Postechians are off to enjoy the extended three-months-long summer vacation, all ready to immerse themselves in society.

In 2016, POSTECH announced a change in the academic calendar to extend the length of summer vacation to three months, introducing yet another innovation. Three-month-long summer vacation is quite unusual in Korea’s higher education system as most other universities have less than 10 weeks for summer recess. POSTECH has made the bold move in order to provide its students with sufficient time and institutional support to pursue their interests in greater depth.

The extended break makes it easier for students to participate in overseas programs, travel, or start their own business. It also facilitates students’ career path exploration and hands-on experience building by interning at global corporations or research institutes through the university’s internship match-up program called Summer Experience in Society, aka SES.

SES connects POSTECH students with summer internship opportunities at more than 230 institutions including global corporations, domestic and overseas research institutes, and venture companies. From Samsung, LG, SK Hynix, SAP, and Oracle to Max Planck Laboratory, Fields Institute, KIST, Genexine, and Lendit, the list of participant goes on. The wide variety of institutions, out of which students can choose to intern with, offers students numerous options regardless of whether they dream to be a researcher, to work for a global business firm, or to become a CEO of their own company. Currently in its third year, the SES program has attracted more than 270 student participants this year.

POSTECH hopes that measures like the extended summer break and SES will drive students to challenge themselves with new tasks and accumulate experience.

“Our students will be living in a society that is far different from the one we are living in. A revolutionary and innovative education will be the key to fostering leaders for the era of changes,” President Doh-Yeon Kim explains. “We hope to give our students the full support they need to acquire a comprehensive skill set befitting future leaders.”