Category: News

It’s February: it’s cold, it’s grey and it’s exam season – three reasons why you are probably already looking ahead to that wonderful long summer break. So why not put some of that wishful thinking to good use and start thinking about your options for 2017 summer schools?

Not yet convinced a summer school is right for you?

Well, don’t close this browser just yet. Sit back, get a cup of tea, and take a read of our top 3 reasons for why you should hit that “enrol” button.

1. Give a boost to your CV

Let’s start with the boring bit.

As any HR recruiter will tell you,  attending a summer school can be seen by employers as a big gold star on your resumé.

This is because participating in a school shows employers that you are a proactive individual – someone who is not afraid to go the extra mile to learn more about a subject they are passionate about. Whatsmore, summer schools also provide the perfect opportunity to spend a few intensive days or weeks building key skills that are valued by employers.

As a summer school participant, you will find yourself in a completely new environment, grouped together with people you have probably never met before and asked to complete a series of group challenges. This experience is a sure-fire way to put your skills in communication, teamwork, and problem–solving to the test.

According to Forbes, these represent some of the top skills that employers value in their staff, so definitely worth investing in!

2. Gain valuable and practical insight into the subject

Summer schools gain their credibility by being hosted by people who have expert knowledge about a particular subject.

If it is an academic summer camp that you are after, this usually includes renowned professors from prestigious institutions, many of whom have written books on the subject. If you are more tempted by a professional summer camp, there are sure to be some of the best and brightest who have already worked in the industry you are interested in.

The opportunity to be taught by such experts thereby provides you with the unique opportunity to ask specific questions and receive personalised advice. This could be related to a specific aspect of the subject that interests you, about the path those professionals took to make it to the top, or for tips on how you can make the right first steps on your own career ladder. By attending a summer school, you will therefore often gain more valuable and practical knowledge about your interests during one week than you would from a year of your heads stuck in the books.

3. Grow your international network

After all, summer schools are most definitely not all work and no play! Spending a week (or longer) working and socialising with like-minded people is a sure way to spark some meaningful connections and friendships.

Whatsmore, summer schools are international by their very nature. Taking place in major cities, attracting young people from all over the world, you are sure to be surrounded by interesting people from a whole specturm of backgrounds and cultures.

This experience will not only help you learn a lot and broaden your horizons, but such connections are also bound to come in handy in the future. Whether this be professionally (you never know who may have a contact at that international company that has always interested you…) Or socially – who doesn’t want the excuse to visit that friend you made from the South of France?

Moreover, if English is not your first language, mixing with an international crowd is also a great and fun way of developing your competency in the language– something that will always come in useful to you in the future!

So now we have you all fired up and motivated, why not check out the details of our very own 2017 EACA International Advertising Summer School?

Pride aside, the EACA International Advertising Summer School is definitely the perfect fit for any student with an interest in commercial communications – regardless of whether this is directly linked to your studies. With a full programme of lectures and workshops delivered by leading industry professionals such as Steve Henry (the youngest person to be included in Campaign magazine’s Hall of Fame), and Siobhan Stanley (who has extensive experience at Saatchi & Saatchi).

In 2017, students will spend a week in Prague, between the 3-7 July, working in international teams to develop a campaign based on a real brief from the client, McDonalds.

The cost for students from edcom member schools is 325EUR, and from non-member schools, 450EUR. You can find information about the full programme of activities here. To apply, please send us your CV and a short motivation letter to inspire@eaca.eu.

Drum rolls please!

Nearly four months after the competition was launched, today our academic jury reached a decision on the two winners of the 2016-2017 edcom Thesis Competition.

In the Bachelor’s category: Rebecca Hamers from NHTV University of Applied Sciences was chosen for her work:
“The Influence of message framing and issue involvement in communications on persuasion: a meat eating application.”

In the Masters category, Ida Foerster from FH Wien was selected for her work:
“The role of social media in communication: an exploration of the connection between deployed channels, the interation with the Facebook community and the importance of social media in corporate communications.”

The edcom Thesis Competition rewards the best Bachelor and Master theses on advertising or commercial communications amongst edcom member schools. This year, edcom received 17 entries from 14 different edcom schools across 10 countries. These 17 students had already been carefully selected by their edcom representative or academic supervisor prior to entering the edcom Thesis Competition.

In the first round, entries were judged by the edcom Research Committee on their relevance to the field of commercial communications.

Those passing to the second round were then awarded points based on the extent to which their work is consistent and coherent; contains strong objectives; clearly defined research goals and methodology; appropriate results and conclusions; and suggestions for further research. In total, 14 entries were judged in the second round.

In the final round, the jury assessed the novelty (does the thesis offer a new and original insight) and scale (what is the magnitude of the achievement) of the six finalists via conference call in order to decide upon a winner for each category.

Ida and Rebecca will receive free travel, accommodation and entry to the EACA International Advertising Summer School, which will be taking place in Prague from 3 to 7 July 2017. As a bachelor student, name will be participating in the Foundation course, while Master student name will be following the Advanced programme. All other finalists will receive an official edcom certificate, recognising their nomination and participation to the competition.

From all of the edcom team, we would like to thank all students for taking part in this year’s competition and we wish them the best of luck in their future academic and professional endeavours!