Recently I attended a summer course at the University of California Los Angeles on Social Entrepreneurship. As an incoming senior in high school, I originally wanted to take this course for basic introductions to business and for something to build my resume. However, I came out of the summer institute more knowledgeable in business, social change, and college life.
Signing up for the program was an easy decision for me. I applied for three summer pre-college programs and got into all of them; two of these programs centered around Sociology. The UCLA program caught my eye specifically not just because UCLA is ranked first out of all public universities in the United States but because the course taught social change and business simultaneously.
What did we learn?
Each day my classmates and I would wake up to class at 9 AM, where we would have two lectures and some hands-on activity related to the lectures and guest speakers that would happen on that particular day. Two lectures a day and an occasional guest speaker might sound excessive, but it was not. The content of the course was able to engage the students in the class until 3:30 PM when the class would end. We were introduced to the dynamics of a good team on the first day, and then throughout the rest of the week, we learned the importance of social change and the differences between non-profits, social enterprises, and corporations that occasionally do something good. To many students, including myself, the most exciting lectures were on specific components of entrepreneurship. These elements included market research strategies and creating Minimum Viable Products.
This summer institute educated me through collaborative and hands-on entrepreneurial pitch creation. Coming back from the camp, I am reconsidering what courses I take and minor in to fit the engaging curriculum that UCLA's summer program provides. Indeed, I learned enough about networking and financials to start my own business with some help.
Would I recommend this to others?
Absolutely! This experience was educational, mind-expanding, and great for social growth. Ultimately, all experiences are subjective, yet, I am confident that the life experiences and business skills I learned from this program will benefit me in my future career paths. Moreover, I connected with passionate high school students around the globe, and I learned more about myself and the kind of college I would like to attend. Networking, teamwork, social change, business models, entrepreneurial planning, market research, and how to create and deliver a business pitch are all skills I can take with me through my academic and career paths going forward.
More options
UCLA offers summer institutes and summer immersion. I attended a summer institute, a 2-week credit-earning pre-college program designed for high school students from across the globe to learn one course. Conversely, the Summer Immersion program has students take summer classes alongside college students on campus. If you are looking for a specifically business and economic-related program, UCLA also has financing, general economics, and data exploration summer institutes. Most of these programs have virtual and in-person learning options. Other universities offer virtual and in-person options for other subjects too.
Many other universities across the world offer programs similar to these at UCLA. Ask your school counselor, or do some research because there are pre-college programs covering many other topics.
Comments