An important part of a student’s university experience is the location and culture, and research has shown that most of the graduate students are quite keen to revisit places they may have spent time previously. This brings us to the question – how could a university’s marketing department offer prospective students an experience of their location, prior to them making any decisions about where to study? This is where the benefits of Summer schools (or winter schools) come into play. Summer courses offer an excellent opportunity to students for transition into college for incoming International Students. For any international students due to begin college in fall, the summer might seem like an endless stretch before the beginning of an adventure. International students ready to move to the U.S. might want to consider enrolling in summer classes to begin their adjustment to college life.
Following are the steps universities can take while implementing the summer or winter programs:

It helps students to adjust to the culture
Studying away from home in a new country, especially for an entire undergraduate or postgraduate degree, can be a very daunting task for a student. For most of the students it may be their first time away from family and friends, hence short-term programs allow prospective applicants to experience a new place and a new method of teaching in a comfortable setting, without the pressure of starting an entire degree. This is an exciting way for them to acclimatize to the culture, and to promote your university campus.

A great chance to promote your institute
Summer schools also give you the opportunity to promote your university. These short programs will enable prospective students to get a taste for the quality of education on offer, the prowess of your academic staff and the strength of your facilities. Indeed, these are things that can be communicated much more clearly in this way than through open days, brochures or fairs.

Winter schools can help as well
For maximum success, consider running both winter and summer schools, as this will increase your odds of chiming with the variety of breaks seen in academic calendars across the world. Scheduling programs and marketing strategies in accordance with any region you’re particularly keen to attract students from is a good approach towards it.

Offer courses that are relevant to the Degree courses
To increase interest in your university and boost your student recruitment efforts, consider offering courses that are relevant to popular degrees. Providing an experience which will help students once they do begin their degree is a great incentive, especially for those international students who will be paying higher rates of tuition for a good education. Language preparation courses are also a good way of attracting students looking to improve their skills over the summer.

The benefits
Make sure you’re highlighting the real benefits of what a summer programs could offer prospective students. By finding out what students from different countries are looking for, you can target your courses and marketing. You could also focus on the cultural aspect, the adventure and any language skills they might be able to develop by studying in the city and country in which your institution is located for this length of time.

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