Special summertime short courses or summer school courses are a perfect chance for students to explore new academic interests or advance their knowledge of subjects studied during the previous academic year.
For more information about what a summer school course is, read this article. A great, often overlooked, advantage of attending a summer school is that prospective students have the chance to get to know their future universities better.
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Here are a few benefits of taking a summer school course before deciding to study abroad:
1. Testing your determination
Taking a summer course will test your self-reliance, organisation, communication and language skills. It’s the perfect opportunity to see if you can adjust to a new and foreign environment. You will most likely discover that living on your own is not as hard as you might have imagined, and you will enjoy the many benefits of an independent lifestyle.
2. Meet students who study at your prospective university
By interacting with students of the university during your summer course, you may get a better insight about life in the university. Weigh the pluses and minuses and draw your own conclusions.
The summer course will also offer you the chance to meet like-minded people with different backgrounds, with whom you could exchange ideas and impressions about the study environment. Making new friends from all over the world will only make the deal more appealing.
3. Find out about the teaching methods and the academic system
Summer courses offer a more complete and hands-on university experience compared to regular visiting days. As you will spend a relatively longer time on the university premises, you will have plenty of time to decide. The intensive study experience will give you a taste of academic expectations and the way professors teach.
You will also be able to prepare for the admission process in advance. For example, students in Europe can greatly benefit from a summer course in the U.S., as many of the admission requirement and academic rules are significantly different from other continents.
4. Get to know the campus, city and surroundings
During the summer course, you will become aware of the local culture and think if the lifestyle of the population and students fits your personal preferences. It’s a great opportunity to explore the university campus without having to face the crowds of students you might run into during the academic year.
You may also want to know the nearby cities and find potential places where you would like to hang out, find discount shops and the best places to party.
5. Increase your chances of admission by developing new skills
If your mind is already made up, enrolling in a summer course is a great opportunity to strengthen your university application and add relevant academic achievements to your CV.
In a highly competitive academic environment, any evidence of extra involvement and desire to learn will add to your desirability as a potential student. Advanced knowledge on a certain topic is proof of maturity and commitment to completing a higher education degree.
6. Gain the confidence to aim higher
Enroll in a summer school and increase your self-esteem. Don’t ignore the opportunity to study at a highly regarded international university. Taking a summer course at an elite university might convince you that these students and teachers are not superhuman and that your place might be among them.
It might be a good idea to even take a summer course that will help you improve your academic performance. For example, Radboud University Summer School offers a summer course titled "Achieving Academic Excellence".
Let yourself be inspired by bright students who earned their place at the university through hard work and commitment. Don’t be afraid to dream big!
Choose your summer school course on www.shortcoursesportal.com, and find out if you want to become an international student!