POSTECH has introduced a change in the academic calendar to extend the length of summer vacation to three months, encouraging the students to fully immerse themselves in the society through a new internship program called “Summer Experience in Society (SES).”

POSTECH has been a pioneer in many areas, and another item has been added to the list: a three-month-long summer vacation. It 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 not only makes it easier for students to participate in overseas programs, travel, or start their own business, but also facilitates career path exploration and hands-on experience building by interning at global corporations or research institutes through SES.

SES, an internship match-up program provided by the University, connects POSTECH students with summer internship opportunities at more than 170 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.

The University hopes that the extended summer break will also reinforce other programs and student activities, which take place during the summer, such as the Undergraduate Research Program.

Student reactions have been positive. Jiwon Chae, an Industrial and Management Engineering major whose schedule is full this summer with an internship and two business items for start-up, is delighted at the new term system. “Thanks to the longer vacation, I will be able to pursue all of them. It would have been difficult with the previous academic calendar.”

“Our students will be living in a society that is far different from the one we are living in. Today’s existing jobs will be replaced by what is yet unknown. A revolutionary and innovative education will be the key to fostering leaders for the era of changes,” President Doh-Yeon Kim explains. “Measures like the three-month-long vacation and SES drive our students to challenge themselves with new tasks and accumulate experience. We hope to give our students the full support they need to acquire a comprehensive skill set befitting future leaders.”