My Top 5 Summer School Extracurriculars

What does a summer school at a world-class institution look like beyond its lectures and classes? World-class insight and fun! In this blog, I will highlight some of my favourite LSE Summer School extracurriculars. It is worth noting that some of these events may be subject to change at future summer schools, but what I hope to give you is a flavour of what you can expect from enrolling at a summer school run by a university that has been ranked second in the world for social sciences and management.

Academic Enrichment

One of the most memorable events I attended was a summer school lecture on patents and pandemics. The discussion was covered by leading professional, Dr Luke McDonagh, who examined global vaccine inequality during the COVID-19 pandemic. It was interesting to explore the role that intellectual property rights have played in enabling the inequities of production, distribution, and pricing in the COVID-19 vaccine context. This is just one of the many lectures that you can expect from the summer school team, meant to help students develop their general knowledge through professional insights.

Other than that, expect many CV, cover letter, and postgraduate application workshops that will be aimed at boosting your employability. These are organised collaboratively with other LSE departments across all three summer school sessions, where they carry you through the details of what constitutes a quality job application. I attended the CV workshop which has helped me develop my CV drafting skills. Thanks to the detailed insights I gained from the workshops, I have curated a better-structured CV which has led to me gaining multiple job offers, including a delegate position at an international conference in Switzerland, where I will be representing law students of the EU!

Last but not least, I also attended the highly intriguing Entrepreneurial Bootcamp. If you did not know, LSE houses its very own innovation hub known as LSE Generate which hosted the Entrepreneurial Bootcamp in session 1 of the summer school. I was pleasantly surprised by the content of this workshop, which helped me develop my entrepreneurial abilities through demonstrations of problem solving and idea generation. There is no shortage of opportunities to develop your soft skills at LSE under the guidance of leading professionals of their respective industries.

But it is definitely not just about academics and professional development! LSE also cares about your experience here in London and demonstrates this through its carefully curated list of excursions and social programme!

The most notable activity would be the Farewell Party at the end of your summer school session. Gather around with the friendly new faces that you have met during your experience and party hard in the underground bar (yes you heard me right) at the LSE Students’ Union! Tickets are free but they are limited so be sure to pick them up early. Securing one of these tickets will entitle you to free food and drinks to celebrate the hard work you’ve put into enriching yourself over the summer. I will never forget the waffle-on-a-stick I had during the party!

The programme also offers a boat ride down the River Thames where students will get the opportunity to party in the warm summer evening breeze. The event is priced and ticketed but it was, in my honest opinion, a worthwhile experience. You will get to dance with the new friends that you have made and take pictures to commemorate the experience!

An honourable mention should go to the various day trips the university plans for students to Oxford and Cambridge. I, unfortunately, missed out on this opportunity during my stay in London, but that’s all the more reason for you to keep an eye out for a lovely trip to see these quaint English cities in full bloom during the summer. The Summer School office has covered what a trip to these locations might entail, so be sure to have a read!

Summer schools are a fantastic way to develop your knowledge on a subject of interest. Why not take it a step further with a leading institution where it is not only about the knowledge you develop, but also about cultivating the next generation of professionals - including you!

This blog was written by one of our 2022 Student Ambassadors, who are here to share their stories and help you understand the summer school experience at LSE.