At the International University of Sarajevo, within the English Language School program (ELS), the school annually organizes the English Language Summer School.
The Summer School is held outside of regular classes at ELS and is intended for students from B&H and abroad wanting to improve the basic English language communication skills in a short period of time. The school offers quality intensive English language classes and provides an opportunity for students to continually improve their reading, writing, speaking, and verbal and written communication skills. The school can also be attended by students who have already been admitted to IUS, and who want to improve their level of knowledge.
Before the start of the classes, all students are given a Placement Test to determine their level of knowledge of the language and the group they will be placed in.
Considering the large number of participants, their age, motivation, country of origin, as well as the level of English language proficiency, IUS annually organizes two types of intensive courses within the Summer School: a course that lasts 8 weeks, including the final exams at the end of all classes, and a course that lasts for 3 weeks. The 8-week course offers 25 hours of instruction per week, and the Summer Course 20 hours.
Each year, many pupils and students participate in this intensive English language course at IUS. This year, the classes started on June 24th, 2013.
This year, the intensive 3-week course brought together 121 high school students from Turkey, for whom, in addition to intensive language course instruction, IUS provided food and accommodation in student dormitories on the IUS campus, located in Ilidža. For students, an interesting program with extracurricular activities was prepared as well, during which they had the opportunity to visit Bosnian cities like Sarajevo, Visoko, Mostar, Počitelj, Travnik, and learn more about the rich cultural heritage and natural beauty of B&H.
Student impressions
AYSENUR KAHVECI I come from Istanbul. I came to ELS Summer Language School because I had the highest score in English language course, in a competition organized by my school. I was eager to participate because I saw it as a great opportunity to learn English, to get familiar with different culture and to meet new friends. After coming to IUS I noticed that the School was professionally organized, and I encountered with a friendly and warm atmosphere. I definitely improved my writing, reading and listening skills and got more self-confident. This experience will serve me as a good base for my future studies, as I plan to go abroad. I enjoyed my stay in Sarajevo as it is a culture similar to my own and I felt very relaxed. I was especially impressed with the multicultural environment in Sarajevo, which makes it an ideal place to visit it on holiday. We also visited Mostar, and I was impressed by its natural beauty and charm. I would definitely recommend IUS and Sarajevo to all of my friends, as it was a wonderful experience for me.
NURBANU HAYIRI come from Istanbul, Turkey. I found out about ELS Summer Language School through an announcement given at my school. I immediately became fond of the idea as it was a great opportunity for me to improve my English language skills in an English speaking environment. Summer School was organized with great care and with extraordinary friendly professors. I was impressed with the investments made at IUS, so that students from all over the world can come and study in an international environment. English language is the most worldwide spread language and it is used both as the language of education and science and therefore I found it important to participate in a program like this. We visited many places in Bosnia, and I liked all of them. Bosnia is a country of great beauty and history as well as friendly people. I would definitely recommend English Language School to others as it is a unique opportunity to see something different and to improve one's language skill.
SAMI YAVUZMy hometown is Istanbul, Turkey. I wanted to find out how good my language skills are and to get the opportunity to use what I've learned in my school in an international environment. The program offered to us was intensive which made us all improve rapidly. Special focus was on speaking, which all of us found useful. My teacher Emir Šehić was both professional and friendly, so I enjoyed my classes very much. As English is considered to be a global language, this knowledge will benefit my future education and carrier a lot. During my stay I have had an opportunity to meet with Bosnia and its beauties and I was particularly impressed with the green environment and natural beauties this country has. I would definitely recommend IUS to others, and I have a great desire to come back here one day as the people of Bosnia have left a positive impression on me.
Professors impression about ELS Summer School
Mrs. Dijana Dizdarevic, English Language Teacher, talked about ELS Summer School at IUSThe 3-week Summer School Programme has been running at ELS for seven years now. The aim of the programme is to combine an English language course with a cultural experience. This means that in addition to language classes, our guests are given the opportunity to travel around Sarajevo and Bosnia and Herzegovina visiting places of interest such as national heritage sites and natural beauty spots. My colleagues and I are responsible for delivering a language programme that would meet the needs and expectations of our visitors, most of whom are high-school students aged 12-18. As their English language skills are at different levels, we do our best to place them in appropriate groups according to their competence in English and their interests. Then we make tailor-made teaching programmes for each group. Our aim is to provide the students with a learning experience that is fun whilst catering for their specific needs. I believe that we are quite successful in this, as most of the students are very appreciative of our efforts and some of them return later to study at IUS. We believe that this programme is a great opportunity to promote both our country and the International University of Sarajevo and we hope that our visitors go back home with the impression that taking part in this Summer School Programme has been an enjoyable and worthwhile experience.
