Summer holidays are an ideal time for personal growth and enrichment. Of course it’s important to take some time to recharge after a long school year, but there many incredible experiences out there which will make your summer truly unforgettable. So why should you try out an academic summer course at an international summer school?
Here we outline 10 of the greatest benefits of attending an academic summer course.
1. Realize academic potential
Summer schools can cultivate academic success in many ways. If you have exceptional instructors, they can introduce you to mindsets for advanced learning and deeper understanding of your chosen subject than is commonly available. For instance, former president of Harvard University Charles Eliot has said that, "Summer camp may be of more value educationally than a whole year of formal school work." Summer schools can help you to see the world from new perspectives, foster independent thinking, and show you how to build confidence both inside and outside the classroom. This is a great benefit not only for university applications but also for succeeding at university once you are accepted.
2. Decide direction
The prospect of choosing a degree subject or career to specialize in can be daunting. Making the wrong educational or professional choice can be a costly mistake both in terms of time and money. Middle and high school students typically have very little flexibility when it comes to the courses they can choose at school, and limited options as to who their instructors are. Because of this, students are often forced to make important decisions about their futures with little subject knowledge or relevant practical experience. Summer schools can provide an opportunity to target exactly what you want to learn, and to choose an ideal mentor to help you decide if that field might be right be for you and to guide you to the highest levels of success. On a World Scholars Academy summer course, you can try out a subject before committing to a university major and learn from the best educators in the world.
3. Increase independence
Studying far from home over the summer can give students a greater feeling of independence than summer programs closer to home. Learning to travel on your own and navigate around a different city or country can lead to a real sense of accomplishment. In addition, it can be a great learning experience to travel independently for the first time. An international summer school will build your child’s confidence in travelling on their own and settling into new environments.
4. Gain new skills
A World Scholars Academy summer course is a fantastic place to improve your English Language skills, whether that’s learning a technical subject on one of our academic courses or our immersive English course designed to prepare you to study at an English-speaking university. In addition, unlike many other summer English programs you will interact directly with native English-speaking peers who are on our other academic courses in your daily activities and excursions, allowing you to build interpersonal skills and make friends with students from all over the world. Providing students with a diverse array of experiences and environments to hone these skills is one of the main purposes of our summer courses at World Scholars Academy.
5. Experience new cultures
Being exposed to different cultures is extremely enriching. Learning how others see the world and different points of view helps to improve your capacity to question beliefs and constantly refine your mental models of the world. Of course, the best way to experience a new culture is to fully immerse yourself in it! World Scholars Academy programs attract students from around the world, giving you the opportunity to make new friends from diverse backgrounds and constantly learn with and from them.
6. Get to know Hawaii
Hawaii is one of the most beautiful locations on earth, filled with exciting natural adventures, year-round mild weather, and one of the most culturally diverse populations on earth. At World Scholars Academy Hawaii you will experience all the best of what Hawaii has to offer, from beautiful beaches and magical waterfalls to local surfers and Hawaiian Hula dancers.
7. Make great friends for life
An international summer school allows students with similar interests to meet who would otherwise never have crossed paths. Peers have a powerful influence on teenagers, and what better way to inspire your child to aim higher than to surround them with the some of the most world’s ambitious and gifted students. The active alumni network at World Scholars Academy has gone on to organize meet-ups and collaborations with friends they met on the program and between cohorts from different years, even long after they had graduated. This network of talented peers will set your child up with brilliant connections and deep friendships from around the world, giving them an edge in an increasingly globalized world.
8. Experience the Anglophone education system
For students interested in studying in the United States or the United Kingdom, attending a summer course at World Scholars Academy is an excellent way to gain familiarity with the Anglophone style of teaching, and the differences between the US and UK university systems. Also, getting a taste of different teaching styles is valuable even for students who are not planning to study or live abroad. Wherever you are from, your child will learn valuable skills and perspectives which they can apply to further their studies and career, no matter where they eventually end up around the world.
9. Cultivating a lifelong love of learning
The most successful people are always continuous learners. So cultivating a lifelong love of learning is an essential prerequisite to achieving lasting success. As the Roman philosopher Plutarch discerned nearly two millennia ago, “The mind is not a vessel that needs filling, but wood that needs igniting.” A shortcut to cultivating this lifelong passion for learning is to have the right mentors who can encourage, enthuse, and make their subjects accessible. The easiest path to follow is one with a guide. At World Scholars Academy all our instructors are elite experts in their field who can not only inspire their students to realize their potential, but also provide them with practical tools and guidance on how to become elite performers themselves.
10. Have an unforgettable experience
Combining all of these factors makes for an experience that students will cherish for a long time after their World Scholars Academy course. Alongside engaging with fascinating areas of study, they’ll have great fun taking part in extracurricular activities and during free time with their new friends, and friendships forged in both challenge and fun are the most enduring. There is nothing quite like the experience of a World Scholars Academy summer course.
International summer schools are a fantastic opportunity for students to grow both in the classroom and outside of it. World Scholars Academy summer courses provide a brilliant balance between the academic and extracurricular, so why not join us this summer and discover even more reasons why our courses are an unforgettable and life-changing experience!