A Blog about Education Abroad

Tag: Summer School

  • Victoria Satchwell: Reflections on my experience of Graz University Inter-American Summer School

    During July 2012 Victoria Satchwell attended the Graz University Summer School, here is her story.

    Pre- departure: Vicky’s travel tips

    All correspondence with Graz University prior to arrival was friendly and easy to follow. In general the organizing team are efficient and helpful. I received quite a bit of reading material to sift through before arrival – this was a tall order as I was still writing exams but it was a welcome indication that the summer school has a healthy focus on academics.

    Having heard about the passport/visa/ticket nightmares of others, my experience of getting there was reasonably painless (despite the fact that Seggau is in the middle of nowhere). Having a European passport thankfully obviated the visa palaver. I booked all my train and plane tickets online. I recommend kayak.com to book flights. The site provides comparisons between various airlines eliminating the need to shop around. A credit card is however required in order to book with this site. Book flights as soon as possible in order to keep costs down. For trains within Austria go to oebb.at/en/. If you book far enough in advance – about 4 days – you may come across substantially cheaper tickets. A green four leaf clover indicates these discounted rates – I found a ticket that usually costs €37 for €9. When booking connections (off a train onto a plane) be careful to leave yourself sufficient transfer time get from station to airport. It often takes much longer than you would think particularly when you have no idea where you are going – I got lost in Vienna and practically ran myself to the airport.

    Gender Studies Class with incredible lecturer Alexandra Berlina
    Gender Studies Class with incredible lecturer Alexandra Berlina

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  • Summer in the Castle!

    During June / July 2012 Makwena Seshoka attended the International Summer School Seggau, here is her story.

    Pre-departure:

    My excitement started when I noticed the call for Summer School applications on the Postgraduate & International Office webpage! I was excited about the prospect of travelling to and studying at another European university. I have always wanted to travel to Austria and this was my opportunity and I grabbed it with both hands. I felt very privileged and honored to be selected to participate in the International Summer School Seggau. I selected the Society and Culture seminar, which focused on “European values” and “Education and the Reproduction of Privilege: Leadership at the intersection of Gender, Class and Ethnicity”. This particular seminar interested me because of its alignment with my MPhil in Education and Training.

    The Castle
    The Seggau Castle in Leibnitz

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  • Tanya at Babeş-Bolyai, Romania

    During July 2012 Tanya Olivier attended an intensive summer programme in Romanian Languages at Babeş-Bolyai University, here is her story.

    Before you leave…

    Trip approved. The two words you’ve been longing to see in black and white finally arrive in your inbox! So what’s next? Once your heart rate has returned to normal, the first step is to figure out how best to get to your destination. For me, that was Cluj, Romania. Bear in mind that flying direct, especially if you’re going to a smaller town, is often more expensive (albeit less stressful) and way less fun! Be sure to explore other options such as buses and trains leaving from the capital. Remember that your goal is to learn so the more opportunity you have to interact with locals (which is inevitable on public transport, whether you like it or not!), the better.

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