A Beginner's Guide to Summer Schools

Kirsten Somerville (@KirstenSom) is a 2nd year PhD student in Education, a tutor for the university’s Widening Participation programmes, and a GTA in Student Learning Development. With a background in geography, language, and literature, her research explores the use of creative writing in secondary geography education. In this post, she shares her experience of attending a summer school for the first time.

When an advertisement for a summer school on arts-based methods in educational research popped into my inbox, the day after winning a travel grant for my Three Minute Thesis entry on using creative writing in geography education, I knew I had to sign up. So far, so serendipitous. The only trouble was that, in all honesty, I didn’t really understand exactly what it was I was signing up for. The only summer school I’d heard of was the pre-entry programme for incoming undergraduates I’d taught on as a GTA – so how would a summer school for PGRs work? I took a deep dive into the unknown so you don’t have to. As the new academic year begins, I’m pleased to share the key things to know before you go. 

What are summer schools? 

Summer schools are short, intensive learning programmes based around a specific topic or theme. They typically last between a couple of days and a couple of weeks (the one I attended was one week). The time is usually divided between lectures, workshops, and applied tasks. You may be asked to present your own research – in my case by creating a “visual journal” linking my work to the themes discussed during the week – but unlike conferences, the main focus is on learning rather than sharing. Also unlike conferences, it is generally expected that participants will attend all the sessions. This made for some long and tiring days at my summer school, but thankfully broken up by extended lunch breaks where we could chat informally over a delicious three-course Italian meal.

When are summer schools?

In summer, obviously! Well, mine was held in June and was technically called a “Spring School”… And I’ve also heard winter schools are a thing… But not autumn schools, to my knowledge. Essentially, they’re held outside of the normal academic teaching terms to allow participants with regular teaching or study commitments to attend.

Who goes to summer schools?

The summer school I went to was attended by a mix of PGRs and ECRs (early career researchers). Most of the ECRs were there because they wanted to develop their knowledge of a new field. Some summer schools may also be open to PGTs (postgraduate taught students) or UGs (undergraduate students). The key factor is that there is a lower expectation of prior knowledge of the topic compared to other academic events, such as conferences. Unlike at conferences, where research staff and students may share the same stage, at summer schools there is a fairly clear distinction between the roles of speakers and students. The number of participants is likely to be limited to a seminar-sized group of around 20-30, with students selected via a competitive application process. I had to provide a CV and cover letter explaining how my research interests linked to the theme, and my motivation for attending. 

Why go to a summer school?

Summer schools are a great way to develop specialist knowledge and skills relevant to your field. Even better, you can easily demonstrate your knowledge and skills by mentioning the summer school on your CV. But the benefits extend far beyond the subject content you learn. Summer schools provide opportunities to explain your work in a different context to the one you usually work in, allowing you to see it in a different light. Like at conferences, you can build your network and make new connections, but at summer schools you have the additional advantage of spending an extended period of time with the same small group, allowing you to really get to know each other. At my summer school in Italy, I met researchers from Stirling to the United States. I hope to see many of them again at a major European conference being held in Glasgow next year, which, ironically, I only found out about from the Italian organisers! Of course, the opportunity to visit a new place is an undeniable bonus of attending a summer school. While many are held in universities, mine was in a stunning historic villa overlooking Lake Como, with reasonably-priced accommodation provided on site. I couldn’t resist adding a few days’ annual leave to the end of my trip to explore the area (with my supervisors’ permission, and at my own expense, of course). I even decided to pick up a bit of Italian on Duolingo before I left, and I haven’t stopped since I came back!

Where to find summer schools?

I saw my summer school advertised by email on the SGSSS (Scottish Graduate School of Social Science) newsletter – keeping an eye on mailing lists in your subject area is a good place to start. You may also see summer schools advertised on social media, especially on Twitter, so I’d recommend following academics and organisations whose work you’re interested in. As students at the University of Glasgow, we’re also lucky enough to be part of CIVIS, a European Civic University, which offers summer schools alongside a range of other opportunities to learn and collaborate in a multicultural, multilingual environment throughout the academic year.

How to fund summer schools?

The costs associated with attending summer schools generally consist of course fees, travel and accommodation. If your research is externally funded, your funder is the first place to look for any training and development funds that might be available to support your attendance at a summer school. Whether you receive external funding or not, your College Graduate School at the University of Glasgow may also have funds available that you can apply to. There are even dedicated grants available for CIVIS courses. Last but not least, there are PGR competitions! Three Minute Thesis and Visualise Your Thesis both offer generous travel grants as the top prizes, and, frankly, are well worth the effort regardless of the outcome.**

All in all, my summer school experience helped me to think differently about my thesis by bringing it into creative conversation with the work of others. At the end of an academic year spent mostly working alone at a desk in my living room, it was refreshing to spend a week in a new environment with other researchers who are passionate about the same things. I’m now starting my second year armed with new references, new contacts and renewed confidence in my work.

*Disclaimer: delicious three-course meals may not be included in all summer schools.

**This post was brought to you by the very grateful runner-up of UofG 3MT 2022!

Images

Cover Photo by Copernico on Unsplash.

Kirsten working on her “visual journal”. Image courtesy of organisers.

Kirsten on the balcony overlooking Lake Como at her summer school. Image author’s own.