Challenge of the Balance Summer Course

It's several years now since I did this course, but I have drawn on the learning and knowledge I gained from it and reflected on the experience many times since then. Only by fully appreciating the perspective of populations outside the Western hegemony will any progress be possible in addressing global concerns such as climate change in an equitable way. As well as providing an opportunity to appreciate such a perspective the course also highlights what adapting to the modern age means for a rapidly developing nation such as India with real transferable lessons for many other scenarios. As such this course is extremely valuable (if not vital) for anyone considering a career in any area concerned with international policy, development, disaster relief, environmental, social or economic issues. The course is suitable for anyone interested in these areas regardless of their existing first degree specialisation. All aspects of human endeavour can be improved by being mindful of the issues raised in this course.

It was the first time I travelled alone to a foreign country , experienced from planes to trains.The lectures are based on real world happenings and the lecturers themselves are experts in the topic. Field visits and assignments help to widen your horizon and add to your applied skills.

The food was awesome and on time. And you learn how to adjust in the international social situations and how things are perceived by people from different parts of the world. At least it was my first time. I am still connected to the friends I made there and we meet from time and again in different places and continents. It was really a life changing experience for me. Having this course on my bio data is one of the reasons I got accepted for the scholarship to study in Germany. I really recommend this course.

I'm from the UK and found out about this via EWB-UK (Engineers without borders).

I was hesitant about a few different things before going (India is very different to Europe), however everyone I met (fellow participants, staff at cse abd even just people on the street) were very friendly and I soon settled in.
Therefore if you think you might like it, then definitely apply!

Also I was the co-editor of the magazine in 2014 (summer) and I advise you to pick a large role as although it's more work it's a lot more fulfilling.

This program was a very good introduction to environment and ecology. However, bare in mind that almost all lectures are based around issues in India. I did the course in summer of 2011 and spent 10 days attending lectures given by some of the field experts from India. The next 10 days were spent on a field trip where we were exposed to more practical learning. We also had the opportunity to publish a journal (last 10 days of the course) that was entirely delegated to the students of the course. Those last ten days of creating the journal magazine was very challenging but equally rewarding. Through the magazine, we had the opportunity to test our skills in writing, editing, creativity or photography. I'm not sure if the course structure has changed much but I would recommend the course to anyone who'd want to taster a course in environmental science. It's also a great way to meet people and travel around India.