While most of us have been enjoying the summer, more than 200 students at the University of Aberdeen have been getting stuck into an intensive 10-week study course.
After four days of exams, which ran from August 17-21, this year's Summer School reaches its climax today (Friday, August 24) when the students are finally able to collect their results from the University's Regent Lecture Theatre.
The Summer School for Access has been running at the University since 1991 and has on average in previous years around 160 students each year studying to get into University. This year sees the biggest intake since the Summer School's inception with 206 people starting the Summer School in June.
The course is an alternative entry route for students into higher education, which aims to get people into university who have few or no formal qualifications. It is also aimed at school pupils who don't feel they're going to achieve the required results in their Higher exams.
This year's Summer School students have sat exams on a wide range of subjects including English, History, Philosophy, Maths, Biology, and Chemistry. The Summer School courses give students the chance to develop and demonstrate their capability and potential to cope with studying at first year degree level.
Tracey Stewart, Summer School for Access Co-ordinator, at the University, said: "Aberdeen is fully committed to opening its doors to people of all ages and educational achievement who could benefit from the university experience.
"The Summer School is one of the Institution's most successful initiatives for enabling entry to University courses for those who may not come to the Institution via the traditional routes.
"Since its inception 16 years ago, around 2,000 young and mature students from all over the North East and from a wide range of backgrounds have successfully attended the Summer School and have gone on to study full University degrees.
"The programme is designed to enable people to enter higher education, who have the potential and capability to study for a degree, but may not have achieved the qualifications, or may have under-achieved in the past due to various circumstances.
"For many of these individuals the course is not their second chance, but their first and only chance of progressing on to their degree studies."
This year's students include Zuzana Stastova, Richard Fox and Steven Reid. Zuzana (27) from the Slovak Republic, was pregnant whilst on the Summer School programme and gave birth to a baby girl on August 6, just before she was due to sit her exams. She is nervously waiting for this afternoon's results to be published to find out if her hopes of wanting to go on to join the MA Property degree at the University can be turned into a reality.
Richard (21), from Perth, wants to come to the University of Aberdeen to do an MA in English & Philosophical Studies. He went to Perth College and has tinnitus and although this is not a recognised disability, it does affect his everyday life and he as overcome a lot to get this far.
Richard is anxiously waiting for Friday afternoon to come so that he can get his results. He said: "The University of Aberdeen's Summer School was very intensive but I found it to be really worthwhile. Fingers crossed, I hope to pass all my exams and join the University studying an MA in English & Philosophical Studies."
Steven (17), from Torry studied English, Maths and Philosophy over the last 10 weeks. Steven has had acceptance to the Bachelor of Music Degree through his successful exam results from school and hopes at the end of his degree to do a year's postgrad in teaching to become a primary teacher. He said: "The three subjects I studied were all very hard work, in particular English, due to the amount of work to be covered in a short space of time and Philosophy as it was the first time that I ventured into this academic field. However, apart from the vast workload I had to contend with, I have really enjoyed my time on the Summer School.
"I joined the University's Summer School as I had originally thought of doing a Master of Arts Degree for which I needed Higher English. Being unaware as to how well I would do in the final exam I took the Summer School option as a fallback in case I did not achieve my target. As it turned out, I only needed a music pass to gain entry to the music course but continued Summer School and thoroughly enjoyed experiencing University life and meeting new people."
Tracey Stewart added: "The improvement in widening access highlights the success of initiatives such as the Summer School for Access, which helps put disadvantaged students on the fast-track into higher education."