What are university residentials and summer schools?
A university summer school is an opportunity offered by universities during the summer months, where students can find out more about the university experience and essentially live like a student for a small period of time. It will be a quieter time to visit, as the majority of current university students will be on their summer breaks!
In addition to academic aspects, university summer schools may also offer a range of activities and events, such as sports, cultural excursions and social events, which provide students with a taste of the university experience.
Although each residential event will be different, many events will have associated eligibility criteria, often designed to encourage students who are underrepresented in universities to explore the available opportunities. For instance, an eligibility criterion could be for students from families where their parents did not attend university.
Potentially, yes! But the main difference is a summer school is likely to be delivered during the summer, whereas a residential may be hosted at different times of the year – but offering similar opportunities.
Summer schools offer the opportunity for students experience to a range of taster courses in a variety of subjects, allowing students to experience studying different subjects at university.
Many summer schools offer residential options, allowing students to live on campus and fully immerse themselves in the university experience.
Summer schools and residentials include activities and events, such as cultural excursions, sports, and social events, to provide students with a taste of the university experience.
Summer schools typically have lots of opportunities for prospective university students to engage with current university students, as many of the staff working during residential events will be student ambassadors.
Some summer schools offer career development opportunities, so as well as finding out more about studying different subjects, they can develop their future employability at the same time!
Check out the Uni Guide podcast, with a dedicated episode exploring residentials and summer schools. Featuring a student panel who speak about their residential experience and expert university guest Jake Brown from Lancaster University. Jake has delivered residential events for over 1,500 students