Students reflect on their International Summer School experiences

Published Wednesday, 9^th October, 2019 in University news

Over the summer seven undergraduate students participated in Summer Schools hosted by three of City’s international partner universities in Asia and Australia.

The successful students applied to a competitive funding scheme to receive a grant which contributed to the cost of their attendance.

The students spent up to a month at partner universities in Australia, Hong Kong and Vietnam studying subjects outside of their main degree subjects ranging from photography to fashion and global talent management.

Reflecting on her experience Paulina Utnik, who joined RMIT’s Summer school in Vietnam, said:

“My summer programme experience was better than I could have ever imagined… I produced a final project in only three weeks which I am more than proud of and in doing so I gained significant technical and software knowledge which is going to aid me in the forthcoming years. I met so many incredible people and immersed myself in cultures and events which I never thought I would get to take a part in, more importantly, I managed to make friends that I will treasure for life. The summer programme has been one of the most rewarding experiences of my life and I cannot wait to partner up with City on many more exciting adventures like this one.”

Hind Mrabat, a Cass student who travelled to Brisbane in Australia commented on her experience:

“Taking part in a summer programme at the University of Queensland was the most fulfilling and enriching experience of my life. I got to explore a new country I had always dreamed of going to and I met some amazing people on top of learning at one of Australia’s best universities. I can definitely say this opportunity changed me in a lot of ways and made me grow and learn. I feel extremely grateful and lucky to have taken part in this programme.”

Jamila Choudhury, an optometry student at the School of Health Sciences, attended a programme at RMIT’s Vietnamese campus on traditional and contemporary Vietnamese Fashion Studies:

“The overall experience at RMIT was extremely fun and educational. I learnt interesting facts about Fashion, which has truly changed my lifestyle choices. For example, it opened up my eyes to the fast fashion industry, which is having dangerous and long-term impacts on the environment as well as people. This is something that I had never thought about before day to day when I used to shop online but the course has now made me into a more conscious customer.

The programme also gave me the opportunity to experience activities I would never imagined to do. This included designing my very own Ao Dai (traditional Vietnamese dress). At RMIT university, I felt welcomed from day 1. The teachers, buddies and students were very friendly and supportive and being able to join the university clubs made me feel a part of the university.”

We’re currently looking forward to and planning next year’s Summer School programme, so look out for further details.