Often the first reaction to the idea of a summer school is negative, to say the least, why would you want to give up your summer holidays to study more especially when you have just completed a tough year at school? There are actually more benefits than you might realise and as Tom Whale from Oxford Summer School explains, the positives far outweigh the negatives when you break it down.
Get Ahead of the Competition
If you have a specific university in mind you have to accept that competition might well be high. Getting your application to really stand out is always a challenge especially with the most popular further education venues, and while summer school might take away from your busy schedule of lazing in the house remember this is a time-limited period of life. Giving up your summer at this crucial time can really give you an edge when applying to your university of choice and will certainly give you something to draw on and talk about when you attend an interview.
Tackle Your Weaknesses
We all have areas that are stronger than others, and there is a temptation to focus on your strengths and ignore your weaknesses; however, this is a little short-sighted. The more sensible plan is to reach out and ask for help so that you can find understanding and close gaps in knowledge. Summer school could be the perfect place to do this, and it won’t be the teacher you have worked with already, which sometimes makes all the difference. We all have different learning styles and a new voice to explain concepts can really change how we retain the information and make sense of it
To Learn Something New
While you might have a burning desire to study maths for your whole life, universities are looking for students who show flexibility and a willingness to step outside of their comfort zone. Summer school gives you the opportunity to try something new and push yourself in an environment that doesn’t collide with your current study. It can be really interesting to learn about something that isn’t on offer in your current establishment, and this will teach you study skills when starting a subject from scratch which will come up when you start university even on your degree of choice.
Overall Enrichment
Meeting new people and learning new study techniques are all skills that will help you as you continue your learning journey. It cannot be stressed enough how much universities are looking for those students who stand out as being really switched on when it comes to their education. By choosing to attend a summer school, you are demonstrating a maturity towards your education and a desire to learn new skills. This is going to look great on your application and will help your application stand out from the general pool of forms that the tutors are going to be sifting through. Being able to meet and interact with new people is also going to be a big part of your first few months at uni, so why not get used to the idea early.
