

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You will attend sessions focused on English communication, vocabulary, and practical language use through topic-based activities rather than examination preparation alone. As a teenager, you can also select afternoon academy activities before joining evening events and trips to destinations such as London and Bath. Residential life will give you experience of a British boarding school environment while you practice interacting in English with students from different countries.

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Why it stands out: It combines structured English learning with an all-inclusive residential program and scheduled cultural exploration.

8. Imperial College London Year 9 Girls Engineering Summer School

Location: Imperial College London’s South Kensington campus, London, England, UK
Cost: None; need-based travel support may be available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not officially disclosed
Dates: August 4-7
Application deadline: March 18th
Eligibility: Girls in Year 9 who are taking at least eight GCSEs, and are on track for grades 7 – 9 in at least five GCSEs, including math and science, and at least a grade 5 in English Language; not open to international students

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This four-day, non-residential program introduces you to a range of engineering disciplines through hands-on taster sessions and talks from Imperial College London faculty and researchers. You may attend sessions in bioengineering, civil engineering, design engineering, earth science and engineering, materials science, and mechanical engineering, gaining practical exposure to each field. 

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The program will open with orientation, team-building activities, and a chance to meet your mentor, and will close with a group poster exhibition where you will present what you've learned to staff, family, and other guests. Each day will also include a short reflection activity, helping you connect what you have learned to your own interests and explore potential career pathways. 

9. UAL International Summer School for 11 to 15 Year Olds

Location: UAL’s Chelsea College of Arts, London, UK
Cost: From £2,500; optional UAL accommodation costs £99 per night and must be booked separately with a parent or guardian.
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Two weeks in the summer
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students, ages 11 – 15, from around the world

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UAL’s International Summer School is a camp-like program that introduces you to art-college learning through a series of practical art and design projects. You will practice art-focused research, idea generation, drawing, mark-making, colour, design, and 2D and 3D collage and modelling. 

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You will get to experiment with materials and begin developing work for a creative portfolio. Tutors will guide you through discussions, studio exercises, and collaborative activities while encouraging you to explain and refine your ideas. You will also receive a digital badge and certificate of attendance at the end.

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Why it stands out: It offers direct access to UAL’s studio teaching style and support while helping you develop early portfolios in creative areas.

10. Arts University Bournemouth’s Fashion Design and Styling Course

Location: Arts University Bournemouth, Bournemouth, England, UK
Cost: £389
Acceptance rate/cohort size: 16 – 20 students/class
Dates: July 27-31
Application deadline: Rolling
Eligibility: Students, ages 12 – 15; international student eligibility is not specified.This camp-like experience is designed to help you explore fashion design and styling, and sustainable approaches to clothing production. During the week, you will study topics like fashion trend forecasting, illustration, fabric selection, and garment styling while working in AUB’s fashion studios. 

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You will explore techniques in draping, embellishment, fabric manipulation, and construction. The schedule will also include collaborative project work, where you get to develop and present your ideas and receive feedback from tutors and peers. At the end of camp, you will complete a portfolio of fashion designs.

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Why it stands out: It is one of the few creative camps that combine fashion design with sustainability and alternative garment-making techniques, while letting you explore what it is like to study at an art school.

11. Camp St Mary's London (CSM) @ St Mary's University

Location: St Mary's University Twickenham campus, London, England, UK
Cost: Starting at £2,550 for a 14-night stay; check details here
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified; 16 students/class
Dates: July 1-15 | July 15-29 | July 29th - August 12th
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: International students, ages 12 – 17 (or ages 11 – 18 if participating in groups)

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CSM is a residential English-language summer camp that combines language lessons with cultural immersion in London. You will get 30 hours of English lessons over two weeks, taught in small classes across CEFR levels A2 to C2, with lessons alternating between full days of instruction and full-day excursions to London landmarks. 

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Your day will be structured into six one-hour class sessions with breaks, and lessons will be designed to connect directly to the excursions and activities you'll take part in. Outside the classroom, you will stay in university housing, getting the chance to explore life on campus. At the end of the program, you will receive a certificate of attendance and a personalized report on your progress.

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Why it stands out: It combines English instruction with city exploration, pairing lessons with trips to London landmarks rather than keeping language learning confined to the classroom.

12. UAL Graphic Design for 11 to 15 Year Olds

Location: UAL Central Saint Martins, London, England, UK
Cost: From £750; price can vary by format
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not publicly disclosed
Dates: Multiple week-long sessions during the year, including sessions in July and August
Application deadline: Not specified; you can book directly through the course’s online booking section
Eligibility: Students, ages 11 – 15; international student eligibility not specified

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This short course offers an introduction to graphic design and visual communication. You will spend a week exploring graphic design principles, analogue printmaking methods, visual research basics, abstraction, stop frame animation, collage, and typefaces to develop your own visual style. 

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You will engage in activities focused on zine and poster editorial design, sequential design, symbols, logos, and icons. Throughout the week, you will experience art school teaching. At the end, you will get a digital badge and certificate of attendance.

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Why it stands out: It covers a range of graphic design concepts and lets you explore your personal style through hands-on sessions delivered in a short one-week format.

13. University of Southampton LifeLab Medicine Summer School

Location: LifeLab at University of Southampton, Southampton, UK
Cost: £180, including food and refreshments; 10 fully funded bursaries + up to £100 in travel support available
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not officially disclosed
Dates: July 22-23
Application deadline: Open till full
Eligibility: Students in Years 9 – 11

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The LifeLab Summer School offers students a two-day introduction to medical training and healthcare careers. You will practice clinical skills such as suturing on models and explore anatomy and pathology fundamentals at the Centre for Learning Anatomical Sciences. 

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Visits to clinical areas and conversations with medical students will help you understand how doctors train and what working in healthcare involves. You will also meet health professionals and attend a keynote session focused on what it’s like to pursue and practice medicine. The course will connect practical activities to future medical study and applications. 

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Why it stands out: It offers practical clinical exposure within a university hospital setting and lets you explore what it is like to build a career in medicine, all within two days.

14. Guildhall Residential Drama Summer School for Ages 13 – 17

Location: Freemen’s School, Ashtead Park, Surrey, UK
Cost: £3,295 (includes accommodation, meals, pastoral support, and scheduled evening and weekend activities)
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Limited spots; exact details are not publicly available
Dates: July 13-24 | July 27th – August 7th; residential check-in and departure extend each session by one night
Application deadline: TBA for next cycle
Eligibility: Students, ages 13 – 17, from around the world with the required English language skills

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Guildhall’s two-week residential camp introduces students to acting and drama through practical studio training. You will study core areas in drama such as voice, movement, improvisation and Shakespeare while exploring the creative process from initial ideas to rehearsal and performance. 

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Daily ensemble sessions and project work will help you develop performance technique, communication skills, and collaborative decision-making abilities. Guildhall tutors will lead the instructional sessions, while supervised evening and weekend activities will provide time for creative and social development. The experience can help you gain early exposure to the teaching methods used in drama schools.

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Why it stands out: It offers performance training to students with varying levels of experience while also providing residential programming designed to offer an early look at student life at a drama school.

15. UAL Introduction to Makeup for 11 to 15 Year Olds

Location: UAL London College of Fashion, London, England, UK
Cost: From £630; price can vary by format
Acceptance rate/cohort size: Not specified
Dates: Multiple three-day sessions during the year, including sessions in August
Application deadline: Not specified
Eligibility: Students, ages 11 – 15; international student eligibility not specified

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This three-day camp-like course offers practical exposure to makeup principles, including aspects like face shapes, colour theory, skin preparation, and foundation matching. You will learn about skin types and product information while creating a “no-makeup” look, applying false lashes, and recreating trendy and party makeup looks. 

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The sessions will cover professional aspects of the makeup industry like health and safety, hygiene, and customer care as well as corrective makeup techniques. At the end, you will get a digital badge and certificate of attendance. This can be an opportunity to experience art school teaching and pick up foundational makeup skills.

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Why it stands out: It offers a condensed introduction to makeup and art school instruction through hands-on experiences.

Frequently asked questions: Summer Camps in the UK for 13 Year Olds

How much do summer camps in the UK for 13 year olds cost?

Costs vary widely by length, location, and format. Free options exist, such as Kode With Klossy's coding camps and Imperial College London's Year 9 Girls Engineering Summer School. Shorter day or week-long courses, like Arts University Bournemouth's £389 fine art camp or the University of Southampton's £180 LifeLab Medicine Summer School, sit at the lower end. Longer residential programs cost considerably more, ranging from Leighton Park's £3,115 international summer school to Guildhall's £3,295 drama camp. Comparing cost against length and format will help you find a fit within your budget.

Are summer camps in the UK for 13 year olds residential or day programs?

Both formats appear on this list. Residential options, such as Guildhall's Drama Summer School and Leighton Park's International Summer School, include accommodation, meals, and evening activities alongside daytime coursework. Day programs, including Imperial College London's Engineering Summer School and the University of Southampton's LifeLab Medicine Summer School, run without overnight stays and typically cost less as a result. If you're not ready for a residential stay, filtering for day programs still leaves you with strong academic and creative options.

What subjects can 13 year olds explore at UK summer camps?

Coverage spans creative and academic fields alike. UAL runs several short courses in areas like 3D design, architecture, graphic design, and makeup, while the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland focuses on set and costume design for theatre. Academic and STEM options include Imperial College London's engineering taster and the University of Southampton's medicine summer school. Immerse Education's Academic Insights Programme adds over 20 subject tracks, including business, philosophy, and computer science, for students up to age 18. Narrowing down a subject area first will make the list easier to work through.

Are these UK summer camps open to international students?

Most are, though eligibility varies by program. Leighton Park's International Summer School and Camp St Mary's London are both designed specifically for international visitors, combining English-language instruction with residential life. Immerse Education's Academic Insights Programme and Kode With Klossy are also open to students from around the world. A few programs, such as Imperial College London's Engineering Summer School, are restricted to UK-based applicants, so always confirm eligibility before applying.

Can a summer camp at 13 help me build a portfolio for future studies?

Yes, several programs on this list are specifically structured around portfolio-building. UAL's short courses in 3D design, architecture, and graphic design all conclude with a small portfolio piece, a digital badge, and a certificate of attendance. The Royal Conservatoire of Scotland's set and costume design course also produces a model box and costume designs you can carry into a creative portfolio. Starting this kind of work at 13 gives you an early foundation to build on before more competitive art or design school applications later.

Is 13 too young to attend a university-style summer camp in the UK?

No, several programs on this list are designed specifically for this age group. Immerse Education's Academic Insights Programme accepts students starting at 13, and UAL's short courses in design and makeup are aimed at 11 to 15 year olds. Programs at this age typically favor smaller, closely supervised class sizes and shorter course lengths compared to those built for older teens. Checking each program's stated age range will confirm whether it's designed with 13 year olds specifically in mind.

Build a foundation for university at 13

Portfolio-building courses at UAL and the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland give you concrete work to carry into later applications.

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Small class sizes and supervised residential formats at this age make it easier to try a subject without pressure.

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Choosing between summer camps in the uk for 13 year olds now shapes which subjects you carry forward into later study.

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Visit Immerse's university preparation resources to keep building the habits and interests that will support you as you get closer to applications.