Summer holidays are the eagerly anticipated time for students to unwind and calm down after a demanding semester. Summer holidays during College time, on the other hand, is a period for exploration, which is why many students frequently attend summer schools.
Summer schools programs are educational courses that are provided by various universities during the summer breaks for a short duration spread over a few weeks. These programs are generally for college students, however, there are few universities who extend these programs to high school students as well.
Foreign universities including Stanford, London School of Economics, Harvard and many more, have summer schools offering courses from almost all the disciplines, such as economics, English literature, Governance, etc.
Due to the pandemic, these summer programs were made available in virtual mode as well, which can be a good alternative for students who do not have the flexibility to travel. No wonder, some might have doubts regarding the lack of exposure in the virtual mode, which is justified, however, there are some universities that maintain live and interactive sessions in the virtual mode as well. Hence, these summer school programs are more easily available, though going for offline mode is always a better option.
Almost all the summer programs across the globe generally last for a few weeks, which is much less than a semester. Therefore, they may impart insights and provide answers to practically all of your questions about studying abroad .Short duration, though, has both benefits and drawbacks.
Getting the opportunity to cover a course in a few weeks may seem as an attractive option, but it can actually become very stressful . While chasing the desire to see the city, experience culture, and interact with diverse people, you will have to deal with the burden of assignments and exams.
So it makes it difficult for students to gain a thorough understanding of the subject matter and the local culture, which may make them question whether the cost and effort are worthwhile.
Compared to the regular university programmes, the international summer school’s courses are far more varied and unique. Students have the option of enrolling in courses outside of their graduating programme, which often broadens their knowledge and experience base.
Due to their shorter duration, summer school programmes of foreign universities are less expensive to attend than year-round ones. All the expenses, such as tuition fees, accommodation fees ,etc are reduced by large numbers , making them a more economical option for students especially for the students from not so stable financial conditions.
Although program fees vary from college to college, there are some overseas summer schools which provide a few courses free of charge. Due to the high value and huge demand for these free courses, the seats are few and highly competitive. Even so, not all the programs are cost effective for everyone. So you really have to go the extra mile for getting a course based on your requirements.
Summer breaks often last for a month. They have the significant benefit of preventing summer slide, which is the loss of information and abilities that may have been gained over the summer vacation, and take you one step forward in your career.
It’s an excellent choice to take on an internship over your summer holidays to improve your abilities and resume. Summer programmes, on the other hand, are a great alternative to internships and carry more or less equal weight in terms of experience and CV points.
However, there are some courses that don’t grant you credits. Consequently, you should choose the right option for you after measuring all the opportunity costs.
Students go for summer schools for many reasons, including learning new courses, interacting with different people from different countries, to make decisions regarding their further education abroad, and many more.
But should you actually go to summer school? This question can be answered considering the benefits and drawbacks and your expectation of summer schools.