jschool Summer School

Celia Esteban Serna, Psychology & Language Sciences

The jSchool is a week-long summer school that gathers psychology students and other early career psychologists to create meaningful research projects in an international environment. It is the induction of a wider programme, the Junior Researcher Programme (JRP), where selected participants from across Europe are placed in teams of six to work with one enthusiastic PhD student or postdoctoral researcher, who acts as a Research Supervisor, and conduct research together on a theme common to all projects – this year’s theme was Communication: The Psychology of Information - for thirteen months. During this time, we have several chances to disseminate our research. Namely, we submit protocols of our work to the JRP’s partner journal, Advances in Methods and Psychological Science, and are invited as speakers at the International Convention of Psychological Science in Paris, France. To close out the year, all groups convene at Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, for the annual 3-day JRP Conference. 

During jSchool, there were scheduled working sessions. These allowed us to work closely with – and learn from – experienced psychology practitioners and eminent scholars, as well as to engage in debate and to share ideas with fellow students in a scintillating atmosphere. These sessions were complemented by talks from lecturers from around the globe, who spoke about their research and approached groups in individual sessions. On the other hand, following the tradition of holding jSchool in different European countries, this year’s venue was Certosa de Pontigniano, in Siena, Italy. Thus, cultural activities were also organised within the venue and around Siena, which brought us closer to the Italian culture. 

However, apart from acquiring new knowledge, skills and research experience, jSchool has contributed to my development as a person by giving me the opportunity to meet like-minded people who share my passion for psychology and international experience. In fact, many of them have become friends who I know will support me on my research path. 

In conclusion, I would encourage everyone to consider a short-term study abroad opportunity, and particularly jSchool. Not only will you meet many talented young people from countries and cultures you have not had the chance to engage with first-hand, but you will also be inspired to share insights from your own perspective. It is through this exchange that you will gain further understanding of how these perspectives influence us as researchers, professionals and individuals.