ISSOS - International Summer Schools

The best experience of my life! I made so many friends and memories. I don’t think I have ever been so genuinely happy. I would go back in a heartbeat!

Great Experience for our 16 year old son.After three weeks in Cambridge he returned very satisfied and stimulated.

ISSOS is a fantastic summer school. Students come together from all over the world, the classes are taught to a very high standard and the activities and cultural experiences are superb. All students should have the opportunity to experience ISSOS, friendships are made than span the globe and last far beyond the summer months.

My time with ISSOS was unforgettable! Exceptional academics, captivating cultural experiences, and a supportive community made it an incredible summer. The diverse activities and friendships I formed were highlights. ISSOS exceeded my expectations, delivering both education and adventure. Highly recommend!

I attended ISSOS as a student in 2017 and it remains one of the most incredible experiences that I had as a teenager. I met so many lovely people from all over the world and had the opportunity to live in a beautiful part of Scotland at the same time. The staff were so kind and welcoming, it was a wonderful experience!

Our family loved The ISSOS program at St Andrews so much, our second child followed her older sister the second year and brought some friends! What a great way to experience an abroad program with kids from all around the world!

My daughter spent three weeks at Cambridge, and said it was the best three weeks of her entire life! She was signed up the year before but due to Covid could not go. She’s a senior and she is disappointed that she is not to be able to go again next year.The communication with staff is wonderful. They immediately answered any questions I had, and I felt very confident that she was safe and secure. Each time she texted or called she was jubilant, having just experience something new & fun.She met people from all over the world and is staying in contact with her new friends—they will be visiting each other at different universities this year, and we are so happy for her.

Both of my children have attended Issos programs. One at St Andrews and One at Yale. The experience was life changing and eye opening even for urban big city kids like ours.We always felt like they experienced so much just at home but being amongst peers from around the globe truly helped them understand what it means to be a global citizen and put them ahead of their peer set in terms of their perception of what it means to be a teenager beyond their own bubble.The mix of academic subjects and pure camp-like fun is the perfect balance to allow them to learn and grown but also cool off a bit between the rigor of school years.Lastly I’ll add that the independence of living in a dorm environment, doing one’s own laundry, monitoring one’s own sleep schedule, making new friends and negotiating it on their own - with just the right amount of staff scaffolding - sets them up for greater success with the transition from high school to college.It’s a wonderful experience all around!

Our son, a 17-year-old rising high school senior, had a profoundly wonderful, life-changing time at ISSOS/St. Andrews. His 11th grade year was an exceptionally difficult one, rife with anxiety and self-doubt, but through ISSOS, he really found himself and his people, and we will be forever grateful for his joyous weeks there. He and the friends he made still chat daily!We cannot say enough about the program the ISSOS team has created. Our sons teachers were phenomenal, as were his counselors. The Scottish clan competitions were the perfect blend of fun team-building and healthy competition, the level of academic experience was the best our son has had anywhere, and the degree of independence provided to the kids was perfect developmentally. Truly, the entire program was totally enriching and wonderful, and our youngest son cannot wait to enroll in his own ISSOS at St. Andrews experience.

My daughter attended ISSOS Cambridge 2023 and she loved the experience ❤️