Learning at Summer School, Complete with A Beautiful Mind
"The most significant aspect, beyond the flattering numbers of the people in attendance, is the realization that, despite the difficult spring we have experienced, the will to study of our young women and men has not gone away, if anything, it is stronger," says Stefano Caselli, Bocconi Dean for International Affairs. The success of the University's Summer Schools is a reason for reflection and profound satisfaction on the desire for knowledge that characterizes the new generations. The high number of young people registered is also a sign of the high consideration of the palette of courses that Bocconi has made available. "As regards the Summer Schools for high school students, which were held from 29 June to 10 July," explains Caselli, "we had 410 students from 50 countries in all continents. A success truly beyond expectation for our courses, which aim to give a taste of what students will find at Bocconi: finance, economics, digital marketing, coding, and a lot more. I would say it was a way of getting a first-hand experience, even if obviously in distance mode, of university teaching".
On the other hand, the motivation that prompted nearly 150 students of 36 different nationalities to participate in the courses of the Bocconi Summer School for Undergraduate Students, which will end on July 17, is different: "There is the need to include a specific course in your curriculum that also gives you academic credits, naturally earned at a prestigious university like ours". As for the Summer School in Law, scheduled from 13 to 16 July and held in Italian, while the other two kinds are in English, there are about a hundred students enrolled, with a significant increase compared to the previous season.
But of course, as Stefano Caselli is keen to point out, "The number of those who are attending our Summer Schools is much lower than the number of applications received. We applied a strict selection on the basis of the students' curricula, because anyone attending one of our summer courses will then obtain a Bocconi certificate and we want the level of students to stay high".
If among the assignments given to students there is also, as told by Croatian 17 year-old Katarina Krajnovic, "to watch a great film like A Beautiful Mind, which narrates the personal and professional life of the great mathematician, game theorist and Nobel Prize for Economics John Nash", satisfaction is assured. "Seriously," says the student, who attends high school in China and is enrolled in Strategy and Game Theory courses at Bocconi, "the lessons are so well structured that sometimes I don't even notice that that they are being delivered online rather than in class, because there is continuous exchange between professors and students. One of my favorite parts so far has been exploring ways in which game theory can be employed in all aspects of our lives."
Sebastian Hjorth would have liked to come to Milan in person, but had to go for second best. At least for now. "Fortunately, the quality of the courses and the technology used, typical of Bocconi, can also be found online", says the Swedish student, 21 years old, enrolled at the University of Lund where he studies International Business. He attends the course in Equity & Venture Capital Financing at the Bocconi Summer School. "One of the highlights so far has been a conference on a fintech startup, a topic that I have a great interest in. And then I like the fact that you can enroll in activities unrelated to the course, such as cooking lessons. It is fun to get to know Italian culture and have the opportunity to experience Italy, albeit virtually."