Summer Discovery Online Makes the Grade: Students, Parents, and Faculty Speak Out!

In response to the new educational landscape the world faces with COVID-19, Summer Discovery quickly pivoted its pre-college academic programs traditionally offered on-campus to an unparalleled virtual experience. The newly created Summer Discovery Online program combines world-class academics with a vibrant global community and a series of college readiness and career exploration workshops to develop skills necessary to succeed in college and beyond.

Students in the first cohort had the opportunity to explore subjects not typically taught at the high school level. They chose from over 25 academic courses, in five subject areas, including Business & Entrepreneurship, Leadership, Social Sciences, STEM & Medicine, and Arts & Design. Courses were taught by esteemed faculty from UCLA, UCLA Anderson School of Management, CU-Boulder, and UT-Austin.

Here is a look at what our students had to say.

"The class gave me the opportunity to learn about what’s happening in the world and better prepare my mind for the future. The community activities, like Lunch and Learn, were so much fun because I had the opportunity to meet students from other classes and getting to know them allowed me to discover so many new things about myself. Taking Summer Discovery Online was definitely a good decision and a productive way to spend quarantine."

Julia, Brazil – Ideagen Future Global Leaders Academy – presented globally by Microsoft

"I had a very enjoyable experience with Summer Discovery Online and felt very comfortable in my class. It was easy to discuss the different topics with the other students and listen to their opinions. I thought that this  would have been more confusing because I had never done something online like this before, but everything was so well-organized and there were constant reminders, by email, for everything going on."

Jude, Kuwait – Ideagen Future Global Leaders Academy – presented globally by Microsoft

"I really enjoyed this course and was excited for it each day! My professor did a really good job at keeping the students engaged throughout the class."

Melanie, Massachusetts – Game Changers in Modern Business @ UCLA

 "I really enjoyed the additional activities and workshops offered outside of class. Participating in them helped me prepare my mindset for college. They were easy to access through Zoom and were very well-organized."

Abir, Bolivia – Game Changers in Modern Business @ UCLA

"I learned a lot about the subject and think that the things I learned in the class can be translated to many different career paths. I also enjoyed the workshops, especially the college tours, which gave me a lot of information about schools I may be interested in applying to, as well as the Career Exploration sessions such as the Internships chat, which was very informative."

Lindsay, New Jersey – Social Media Management @ UCLA

"I was so happy to be part of the program and learn about new subjects, especially Biology which I am very interested in. Participating in Summer Discovery Online also gave me the opportunity to connect with people from around the world."

Ibrahim, Kuwait – Biotechnology and Medical Research @ CU-Boulder     

Here is what our parents had to say.

"My daughter was engaged, enjoyed it and learned a lot."

Parent, Ontario, Canada

"It was a fantastic experience...a perfect blend of class, activities, speakers, and knowledge."

Parent, Windermere, Florida

Here is what our faculty had to say.                    

"I was pleasantly surprised at how engaged the students were and how readily they asked questions. I found that it was important to create opportunities, such as group activities and assignments, for students to engage with one-another in between lectures. I was especially appreciative of the notes that I received from students telling me that they were really enjoying the class and couldn’t wait until the next lesson."

Sheri Barros – Faculty, Business of Entertainment, Media and Sports @ UCLA Anderson School of Management

"The flexibility of the course allows for an engaging and unique connection among students, the course material, and the instructor."

Joe Dorri, Faculty – Decoding the Criminal Mind @ UCLA

"While not new to teaching online classes, it is definitely very different to being in the physical classroom with the students. However, these high school students seem to be familiar with virtual learning and have adjusted quickly, as did I. And, the technology allowed for easier integration of guest speakers when making virtual presentations."

Irina Shames, Faculty – Digital Marketing and Social Media @ UCLA Anderson School of Management

Summer Discovery looks forward to building upon the success of this summer and continuing to offer online learning as part of its portfolio of programs for middle and high school students.  For more information about Summer 2021 or help in planning a transformative summer, please contact info@summerdiscovery.com or call +1 516-621-3939. We are here to help.