Warwick Pre-University Summer School

You choose one of six subject strands and stay with it for the whole programme: arts, culture and society; economics and finance; business, management and marketing; health, medical and life sciences; science and engineering; or social sciences. Each strand gives twenty-nine hours of contact time — lectures and seminars taught by Warwick academics, plus workshops on personal effectiveness and communication skills. Every strand also includes an interactive guest lecture from an eminent figure, a practical session on how applying to a UK university works, and a personal statement workshop with current students on hand to answer questions. There are no subject-specific entry requirements: the programme asks for enthusiasm for the academic content and an interest in applying to university. Teaching is in English and no language test is required. Everyone leaves with a University of Warwick Certificate of Attendance.

The fee covers accommodation for every night of the programme, breakfasts and evening meals, refreshments, all academic and skills teaching, the guest lecture, the social programme, travel to Oxford and every activity on the trips. Lunches are not included — there are plenty of places to buy them on campus and on trip days — and neither are flights, souvenirs, extra snacks or shopping. A non-refundable assessment fee is paid with the application form, and the course fee includes a deposit that secures the place. An airport pick-up and drop-off service is offered separately.

Students live on campus in the Sherbourne halls of residence, in flats of around ten students with a Summer School ambassador living alongside them. Each student has a single study bedroom with bedding provided, Wi-Fi and a network connection point, and a private en-suite bathroom with toilet, washbasin and shower. The kitchen and social space are shared with flatmates.

Breakfast and the evening meal are catered every day of the programme, and refreshments are provided during the teaching day. Lunch is not catered: students buy it themselves, from the wide range of outlets on campus or wherever the group happens to be on a trip day.

Evenings and weekends are programmed. On campus there is a welcome event, a team-building and street-food evening, time in the university's award-winning e-sports centre, a visit to an entertainment and games venue, and a curry, karaoke and disco farewell event, with group sports and games available in free time. Off campus the group spends a full day in Oxford, with a walking tour past the most famous colleges and monuments, the Bodleian Library and the Ashmolean Museum, and another day at Warwick Castle. There is also a team-building activity day and an activity evening off campus.

The programme runs on Warwick's self-contained campus between Coventry and the Warwickshire countryside, so teaching rooms, halls of residence, places to eat and sports facilities are all within walking distance of each other. Summer School students have access to the gym and swimming pool at the university's Sports and Wellness Hub throughout their stay, along with the e-sports centre, campus food outlets and student social spaces.

The programme is built for 16 and 17 year olds who are weighing up university and want to find out what it is actually like before they apply. Students live in a hall of residence, eat in campus dining rooms, are taught by the academics who teach Warwick's degree courses, and spend their free time with students from around the world. Current Warwick undergraduates live in the flats as ambassadors and run the social programme, so there is always someone to ask about applications, courses and student life. In the second half of the programme each team presents its group work to the whole Summer School before the farewell event.