I can provide some personal perspective on this, since I took two summer
courses in Costa Rica offered by different organizations, one of which was OTS.
As an undergraduate, I wanted to pursue a research career in tropical
ecology, and I thought that taking these summer courses would be a vital first
step in giving me the experience and exposure necessary to launch that career.
Looking back, I'm not sure they helped at all, and they may well have given me
a false confidence that I had more of a clue than I really did.
To be sure, both courses were enjoyable in their own right, and it was a
delight to live and study under the eaves of the Monteverde Reserve. But while
I learned a modest amount about the local ecosystems, and a tiny bit about how
to do research in them, neither course seemed especially geared towards helping
students develop themselves into competitive candidates for future research
positions. The OTS course in particular was genuinely disappointing, and I
ended up regretting the experience.
As to whether taking these courses contributed to my career--they clearly
didn't help, since despite a Ph.D. from a top-tier university I've never been
able to find a job in the field I worked so goddamn hard to qualify for. The
vaunted "field experience" of summer courses certainly made no difference to
all the HR managers and senior colleagues evaluating my applications, and I
doubt if they really matter when compared to the all-important qualification of
the inside connection.
The fact is these sorts of courses are extremely expensive for most people,
and while they may be valuable in terms of personal growth and a brief taste of
the tropical world, I can't see that they make a flyspeck's difference when it
comes to job applications or genuine career development.
To any undergraduates reading this, don't be fooled into thinking one of
these courses will be the make-or-break experience for you, and be especially
wary of programs not offered through your own university. Take one of these if
you want a fun summer experience, but if you're looking for a career in
science, these sorts of programs damn well aren't worth your money.
- J. A.
