As a fresh uni grad, joining the Cowry summer school was the best career decision I could have made. It’s not often that you’re able to “try out” a job role and decide whether it’s the right path for you, but this is exactly what the summer school offers.

In the course of my two weeks, the biggest highlight for me was being able to work on a real charity partner brief. Due to the guided format of the summer school, you’re not only able to gain invaluable hands-on experience from day 1, but you’re also able to bounce ideas and questions off your Cowry mentors at the same time. It was an incredibly exciting, refreshing and learning-packed 2 weeks that led to my 5.5 year (and counting) career at Cowry, in behavioural science.

The Summer School was a dream extension to my degree. Coming from a BSc Psychological and Behavioural Science background, it meant a lot to me to get further training on advanced BeSci concepts and their applications to the real world. The Summer School gave me a perfect opportunity to learn more, and see how I can make my existing knowledge work harder.

My key highlights of the programme were working on a real, meaningful charity brief, making lasting connections with fellow students and Cowry consultants at the networking sessions, and getting to acquire new BeSci skills, like in behavioural design.

Summer School, in my opinion, is the best way for a budding behavioural scientist to spend a week if they can spare the time. It was the highlight of my year post-graduation (beyond the obvious reason of helping me land a job!), forming the most rewarding, enjoyable and deeply interesting experience I could’ve had in BeSci.

The Cowry Summer School was an incredibly valuable experience for me. Coming from university, I had a strong understanding of the academic research underpinning behavioural science, but far less exposure to how it’s applied in real-world consulting environments.

What I appreciated most was the opportunity to work on a live client brief alongside other aspiring consultants. It gave me first-hand experience of collaborating as a team, balancing different perspectives, and landing on a solution that effectively addressed the brief.

Throughout the programme, we also had the opportunity to hear from more than 10 Cowry consultants, each bringing different specialisms and perspectives on behavioural science. That exposure significantly broadened my understanding of the field and the wide range of ways behavioural science can be applied in practice.

Applying for the Cowry Summer School should genuinely be on every behavioural science student’s to-do list. It’s been pivotal in shaping my own path into consulting, and I’m sure it has the potential to do the same for many other students.