Summer Discovery is proud to welcome students from all over the world. Our “Where Are They Now?” series takes us to Vienna Austria, where I spoke to Mr. Georg Muzicant, a Summer Discovery UCLA Alumni from 1997.
George Muzicant was a high school student in a private Jewish high school in Vienna Austria back in 1997 when a friend and mentor, Michel Ferszt, recommended he take a Summer Discovery program in order to achieve his goal of attending an American University.
Mr. Muzicant signed up for our UCLA program and took the TOEFL prep course and SAT prep course to help him in his college applications. He went on to apply to Brandeis, MIT, Wharton, and McGill and was, in fact, accepted by most of them! He got his Bachelor’s from Brandeis in Economics and an MBA as well. Incredibly, he now sits on the Board of Trustees at Brandeis University!
Muzicant credits Summer Discovery with helping him to achieve these goals, as it all started with college preparation.
When Michel Ferszt died, about 10 years ago, Mr. Muzicant and his wife decided to create a scholarship at ZPC High School in his honor, which he and Ferszt both attended. Each year, 1-3 students are selected to receive an all-expense-paid, 6-week college credit program at Summer Discovery’s UCLA campus. So far, 15 lucky students have gotten full rides.
“We select students based on grades, essay, and motivation letter. We try to make it similar to a college application. We look at their goals in life, then, have a face-to-face interview before making a decision,” says Muzicant. When they return to school in the Fall, students give a presentation about their Summer Discovery experience, and encourage other students to apply for this very generous scholarship.
When asked what advice he would give high school students, Muzicant replied, “You’d be insane not to do this program if you can. The friendships you make, the level of maturity you gain, speaking English, and meeting people from all over the world, is a priceless experience.”
Want to achieve your goals? Get into your stretch University? Become a Board Member? Or just have a memorable summer? Take a look at summerdiscovery.com