Creating an engaging psychology-themed university placement for school students

University placements provide valuable hands-on research experience for students, whilst allowing labs to engage in meaningful outreach. However, building and structuring these placements for college students (ages 16-18) may present challenges. Firstly, many hosts lack teaching experience towards this specific group, which differ significantly from university students in their subject knowledge and research skills. Additionally, hosts must balance creating engaging content while ensuring students develop meaningful practical skills and knowledge. Drawing from our collective experience, we provide practical guidelines in structuring placements in the fields of psychology and cognitive neuroscience. We discuss the importance of advance planning, tailoring content to student interests, incorporating practical elements, and promoting interdisciplinary engagement. In doing so, we aim to encourage more labs to host student placements, subsequently widening access for psychology and neuroscience research.