One-to-one research
Research Scholar
Programme
Work one-to-one with a doctoral or postdoctoral researcher in your field, from a network that includes researchers at Harvard, Oxford, NYU and Columbia. In 60-minute sessions over eight weeks or more, you develop a research question of your own and write a paper, literature review or policy brief of typically 3,000 to 5,000 words, then present it and receive a written report and a recommendation for what comes next.
Who This Programme Is For
Students ready to develop a research question of their own
Research Scholar is for students with a clear academic interest who want to go further than the school curriculum allows. You do not need to arrive with a finished research question: in the first sessions your mentor helps you find and focus one. What you need is curiosity, the willingness to read demanding material, and the discipline to build an argument over several weeks of structured work.
It is Aldevere's most intensive programme, and it suits students applying to competitive universities who want a piece of work that is specifically theirs to write about and discuss.
Student Profiles
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The university-focused student
Applying to competitive UK, US or international universities and wants something specific to write and talk about beyond grades and predicted marks.
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The independently minded learner
Already reading beyond the syllabus and ready to turn that curiosity into a structured project, guided by a researcher who works in the field.
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The seminar graduate
Has completed a Field Seminar and wants to take a specific question all the way to a finished piece of academic work.
Best for
Students aged 14 to 18 (Year 10 through Year 13, or equivalent), with a clear subject interest and competitive universities in the UK, US or Europe in view. The programme is available across all six Aldevere fields.
Programme Contents
What's included
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A mentor matched to your question: a doctoral or postdoctoral researcher in your field, from a network that includes researchers at Harvard, Oxford, NYU and Columbia. If no one in the network fits, we recruit someone who does.
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A programme written for you before the first session: a reading path and a project plan built around your question
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At least eight one-to-one sessions of 60 minutes over eight weeks or more, starting with a scoping session that focuses your research question. A longer programme spaces the sessions out, leaving more time between them for reading and written work
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Written feedback from your mentor on your outlines and drafts at each stage
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Usually, sessions with your academic adviser on reading a paper, holding a research question and working with a supervisor
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A presentation of your finished work, and a note on how to discuss it in applications and interviews
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A written report on your work and a recommendation for what comes next
Outputs
What you'll produce
Research Scholars work towards a student-authored piece of academic work, typically 3,000 to 5,000 words depending on field, that they can explain and defend in detail at interview.
Research Essay or Paper
A focused academic essay built around a specific research question, drawing on scholarly sources and making a sustained argument of the student's own.
Literature Review
A critical synthesis of the academic literature on a focused question, showing the student can read, evaluate and organise scholarly sources into a coherent map of the field.
Policy or Analysis Brief
For students in applied fields: a structured brief that turns research findings into clear, evidence-based recommendations for a defined audience or decision-maker.
Publication pathway
A route into The Aldevere Review
Completed Research Scholar work can be considered for publication in The Aldevere Review, our edited journal of pre-university research, with no submission or publication fee. It is published only if it meets the editorial standard: mentor sign-off, the student's final revisions, then editorial review. Work that is not yet ready receives a revision request rather than a place.
Acceptance is editorial and never guaranteed, to any student. A published piece is worth citing precisely because it cannot be bought.
What every Aldevere programme includes
Research Scholar includes all of these, as every Aldevere programme does.
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Designed before it begins
Every programme is written for the student before the first session: a syllabus, assessment brief and reading bank for a Field Seminar, a reading path and project plan for Research Scholar, and a written plan from the Academic Readiness Review for Academic Essentials.
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A mentor for the question
Students are matched to a mentor whose work fits their question. If no one in our network fits, we recruit someone who does.
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An academic adviser alongside the mentor
Every student also has an academic adviser, separate from the mentor, who looks after their progress and wellbeing from start to finish.
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Parents kept informed
Parents receive the schedule before the first session, progress updates at set points and whenever they ask, and a debrief at the end.
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A new mentor if the match is not working
If the match is not working, we change the mentor.
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A written report at the end
Every programme ends with a written report on the student's work, covering strengths, next steps and evidence of growth, and a recommendation for what comes next.
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Certificates
Each certificate says Completion only when every session was attended and the final work submitted. It carries its own number, and anyone the student shows it to, such as a university, can verify it at aldevere.com/verify with that number and the student's full name.
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References
Mentors are glad to write a reference for a student who has attended and taken the work seriously.
The student writes every word. Mentors question, teach and give feedback. Our academic integrity policy sets out what that means in practice.
With the family's consent, a referring counsellor is kept informed of the recommendation, the match and the student's progress. How counsellor referrals work.
Programme Details
At a glance
8+
Duration
Weeks, with at least eight 60-minute sessions, spaced further apart in a longer programme
1:1
Format
Online, one-to-one with your mentor
6
Fields
Medicine, AI, Economics, Law, Humanities, Arts
$6,500
Fee
Whole programme, no add-ons
$6,500, or £5,000 for families resident in the UK, who pay in sterling with no currency conversion. The fee is confirmed in writing after the interview and before payment, and covers the whole programme, with no paid add-ons. Scholarships are awarded by nomination.
Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis, with monthly start windows.
Apply
Ready to apply?
The application takes a few minutes, and the interview can be booked once it is submitted. After the interview we recommend the programme that fits and confirm the fee in writing. Once you accept, we match you with a mentor for your question and confirm the match in writing before the first session.
Now placing students for the November start.