CLS Year 12 Summer Course 2023: Student Projects

This year’s inaugural UCL Centre for Longitudinal Studies (CLS) summer course gave A-level students from across London a taste of university life and a practical understanding of higher education study in social sciences, psychology, economics and population health.

With talks and activities led by experts in their academic fields, the learners discovered how CLS’s rich longitudinal data is used by researchers to investigate topics such as socioeconomic inequalities, health, mental health and cognition. The academics were able to explain how their work makes a positive difference to people’s lives, highlighting examples of longitudinal research findings which have been used as evidence to support government policies in the realms of education, health and employment.

During a trip to parliament, the students were given a glimpse into the world of politics, where civil servants explained how researchers communicate their findings to government policymakers.

Over the course of seven weeks, the cohort had the opportunity to apply their learning by analysing longitudinal data, distilling complex research findings to create eye-catching infographics, and presenting their work to their academic tutors and peers. They also reflected on their experiences during the course through a series of blogs. Find out more below.

Students’ research infographics

• ‘Only children compared to those with siblings’ by Bipasha
• ‘Obesity and Long-Covid’ by Ramleen and M
• ‘Inequalities in adolescent mental health and wellbeing’ by Rhianna, M and Hamdi
• ‘Mental health measurement in adolescents’ by Jessica, Geasmin and L
• ‘Associations with cognition over time’ by Priyanka, Zia and Amirah
• ‘Mental Health difference between the UK and Australia’ by Hanifa
• ‘First in Family Students’ by Maisa

Students’ reflections on the CLS summer course

• ‘Connecting longitudinal research with government policy’ by Jessica, Maisa and Rhianna
• ‘Developing new social science research skills’ by Hanifa, Maisa, Priyanka and Ramleen
• ‘What can longitudinal research tell us about our society?’ by Amirah, Hamdi, Maisa and Zia
• ‘Expanding psychology knowledge outside of the classroom’ by Geasmin, M and Zia

Summer course 2024

Applications for our 2024 summer course will open in early 2024.

To be eligible to participate, you must be an AS-level student (Year 12) attending a state school in London and have an interest in pursuing higher education.

There are no subject requirements to attend, but the course will be of particular interest to students interested in social sciences including psychology, medical and health sciences, statistics, economics, politics and demography.

You need to be able to attend at least 5 of the 7 sessions, and we strongly encourage you to ensure you can participate in the all-day session culminating in presentations and a trip to parliament.

Click here to view the programme from the 2023 course.