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Applications for the Summer 2023 are now open! Please visit our How to Apply section to read the guidelines before making your application. 

Deadline: 1 May

The International Summer School
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Social Programme

Social Programme

Social Programme

While the primary focus of the International Summer School is to study something new, it is also great opportunity to explore some of the UK. This means that your time spent with new friends outside of the classroom is just as important to us as the quality of the academic programme itself and we try to ensure you have every opportunity to engage with people and places around you and really explore what the UK and Exeter has to offer. This includes a 7 day stay in London at the start of the programme which we use to help you get to know each other, introduce you to the University of Exeter, explore the capital of the UK and have a bit of a holiday with the security of the ISS team to support you.

As part of the programme, we offer several day trips and evening activities, some included within the programme fee and some are optional extras. The optional extras are just that – optional – and the only reason they are not included in the programme fee is that they may not be suited everyone’s tastes and plenty of people want to take the extra chances to go off and explore with their new international friends, rather than stay with the organised events.

Included within the programme fee

As part of the London trip, all accommodation is included in a city centre hotel with twin rooms to encourage you to start getting to know your classmates from the moment you arrive. The hotel also provides breakfast and has facilities for other meals as well, though this is not covered by the programme fee.

During your time in London, you have the full support onsite of our experienced International Summer School team, and our crew of wonderful Exeter Student Ambassadors who have full training to provide you with support whilst also helping you to meet new people and learn about life in the UK.

While you are in London, outside of the academic workshops on global challenges, we organise a guided walking tour with our Exeter Student Ambassadors to show you some of the main sites, a visit to the British Museum with a specifically designed competition during your visit to help you make the most of one of the largest museums you may visit, and take in a Shakespeare play in the way it was always intended – at the Globe Theatre on the South Bank of the Thames. 

Enjoy the opportunity to spend a day on the beach with a difference!


St Ives is a picturesque seaside town on the Cornish coast perfect for enjoying an ice cream or local Cornish pasty, some wonderful independent shopping and a golden sandy beach. It also boasts the title of centre for art in the UK, with many famous artists either living full time in the town or drawing inspiration from the area. This reputation for art is further supported by the presence of the Tate Gallery in the town and several other independent art galleries.
In previous trips students have loved exploring the quaint local shops and getting an insight into the Cornish lifestyle as well as some students venturing into the sea for either a swim, to enjoy some form of watersport or seek out the native seals on a cruise. If it’s sunny enough, you will also spot a member of the International Summer School team going for a swim, mostly to prove to the watching students that it is warm enough!

A city north of Exeter, Bath is famous for its architecture, history and for once being home to author Jane Austen. Must see locations include the famous Roman Baths, an ancient heritage site; Bath Abbey and the Royal Crescent – an area of incredible beauty which takes you back to the UK's Georgian period.  

As well as great shopping opportunities to rival London, the opportunity to explore a part of UK history that would seem familiar to most people but still surprise you is a wonderful reason to visit Bath. 

Our evening programme begins on arrival night in Exeter with a welcome party to introduce some of our academics and also a campus tour.


Other organised events can include a Karaoke Night, Team Challenge and Pub Quiz night to encourage you to get to know your peers as well as enjoy your time with us as much as possible.


Impromptu social evenings also spring up throughout the programme and have included a games night, evenings in the city centre to watch sports matches and even sports nights.

Optional Extras

While you are in London, you are obviously more than welcome to use your free time however you wish and that includes exploring some of the areas a bit wider than the central location of the hotel in Kensington.


During the London portion though, we do also provide some optional extra activities that we book either because the tickets are very limited during the summer period or because the group bookings are more value for money and so it makes it easier for us and for you to have the tickets ready and waiting. Whilst we cannot confirm all of the optional extras for 2023 at this time, we are looking to include the following activities to our London programme.

 

-        Warner Brother Studios Tour – including transport to and from the venue and the ticket itself

-        London Dungeons

-        Trip to Windsor Castle – including transport and entrance to the Castle itself

Many people will be looking forward to going out and exploring the wider UK or even Europe during the free weekend times but there are an equal amount of people who would prefer to stay local or aren’t really sure what they would like to do.
For this reason, we also offer some optional day trips during the free weekends to provide a bit of a safe bet for people who don’t want to travel far or organise it themselves. For these trips, we try to organise places that are a bit trickier to get to without support.

Dartmoor


For 2023, you have the chance to explore the natural beauty that Dartmoor National Park has to offer, ranging from open moorland to historic ‘sideways’ forest and ancient rock formations. We will organise a tour of some of our and past students' favourite areas in one of the biggest national parks in the UK, so you can fully explore the amazing atmosphere and history of the area, and have a cream tea picnic on the moors.
Areas of interest include Hound Tor, a famous place for any Sherlock Holmes or Lord of the Ring fans, and skipping the rocks at Dartmeet to get onto the ‘Trolls Bridge’

Jurassic Coast


New for 2023, we will be organising a round trip of the Jurassic Coast, an area of immense beauty and importance in the South West. The trip will include a chance to explore a traditional historic country manor similar to Downton Abbey and hunt for fossils on the coast, as well as walking around some of the most beautiful coastline scenery in the UK.