EIA Warm-Up: How to Get the Most Out of EIA Summer

The European Innovation Academy is knocking at your door. It’s time to start thinking about organizing, packing, and getting ready for your weeks abroad!

The EIA is all about hard work, new discoveries, and a lot of fun. But to get the most out of it, there are a few things you need to know in advance. We want you to enjoy every second of your time abroad, so we’ve prepared this quick warm-up guide.

Read carefully, take a few notes if you like, and get ready for the best summer of your life!

Be open to making new friends of different nationalities

How good are your geography skills? During your time with EIA, you’ll meet people from all over the world–from South America to Europe, Asia, and Africa. You’ll have the chance to make friends from different nationalities and learn something new every day.

Enjoy the ride

You’ll probably feel that you have never worked so hard in your life. On the other hand, you’ll also have fun like never before!

The atmosphere at the EIA is so alive and exciting that you’ll enjoy every second of the program. Not to mention the moments you’ll have with your new friends from all over the world.

Our biggest tip? Be ready to have a blast!

Don’t be scared of new ideas

When was the last time you had a really cool new idea? At the EIA, this will happen all the time. 

Every day you’ll have a new challenge to solve with your team, and that means new ideas will be popping up like crazy. There will also be plenty of mentoring and keynote sessions to fill up your notepad.

Fighting sleep!

Summer nights are not overly long, but they’ll be even shorter during your study abroad program.

We’ve mentioned how you need to be ready to work as you’ve never done before. Expect to go to bed late and wake up with the first ray of light. Make sure to use the hours you have to get some good sleep and be ready for the next day.

(We want to say that you’ll be awake only because of work, but a little party never killed nobody, right?)

Explore the city 

How awesome is it to discover new places? During your EIA summer program, you’ll have the chance to explore a completely new city. You’ll find beautiful landscapes, amazing buildings, colors, and textures. 

Everything is new when you’re abroad! Enjoy every new discovery, take pictures, and share your #eiamoments with us!

Face your fear of speaking in public

How do you feel when you know you have to speak in public? 

At the EIA, there will be many situations in which you’ll have to face this fear. As Nelson Mandela once said, “Courage is not the absence of fear, but the triumph over it. The brave man is not he who does not feel afraid, but he who conquers that fear.” 

Get ready to face your fears, be brave, and master the art of public speech.

Miss no chance to pick up a little career advice 

Imagine getting personal career advice from business professionals at companies like Google, Facebook, and Uber. At the EIA, this is a reality! 

Every day, you’ll meet high-level professionals and people from different backgrounds who will be willing to share their professional career advice with you. 

Be open to networking and learn from everyone you meet during your summer program abroad.

Managing your Stress 

At the EIA, stress management means dealing with deadlines, facing new challenges, and working with people you have never met before. These are just some of the things you’ll learn to embrace at the EIA.

All these new experiences might make you feel stressed or anxious. However, learning how to deal with this stuff is a major part of the growth process. 

Don’t forget that you can count on your friends, mentors, and the EIA team to help you during tough moments. 

Collect new business cards

Do you know how many startups have begun with the EIA summer program? If not, check out this link!

Creating a startup requires a rock-star team, and EIA summer program is the best place to meet your future crew. So while you’re networking, don’t forget to ask for business cards. That new contact can become your next business partner, co-worker, or even a long-life friend!

Don’t be afraid of feedback

First of all, be kind to yourself. You’re a brave young person who will have had the courage to go overseas and undertake this amazing project.

Yes, your time at the EIA will be tough. After all, you’ll have a lot of work, crazy deadlines, and a new team to work with, but that’s not all. You’ll need to learn how powerful feedback can be to boost your career. 

Don’t be scared to ask for feedback and take the most you can from these moments.  

Overcome your limits

During your summer program, you’ll feel like you’re on a roller coaster. You’ll deal with a ton of different emotions. Chances are pretty good that at some point, you’ll begin feeling overwhelmed. But you have to believe in yourself! Remember how capable you are of mastering this experience and coming out victorious on the other side. 

Overcome your limits in every task you have. Bring ideas, conduct new experiments, and remember that there are always solutions waiting to be found. After all, failure is a huge part of the learning process.

Learn basic words/sentences in a new language

Ciao! 你好! Olá! 

Linguistically, the country in which you choose to enroll doesn’t matter. No matter where you stay, we recommend that you try to learn some basic things about the native language. Greeting or thanking people in the local language may just open a few new doors during your stay.

But don’t wait for your arrival to learn–try some language-learning apps like Duolingo or Babbel. These can really step up your summer-abroad game!

Try the local food 

One of the amazing experiences you can have in the EIA’s summer program is experimenting with the local food. Locations like Portugal, Italy, and Hong Kong offer tasty, unique cuisine.

Indulge yourself during your time abroad and become a connoisseur of the local gastronomy. 

Ready for the best summer of your life? Check some helpful articles in our blog!