3 benefits of attending a summer school programme

28 Nov 2016

You spend all of the school year looking forward to the summer holidays. No lessons, no exams, just weeks and weeks of freedom and fun. But when the time comes, things aren’t actually as free and fun as you’d hoped. You quickly run out of money and can’t afford to do anything. You’ve watched everything there is to watch on Netflix. And your best friend has gone off on holiday for two weeks so you can’t hang out with them either. A summer school could be the answer to all of your problems.

Summer schools are offered by universities all around the world during summer holidays and can be anything from a week to two months in duration. The course content of summer schools can also vary; some will have classes related to a specific subject area which you will select before you join, and others will be aimed at improving English Language skills. Outside of class time, summer schools have a packed extracurricular programme which allows you to get to know the country you are visiting, make friends with other students, and most importantly, have fun!

Here are three reasons why you should consider enroling on to a summer school programme next year:

1) Experience university life

If you want to study overseas after you complete high school then a summer school programme is definitely for you as it will provide you with an introduction in to what it is like to live and study in that country. By attending classes, you will understand the types of teaching methods used as they will quite often vary from what you are used to in your home country. You will also start to pick up some of the local customs and culture, which can be a huge advantage when you do finally arrive to start your fulltime degree programme.

2) Develop your personal skills

There are so many personal advantages that can be gained from attending summer school. Most programmes are offered to students from the age of 16 onwards, and the experience of travelling abroad independently and taking part in a university programme puts you in a really unique position. Your self-confidence will improve as a result, as will other transferable skills including leadership, creative and critical thinking. You will also have the opportunity to develop your communication skills as you will be speaking to students from a wide range of backgrounds, and your language skills will improve too, as it is likely you will be in a country which doesn’t speak your first language. All of this can be documented when writing your personal statement for university to make you stand out against other candidates.

3) Make an international network of friends

Your parents might not necessarily see the advantages of this one, but making friends with people all around the world really can be beneficial for you in the future. You don’t know when you will need a bed to stay in if you decide to take a gap year to travel the world. More importantly, if you decide you want to apply for jobs overseas when you graduate, these networks can really prove to be useful. It’s not always what you know, but who you know!

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