News

A taste of university life for 11-17 year olds
- Dragon launches 'Summer Scholar' programme at DCU

4 April 2011

DCU's two-week Summer Scholar programme was launched today by 'Dragon', Sean Gallagher. The programme, which is open to second-level students, has been designed to give students a flavour of university, while at the same time giving them a stimulating and entertaining summer experience.

The programme starts on June 20 for 11-17 year-olds who can 'trial-run' a university course with other like-minded students. The course has the added advantage of allowing students to absorb themselves in their subjects, without the pressure of achieving grades. 

Students can choose from a selection of five disciplines - Humanities, Law and Government, Business, Computing and Science - and while aspects of the first-year university curriculum will be followed, classes will be entertaining and relevant to the students' age groups. 

Students of law and government will learn more about the conflicts that are happening around the world and students of journalism will learn to analyse the portrayal of race, women and crime in the media as well as learn news reporting, interviewing and reviewing techniques.  There is also an option for students to learn about Japanese language, customs, language and cookery.

In the field of science, students will spend time in some of the country's most advanced research laboratories where the next generation diagnostic tools and drug therapies are being developed; business students will get a chance to design their own marketing campaign and present it to the class, and computing and engineering students will learn about fuel efficiency and programming problems such as sorting and searching.

DCU President, Professor Brian MacCraith, said, "For students today, choosing what to study at university can be difficult and overwhelming.  The earlier we can introduce second level students to a taste of university life, the better.  Summer Scholars is an excellent of helping them to understand what they enjoy and are genuinely interested in".

Speaking at the launch, Sean Gallagher said, "DCU Summer Scholars is a great opportunity for secondary school students who will get the chance to try out university lectures and make lots of friends over the summer. It will help them to make better choices when they filling out their college application forms and encourage them to take courses at third level better suited to their interests."

Students can choose to attend the course on a residential or non-residential basis.  Classes are held from 9-3 each day, and from 3-5 there will be a range of supervised activities to choose from.  The course has been organised by the Centre for Talented Youth in Ireland (CTYI), who have 30 years experience of providing courses outside of the normal school curriculum, while still managing to excite their interest.   However, students do not have to be a member of CTYI to apply. 

The course is non-profit making and in special circumstances, students can apply for a subsidy to attend the course.

For further information on the programme, visit www.dcu.ie/summerscholars