Tag: International Summer School

Attending International Summer School in Barcelona

By Nicola Hodson, MSc Marketing Management Practice

One of the things that attracted me most to the masters courses at the University of Sheffield was the option to attend an International Summer School. I have just returned from studying at ESADE Business School in Barcelona for two weeks, which was the most incredible experience, both academically and personally.

During my time at ESADE, I took classes in Global Entrepreneurship and Design Thinking, which proved extremely interesting, particularly as an aspiring entrepreneur! It gave me the opportunity to learn about things I would never normally have the chance to learn about, and the lectures were really fun and engaging. I learnt a huge amount and I’m excited to be able to apply it all in both the remainder of my studies and in a work-place setting. After studying for the day, we would sometimes have company visits- A highlight has to be visiting Barcelona Tech City and learning about all of the amazing innovative solutions they are developing there! During the Summer School, we also had time to explore Barcelona, including looking around the famous La Sagrada Familia, watching the Magic Fountain show, visiting Park Guell, and spending many hours on the beach! There were also excursions during the weekends- I was able to visit Tarragona, a beautiful Roman town, and learn about the history there, as well as visit the old amphitheatre.

One of the most invaluable things I took away from my time at the Summer School was the lifelong friends I made during the trip. I met people from all over the world and was able to learn about so many other cultures, which was honestly one of my favorite things about the Summer School. I now have friends in Estonia, New York, Brazil and many other places, and we have all been excitedly making plans to visit each other at some point in the future!

International Summer School

By Sam Volpe, MSc Marketing Management Practice

Completing a postgraduate brings its benefits, however it does require hard work. The other thing it requires is your summer. Or does it?

Having completed my first three years at University of Sheffield for my undergraduate, I was used to hard work throughout the year topped off with a lengthy summer. This gave you time to sit back and relax or travel until your heart’s content, and usually allowed time to pick up some of that precious work experience to set you up for your future. However, with the added third semester from June till September, your opportunity to get away and utilise your free time is spent on your dissertation.

If I wanted to make the most of my summer, I was going to have to do some serious thinking. Fortunately, I didn’t have to. Shortly after commencing my MSc in Marketing Management Practice, I received an email from Sheffield University Management School informing me of the opportunity to attend an international summer school programme on a scholarship. Yes, that’s right, a scholarship. For free. The selection provided was Barcelona, Vienna and a few more. Pairing with a prestigious business school or university in each of the cities, the opportunity to get away to some sun, beach and culture whilst also gaining valuable experience both socially, academically and professionally seemed too good to be true.

After a successful application process, which fortunately wasn’t too daunting, I found myself on a plane to Barcelona’s ESADE Business School, the top of its kind in Spain, with three of my close friends. What followed was two of the most enjoyable weeks I had experienced whilst at university. Accompanied by course mates from all over the world, we lived on campus and lapped up the sun and the experience. A usual day would consist of attending class from 9am till 2pm. I selected Public Speaking and Entrepreneurship, and was blown away by the quality of teaching and how enjoyable the lectures were. After this, we would head to the beach as a group and enjoy the sun, beach, sea, culture and most importantly, the World Cup. The summer school provided the perfect mix of academic and social experience with fun. The best part about it was that it was geared to not be to intense, but still provide extremely good quality teaching and content.

If you are thinking of attending, I would just advise you apply. I attended from the 1st till the 16th July, and before you get too worried you are automatically granted an extension to your dissertation if you are successful in application, with the length being dependant on the duration of your summer school. It’s an experience I’ll never forget, and I hope that some of you get to experience it too!