Every year Oxford Royale Academy Provides a limited number of scholarships to cover a percentage of students' course fees. We have already heard from one of our Summer Scholars, Veronika, and we are fortunate enough to be able to post articles by Passawuth, from Thailand, and Giulia,  from Italy, both Summer Scholars on our New Perspectives Course. Enjoy!

Oxford Royale Academy was the best summer of my life; this is not an exaggeration as it really made my dreams come true. I doubt if there will be another wonderful opportunity like this at all: a course combining academic, cultural, social and historical aspects of life all-in-one.

First of all, the classes were superb and enriching. I opted for history & politics, and psychology & creative writing; and was privileged enough to study with actual University of Oxford tutors. The classes were made lively by having us students engage in discussions and presentations, as well as sharing work. From this, we got to learn about each other’s culture and how their countries work, especially in history & politics. Field trips to related places such as St John’s  College Library and Pitt Rivers Museum really helped. We also got to learn about the British culture, as an extension, in history class. 

Furthermore, the tutors also gave us advice if we want to study in that field in the future. Now I have made solid decisions for each subject in the future. Accordingly, it will be easier for me to choose my upcoming GCSEs and A-levels.

In addition, the workshops were fun and very useful in our everyday lives. I opted for debating, and leadership & teambuilding. The teachers led us through various of interesting activities, especially in debating where we got to debate properly. Leadership taught me about vital social skills. They were really practical and beneficial.

Up to this point, any academic course would have been perfect following what I mentioned. However, ORA also had diverse choices of activities, which made it so memorable and worthwhile. To begin with, activities were golden opportunities for us students to interact with each other and get to know each other better. I made many new friends through interesting activities myself. To name a few: fencing, punting, real tennis (grandfather of today tennis, badminton and squash!), botanical garden, Christ Church College (where Harry Potter was filmed), Shakespeare’s plays, talent show, fancy dress night and disco. They were very interesting, some I had never even heard of before. We received both cultural knowledge and entertainment.

The excursions were marvellous. We went to every tourist attraction I wanted to go: Hampton Court Palace, Blenheim Palace (Churchill’s birthplace), Madame Tussaud’s, Natural History Museum, Shakespeare's Globe Theatre, Tower of London, Stonehenge and Bath (where the Roman Baths are located). I had so much fun with my friends and appreciated the British history and culture. 

The most remarkable and unforgettable thing, however, is not the classes nor activities nor excursions in itself, but the opportunities for us to socialise with friends from all around the world. The countries ranged from Venezuela, Canada, South Africa, Ukraine, Lebanon to Japan! You study with them, talk to them on the bus, sing and dance, watch Romeo and Juliet with them, go the museum with them, do work with them and have fun with them! I myself sent postcards to 3 continents of the world afterwards. Everyone was so talented and energetic, I assure you you will definitely make friends and enjoy yourself!

We got accommodation inside an Oxford University college which inspired us to learn and gave us a taste of university life. I got to taste the food from around the world, some I’ve never known before! The counsellors were nice and friendly. Our safety was taken as first priority, no matter what. On Sundays, our nice course director also took us to the church if we wanted to.

In conclusion, summer at ORA was amazing. My dream to live in Oxford, the ‘city of spires’, came true. My dream to socialise with friends around the world and learned each other’s culture also came true. I doubt if any future experience can replace my wonderful experience at Oxford.

(Passawuth)

Oxford Royale Academy was special from the very beginning. I had gone online in January hoping to find a summer camp that was both academically challenging as well as fun. Unfortunately, many of the places my friends had suggested were for 16 years old and above. I kept on looking, clicking, Googling until I found Oxford Royale Academy, the one website that clearly illustrated the programme and had one for my age group too! I looked through the courses and found one that synthesized two of the subjects I enjoy most, Mathematics and Economics. Though I had not done any Economics I had eagerly read several introductory books and wanted to know more. In addition, when I realized that one of the workshops was Public Speaking and Debate, I knew that this camp would have definitely fulfilled my requirements. I was really lucky to be awarded the scholarship that enabled me to attend and meet so many great people from all over the world.

I arrived, registered, attended the speech that welcomed new students and settled into my new room, introduced myself to several of my peers. When the first assembly took place in the marquee, that same day, I thought many of the things being said could not apply to all: make new friends, be tired, get to know the whole area, walk around the whole city of Oxford at least 3 times…I convinced myself that someone at camp, anyone, wouldn’t have felt all these things. I was wrong. As much as we all differed, each with our own personality, when graduation came up no one could deny any of those things.

The classes were not only a chance to learn advanced methods and concepts from actual Oxford University tutors, but also a way to bond, to communicate, to learn. We did oral and written work and this variety allowed for each one of us to show their talents and to improve. Both classes and workshops provided us with an individual feedback at the end of the day.

Activities can be summed up with one word: special. They ranged from Tennis to seeing A Midsummer Night’s Dream in the magical square of the Bodleian Library. I also loved watching Romeo and Juliet being acted out in Oxford University's Said Business School, and freezing under the moonlight, clutching the blanket we had rented was the best part, seriously. There are times when you grow tired, tired of waking up early in the morning and sleeping late at night. Trust me, these are the moments you will remember the most, the ones you will hold on to because they shaped your experience in the city of spires.

Learning to appreciate the surroundings of the college, the small area of the city with its incredible amount of historical, educational and recreational facilities is wonderful, but being able to attend such a wonderful camp is priceless.

(Guilia)