Most of the summer language programs in the US begin during May and last till August. These programs are an excellent opportunity to improve your English speaking skills or even learn more about U.S. Customs, History, and Culture etc and also visit different places in the country.

There are various reasons to apply for these summer programs:

1. You wish to be more well prepared before taking on any full time courses
2. You like the travelling and personal growth
3. You would like to meet other students from USA or other countries
4. You wish to improve your conversational skills
5. You enjoy fun and challenging experiences
6. You require academic credit transferable back home
7. You would like to participate in a personal development or specialized training program

Who studies during the summer?
Traditionally, most U.S. students do not study during the summer but go on a vacation or work to help pay off tuition fees.

This convention however, has been changing. Universities have been offering a very wide range of interesting course during the summer, and students wish to opt for these so that they also end up meeting other students from the U.S. and international visitors.

Where to Study?
Size: How big is the program or the university? Do you prefer studying with thousands of other students or do you like having only a few hundred classmates?

Location: Would you want to study in a small town, a mid size city or a huge urban centre?

Recreation: The university campus where you opt for a summer course may include many recreational activities along with their courses like gymnasium, swimming pool, sports complex etc or cultural activities such as museums, concerts, summer festivals and theatres.

Cost and Housing: Costs for various courses vary from school to school. Just be sure to ask whether the cost mentioned includes room and board.

Student Population: Many universities offer residential courses. Hence, if living on or off campus is important to you, you must find this out before you apply. Summers are an excellent time to see other parts of the country. Hence you can travel to cities or areas which appeal to you.

What to study?
Students can either opt for interesting courses which they would like to learn more about or for courses which can later give them academic credits along with their degrees.

ESL or intensive English?
Prior to selecting a program from yourself, you need to check if you English is adequately good enough for the particular course or university, especially if the lectures are going to be entirely in English. Depending on your language abilities, you can either enrol for an English as Second Language (ESL) course or an intensive English course.

Contacting Programs
Most schools do not have the requirement of a formal process of admission for their summer programs. The fact is if you are applying only for summer courses and not an entire degree program the admission process is quite simple.

Firstly, you can directly write to the Summer Sessions office of each school which interests you. In case you use email, do not forget to mention where you learned about the particular program from.

Asking for a catalogue or brochure regarding the university and the summer courses will give you a much better idea regarding housing, courses, costs etc. This information is typically available on the websites of institutions offering summer courses.