At the NSLC on Psychology & Neuroscience, you will delve into the science of the mind as you explore child development and personality types and learn to motivate others. Through clinical psychology simulations and hands-on neurology workshops, you will explore the relationships between the brain and human behavior.
College Credit is Available for This Program
The National Student Leadership Conference has a unique partnership with American University to offer college credit for our high school summer programs across all campuses. The American University is distinguished as a premier global university and known for turning “ideas into action and action into service.” As a result of this NSLC/AU alliance, students attending the NSLC’s summer programs for high school students have the opportunity to take an online college credit course taught by American University faculty. The course is completed after returning home at hours that suit your schedule, enabling you to enhance your education without interrupting NSLC activities.
Read more about earning college credit through your NSLC program.
Program Highlights
Diagnose patients
Listen, assess, and suggest treatments for your patients during a clinical simulation.
Visit medical facilities
Interact with clinical psychologists and neurologists, researchers and medical students.
Hands-on workshops
Learn the science of neurotransmitters, compare scans of normal and abnormal brains, and examine the anatomy of the brain.
Dates & Locations
American University
Washington, DC
- June 14 - June 22
- June 25 - July 3
- July 7 - July 15
- July 19 - July 27
- July 31 - August 8
Harvard Medical School
Boston, MA (Housed at Emmanuel College)
- June 24 - July 2
- July 7 - July 15
- July 20 - July 28
- August 1 - August 9
Vanderbilt University
Hands-on Simulations
Through in-depth Psychology & Neuroscience workshops, you will discover how our senses influence memory, how chemicals and drugs impact neural activity, the effect of aging on cognition, and how neurologists and psychologists use brain scans to diagnose psychological disorders.
Hands-on Neuroscience Workshops include:
- Brain dissection (various types)
- Memory and the Senses
- Analyze real fMRI, CT, PET, EEG brain scans of normal and abnormal brains
- Neurotransmitters’ effects on zebrafish
Psychology & Neuroscience Workshops include:
- Social Psychology
- Theories of Personality
- Memory & Learning
- Stress, Coping, and Emotion
- Understanding Human Behavior
- Behavior, Cognition and Neuroscience
- Abnormal Psychology
- Behavior, Cognition and Neuroscience
- Child Psychology
Meet Psychology & Neuroscience Professionals
While at the NSLC’s high school summer psychology program, you will meet with and learn from professionals in the psychology and neuroscience communities. Guest speakers may include:
Dr. Kristi Graves
Clinical Psychologist, Georgetown University Medical Center
Vice Admiral Vivek H. Murthy, M.D., M.B.A.
U.S. Surgeon General
Dr. Francis Collins, M.D., Ph.D
Director, National Institutes of Health
Dr. Richard J. Hodes
Director, National Institute on Aging
Dr. E. Albert Reece
Vice President for Medical Affairs and Dean, UMD Medical School
Dr. Eugene Major
Chief of the NIH Laboratory of Molecular Medicine and Neuroscience
Dr. Terry Davidson
Director of the Center for Behavioral Neuroscience
Dr. Arthur C. Evans, PhD
CEO, American Psychological Association
Dr. Saul Levin, M.D.
CEO & Medical Director, American Psychiatric Association
Dr. Joshua Gordan, M.D., Ph.D.
Director of the National Institute of Mental Health, NIH
Behind-the-Scenes Tours
An important part of the NSLC high school summer psychology program is seeing the sites around one of our nation’s greatest cities. These trips are designed as both sightseeing tours and exclusive educational trips specifically tailored to the Psychology field:
- F. Edward Hébert School of Medicine, Uniformed Services
- FDA (U.S. Food & Drug Administration)
- American Psychological Association
- American Psychiatric Association
- Georgetown
- Capitol Hill & the Smithsonian
- Holocaust Memorial Museum
- Historic D.C. Monuments at Night
- Massachusetts General Hospital, the oldest & largest teaching hospital of Harvard Medical School
- Harvard University
- Historic Faneuil Hall & Quincy Market
- Harvard Square
- Vanderbilt Medical Center
- Belmont University, School of Psychological Sciences
- Grand Ole Opry
- Riverboat Cruise
- Science Museum (BodyQuest)
Leadership Training
At the heart of the NSLC is a leadership curriculum designed to build concrete leadership skills that will help you succeed. From the beginning of your program you will learn to work as a team during an exciting Ropes Challenge Course. Interactive lectures and small-group workshops will give you an opportunity to build upon your strengths and minimize your weaknesses.
Leadership topics tailored to the Psychology & Neuroscience program include:
- Personality Styles and Group Dynamics
- Public Speaking and Communication
- Time and Stress Management
- Conflict Resolution
- Ethical Decision-Making
Your NSLC tuition is all-inclusive. Your tuition covers course materials, housing, on-campus meals, social events and transportation throughout your program.
We offer a comprehensive scholarship program to assist qualified students with the cost of NSLC tuition, based on financial need, academic merit and extracurriculars.
Fundraising is a great way to raise funds to contribute toward your NSLC program tuition while also forging relationships with leaders in your community.