Advertorial – Renaissance International School Saigon is proud to once again partner with Occidental College for a three week intensive college preparatory Summer Programme from July 5 to 26, 2015 in Los Angeles, California. Participants will experience life at a liberal arts college in one of the most stimulating and creative cities in the world. Pupils will attend intensive and creatively demanding college-level seminars, gain an understanding of the American college and university application process, and experience the incredible culture of Los Angeles.

Benefits of the Programme

The College Student Life Experience

Participants will be better prepared for college by achieving a first-hand experience of staying on a college campus and attending classes with Occidental College professors. Classes include American Studies; Media Studies with a Focus on American Television; Digital Life, Information, and Technology; and Writing and Rhetoric. Participants will see first-hand how Oxy faculty foster interactive learning environments. Pupils will be encouraged to discuss, debate, and engage with the material. Over the course of three weeks, they will have the opportunity to create and sustain conversations around the economy, the entertainment industry, politics, and social media.

US College and University Application Assistance

Oxy Admissions Officers will offer a variety of University Preparatory Lectures covering topics such as Applying to U.S. Colleges and Universities, How to Craft a Successful College Application, Studying for the SAT, Tips for Writing a College Application Essay, and Paying for Higher Education. The Admissions Officers will also suggest tips on conducting college interviews. As a follow-up, there will be an opportunity for pupils to try a mock interview. Participants will also tour other college campuses in the greater Los Angeles area including Caltech, Art Center, the Claremont Colleges, Loyola Marymount University, University of Southern California, and the University of California, Los Angeles. These campus tours will allow participants to see what college life is like on a variety of campuses.

Cultural Excursions

Participants will explore some of Los Angeles’s cultural institutions including the Autry National Center of the American West, the Griffith Observatory, Huntington Library, Botanical Gardens, Art Collection, the California Science Center, the Natural History Museum, Venice Beach, and Santa Monica Promenade. Pupils will also get to visit Los Angeles’s most famous attractions including Disneyland, Dodgers Stadium, and Universal Studios Hollywood. With the prominence of American visual media in global culture, it is imperative to determine the relationship between media representations and the creative industries. As participants are immersed in the entertainment attractions and culture of Los Angeles, their professors and college student hosts will encourage them to think critically about these relationships.

Recommendation Letter and Certificate 

Pupils will graduate from the programme with a Certificate of Completion recognising their work as well as a Recommendation Letter endorsed by Occidental College’s top administration.

Pupil’s Testimony for the Summer Program 2014

Nguyen Phan My Phuong – Year 12: ‘When you close your eyes and think of a moment that you want to relive, what would it be?’ a professor in Oxy had asked. I could not answer this question until the last week of this trip. Alex, Sarah, Paulina and Occidental are the people, the names, the images and the memories I had when I closed my eyes.

Knowledge is built

Experience is learnt

Friendships are made!

Nguyen Phan My Phuong

Everything in Occidental starts with shy looks, timidity and culture shocks, but ends up in hard laughter, confidence, and tears. It's too hard to say goodbye.

Experience, knowledge, relationships. Occidental College’s summer school has them all. I wish time could replay!

The academic programme has been designed for Renaissance and non-Renaissance pupils and provides rich and diverse learning opportunities. Undertaking the programme will enhance any college or university application and Oxy will issue a certificate of attendance and letter of reference on completion.

The total cost is $4,975 (equivalent to VND106,960,000). The number of places is limited so please act promptly if you have questions, wish to express an interest or want to reserve a place. Please visit Information Day on 4 April 2015, for more information. You will have the chance to meet pupils/teachers who joined the trip last year. There will be a Q&A section.

Please contact the Admissions office: (+84-8) 3773 3171 – Ext. 120/121/122

Email: admissions@renaissance.edu.vn

Website: www.renaissance.edu.vn/index.php/oxy-summer-programme-2015