Summer/Winter Schools for Law Students- Pros and Cons of Attending One

Many people may think that why at this hour I am writing about Summer or Winter Schools. The world is hit severely by the Coronavirus. Summer or Winter Schools are either cancelled or they have been reintroduced as virtual programs. So, what is the relevance of discussing about Summer or Winter School Programs now? Well! Even in this darkest hour I am writing this post with the sheer hope that this devastating pandemic will eventually come to an end. When everything will return back to normal I hope that this post will help all the law students to take an informed decision on the issue of attending Summer or Winter Schools. To get the maximum benefit it is better if a student attends the Summer or Winter Schools physically in person.

During my law school life, I have attended two Summer Schools and one Winter School. They are as follows –

1) International Human Rights Law Summer School, organised by King’s College London, UK

2) European Summer Course, 2019, Theme: Future for Europe – Key settings for a changing European Union, organised by Europa-Institut, Saarland University, Germany

3) Winter School on Criminal Law and Public Policy organised by the West Bengal National Law University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata, India

I have divided the post in the following way:

• What is a Summer or Winter School?
• Why attending Summer or Winter Schools can be beneficial for a law student?
• What are the challenges of attending a Summer or Winter Course?
• Should you attend that XYZ Summer School?

• What is a Summer or Winter School?

Many of you already know what a Summer or Winter School is. Those of you who do not know– a Summer or Winter School is a short course which is conducted during the Summer or Winter season (obvious!) by Universities or Organisations around the world. The course curriculum usually focuses on a specific area of law. The primary aim of such a summer or winter school is to provide extensive legal knowledge and enhance the analytical skills of the students. It also provides amazing networking opportunities to the students.

• Why attending Summer or Winter Schools can be beneficial for a law student?

To understand the utility of attending a Summer or Winter School, we need to consider both the positive and negative aspects. Allow me to elaborate the brighter side first –

1. High-Quality Study Materials: In every Summer and Winter Schools which I attended, I received a huge amount of high-quality study materials. For law students, who are highly enthusiastic about legal research, these materials are valuable beyond measures. Here, I would specifically like to mention the materials provided by King’s College London on International Human Rights Law. Even today, whenever I face any problem while researching on any topic related to International Human Rights Law, I revisit those articles.
2. Earn Points: A certain task has to be completed before the end of the summer or winter course. To assess your knowledge, they may take an exam or you may have to submit a well-researched article. Based on your performance, scores or points are provided. Such scores or points may be transferred in your own law school, if there is any such provision in your own University’s course curriculum rules.
3. A Key to Open New Doors: One Summer or Winter School experience boosts your CV in a great way. For example, if you attend a Summer course on International Human Rights Law, then it shows that you are interested in that area of law specifically. It may give you some brownie points when you apply for a human rights internship.
4. Helpful in Application for Higher Studies: While applying for higher studies abroad, please keep in mind that Universities prefer some prior international experiences in your CV.
5. Dress Rehearsal for Higher Studies: If you do not have any prior international experience, a Summer or Winter School abroad can fulfil such need. Students from all around the globe participate in such programmes and you may have to collaborate with such people for group projects or presentations. These experiences will also give you an idea about what to expect when you ultimately go for your LLM or Masters.
6. Gain Connections: Summer and Winter Schools are great for expanding your professional network. Professors, scholars, lawyers and diplomats participate in these courses to give lectures. If you can establish useful connections with them, you can even get the opportunity to work under them as an intern.

• What are the challenges of attending a Summer or Winter Course?

Now let me move on to the negative aspects of attending a summer or winter course –

1. Huge Expense: There cannot be any denial of the fact that Summer or Winter Schools abroad are quite expensive. However, there are some summer schools which provide partial or full scholarships to the students.
2. Intense Course Structure in a Short Period: The course curriculum is huge and the Summer or Winter School duration can be very short. Large number of classes, long lecture hours, huge amount of materials and exams or submissions of research paper at the end, that too within a brief period, may create a huge pressure on the candidate.
3. Problem of Overlapping: Summer or Winter Schools and the semester classes in your own university may overlap. However, you can always convince your university authorities to let you attend one.
4. Conflict due to International Multi-Cultural Environment: Sometimes there can be miscommunication and misunderstanding between the participants during these courses. As participants are unaware of each other’s background or culture, they may feel averse to engage with each other. As a result, some of the students may feel left out. However, these courses also teach you how to adjust in an international setting if the Summer/Winter School is not in your own country.
5. The Fun Factor: The heading of this point is a bit weird but I like to put it in this way because the “fun” can really become the biggest challenge for a participant while attending the Summer or Winter Schools. People who mistake summer or winter schools with summer or winter holidays waste their time and money and all the benefits of attending the course goes down the drain.

• Should you attend that XYZ Summer School?

Relax! I know it is not easy to decide on a Summer or Winter School, but it is not that much difficult either. After going through the above mentioned points you will observe that the positive aspects of attending a summer or winter school are outshining the negative ones. I know it is a rarity but there are many Universities or Organisations which provide scholarships to students for attending these courses.

Before I wrap things up, let me tell you one last thing. If a law student like me, who comes from a humble background, can attend two Summer Schools and one Winter School, you can do it too. The rest I leave to your wisdom.