Every summer, thousands of Indian students board flights to attend summer programs at Harvard, Oxford, and Stanford. They spend 2-3 weeks exploring ideas beyond textbooks, collaborating with peers from around the world, and returning home noticeably more confident and articulate.
These programs have existed since the 1870s in the United States, evolving into a cornerstone of holistic education. They’ve proven their value: students develop critical thinking, leadership skills, and creative problem-solving abilities that traditional classrooms often don’t nurture.
But here’s the reality: only a small fraction of Indian families can afford the ₹4-6 lakh price tag for these international programs. Thousands of students have the curiosity and potential but not the access.
India needs its own ecosystem of summer schools, not as substitutes, but as world-class alternatives that are accessible, affordable, and rooted in our context.
Let’s understand the concept of Summer Schools and how they can benefit students in India.
What makes Summer Schools different from regular Summer Camps?
This is a question many parents ask, and the distinction is important.
Summer camps are wonderful for recreation and fun. Children swim, play sports, do arts and crafts, and make friends. The goal is enjoyment and keeping kids engaged during vacation.
Summer schools combine the energy of camps with the depth of learning. Yes, there’s fun and friendship, but every activity is purposefully designed around skill development. When students work on a design challenge, they’re not just “doing a project”, they’re practicing structured problem-solving. When they present to peers, they’re building communication skills that will serve them in college interviews and professional settings.
The key difference is the purpose. Every session has learning objectives. Students don’t just experience activities; they reflect on what they learned, how they collaborated, and what they’d do differently next time. This reflection turns experience into growth.
Think of it this way: a camp gives your child a break from routine. A summer school gives them skills that change how they approach everything afterward.
What makes Summer Schools impactful?
Summer schools transform how students learn. Instead of memorizing for exams, they tackle real challenges. Instead of competing individually, they collaborate in teams. Instead of consuming information, they create solutions.
This shift changes everything. Students discover strengths they didn’t know they had. The quiet student becomes a natural facilitator. The “average” student comes up with the most innovative idea. When learning feels relevant and engaging, students invest themselves fully.
Skills like articulating ideas clearly, working across different perspectives, thinking creatively under constraints become foundations for everything that follows.
What does a typical day in a Summer School look like?
Imagine your child starting the morning with a design challenge: “How might we make public spaces more accessible for elderly citizens?” No textbook has the answer. They’ll need to research, brainstorm, debate with teammates, prototype a solution, and present it.
By afternoon, they’re in a leadership simulation, making decisions as a team, experiencing consequences, and reflecting on what effective leadership actually means. Evening sessions might involve presenting their project to peers, defending their choices, and refining their approach based on feedback.
Each day combines structure with flexibility, challenge with support. Students end the day tired in the best way, from doing meaningful work that matters.
Who thrives in Summer Schools?
The beauty of summer schools is that they’re designed for growth, not just achievement. Your child doesn’t need perfect grades or a list of accomplishments to benefit.
What matters is willingness to try new things, collaborate with unfamiliar peers, and step outside comfort zones. These programs create space for every kind of learner:
- The creative thinker who struggles with rote memorization finds their voice
- The high achiever discovers skills that aren’t measured by marks
- The shy student gains confidence through small-group collaboration
- The disengaged student reconnects with learning when it feels relevant
Summer schools meet students where they are and help them grow from there.
What are the benefits of collaborating with peers from different cities?
One of the most transformative aspects of summer schools is peer diversity. Your child will work alongside students from Delhi, Bangalore, Pune, Kolkata, and sometimes even international participants.
Why does this matter so much?
It breaks the bubble. Most students spend years with the same peer group—same background, same perspectives. Working with students from different cities exposes them to new ways of thinking and problem-solving.
It builds cultural intelligence. When a student from Mumbai collaborates with someone from Rajasthan, they learn to navigate differences respectfully and discover that “normal” isn’t universal. This awareness is critical for success in today’s globalized world.
It mirrors real-world collaboration. In college and careers, your child will work with people from diverse backgrounds. Summer school gives them early practice in building rapport quickly and leveraging diverse perspectives to create stronger solutions.
Parents often notice that after summer school, their children become more curious about other cultures, more confident in new social situations, and more adaptable when faced with unfamiliar environments. These are life skills that compound in value over time.
What are the Long-Term Benefits of a Summer School Program?
The true value of summer school reveals itself over months and years, not just weeks. Here’s what students carry forward:
Stronger college applications. Admissions officers look beyond grades and test scores. They want students who show initiative, collaborate effectively, and think critically. Summer school provides concrete experiences that demonstrate these qualities. Your child can write compelling essays about real projects they led, problems they solved, and insights they gained from working with diverse peers.
Better academic performance. Students who’ve practiced evidence-based thinking and collaborative problem-solving at summer school approach schoolwork differently. They ask deeper questions in class, contribute more meaningfully to group projects, and handle complex assignments with greater confidence. Teachers notice the difference.
Smoother transition to higher education. College demands independence, self-management, and the ability to thrive in diverse environments. Students who’ve experienced the semi-independent structure of summer school by living on campus, managing their schedules, working with new peers adapt to college life more quickly and with less anxiety.
Leadership that actually works. Many students hold “leadership positions” on paper like class monitor, club secretary without truly understanding what effective leadership means. Summer school gives them hands-on practice: facilitating team discussions, navigating disagreements, motivating peers, and making decisions under constraints. This experience makes them genuinely effective leaders, not just title-holders.
Career readiness. The skills developed at summer school such as presenting ideas persuasively, working across differences, thinking creatively under pressure, managing projects collaboratively are exactly what employers value most. Students who practice these skills early have a significant advantage in internships, job interviews, and workplace success.
Resilience and adaptability. Summer school challenges students to work outside their comfort zones. They learn that struggle is part of growth, that failure in a safe environment teaches valuable lessons, and that they’re more capable than they thought. This mindset becomes a foundation for handling future challenges with courage rather than fear.
Does India need its own Summer School Programs?
Definitely. Every year we delay building this infrastructure, we limit thousands of students who could benefit. The talent exists. The demand exists. What’s missing is opportunity.
When India has its own world-class summer schools:
Access expands dramatically. Students from tier-2 and tier-3 cities can participate without international travel. Geography stops being a barrier to opportunity.
Costs become manageable. Programs can be priced at a fraction of international alternatives, making them accessible to middle-class families who value education but can’t afford luxury expenses.
Learning becomes contextual. Students work on challenges relevant to India: urban planning, sustainable agriculture, digital inclusion.
Confidence grows deeper. Learning in their own country, students don’t feel like outsiders trying to fit into foreign contexts. They build global skills while staying rooted in their identity.
HOAG: Bringing World-Class Summer School to India
HOAG has launched India’s first comprehensive summer school experience for students aged 11-17, combining the rigor of international programs with the accessibility of a homegrown initiative.
The first two batches of Summer 2025 were hosted at iHUB DivyaSampark, IIT Roorkee, giving students the experience of learning on a premier university campus. HOAG is now preparing for Summer School 2026.
What will students learn at HOAG’s Summer School 2026?
- Design thinking: Moving from problems to prototypes through structured creative processes
- Collaborative leadership: Leading teams, managing disagreements, and achieving shared goals
- Emotional intelligence: Understanding themselves and others to collaborate more effectively
- Critical thinking: Questioning assumptions and evaluating solutions rigorously
At HOAG’s Summer Program, students work in small teams throughout, ensuring personalized attention and meaningful peer connections. They don’t just learn these skills theoretically. They practice them daily through hands-on projects, presentations, and reflection.
The feedback from the first two cohorts has been remarkable. Parents report students coming home more independent, more articulate, and genuinely excited about learning in ways they hadn’t been before.
If you’re wondering whether a summer school program is right for your child, consider this: the skills that matter most for future success: creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, aren’t developed through worksheets and lectures. They’re built through experience.
A quality summer school provides concentrated practice in these essential skills, in an environment designed specifically for growth. Your child gets to experiment, fail safely, learn from peers, and discover capabilities they didn’t know they possessed.
The investment isn’t just in one summer. It’s in skills that serve them throughout school, college, career, and life.
For families who’ve long considered sending their children abroad for such experiences, programs like HOAG’s offer comparable quality without the logistical complexity or international price tag.
What matters most is taking that first step. Giving your child the opportunity to learn differently, grow confidently, and discover what they’re truly capable of when learning comes alive.
The students who thrive in tomorrow’s world won’t just be those who memorized the most. They’ll be those who learned to think creatively, collaborate effectively, and approach challenges with confidence and curiosity.
That journey can start in summer 2026.
