Every year Oxford Royale Academy Provides a limited number of scholarships to cover a percentage of students' course fees. We have already heard from three of our Summer Scholars, and we are now fortunate enough to hear from Ana on our Broadening Horizons Course, and Dylanger on our New Perspectives Course. Enjoy!

My stay at the Oxford Royale Academy this July has undoubtedly been the highlight of my summer vacation. The “Broadening Horizons” program that I attended definitely lived up to my expectations at every level: I enjoyed the academic, as well as the cultural and social aspects of the program.

For one, I found my courses at Oxford Royale Academy to be extremely well structured and taught. A lot of emphasis was put on presentations, group work, class discussions, and debates. I especially enjoyed our passionate in-class debates, many of which continued well after the classes ended. All of my classes were equally engaging, and each had a unique distinctive feature. Furthermore, our teachers were all exceptional, always well prepared and enthusiastic about the lectures.

Additionally, the numerous excursions organized by ORA allowed me to get more closely acquainted with English culture. Our excursion to Windsor Castle was perhaps the most memorable one; indeed, Queen Mary’s dolls’ house left quite an impression on me. Moreover, the numerous optional cultural visits and activities made my Oxford experience even more enriching.  

However, the most vivid memories I have from my stay at ORA involve the particular people I was with, and the particular conversations, laughs and jokes I’ve shared with them. Attending ORA is a marvelous opportunity for meeting people with similar interests from all around the world. Some of the friendships I have made in Oxford this month will last a lifetime. In fact, upon my arrival home, the first thought that crossed my mind was how glad I was to live in the 21^st century, when my newly made, yet close friends, are only a few keyboard clicks away. With this in mind, I spent the first week home with my thoughts still in Oxford, chatting and ‘skyping’ with the people I met there. 

Finally, perhaps the most accurate way of describing my stay at ORA would be saying that this month was the shortest month that ever flashed in front of my eyes. Another one (definitely!) is that the word limit of this essay is way to small to allow me to paint an accurate picture of my ORA experience. While each of us, ORA summer students, has different stories to share, and different memorable events to point out, one remains certain: Oxford Royale Academy is the place to be for all high school students interested in challenging themselves academically, making a lot of friends from different and equally amazing places in the world, and learning about English culture and the culture of their peers, as well as, teaching others their own. With this in mind, I personally guarantee an amazing time and lots of fun to all who decide on attending this program next summer. 

(Ana)

An 
experience 
is 
an 
adventure…
and
 my 
adventure 
at 
Oxford
 University 
is 
something
 I 
will 
never 
forget
.
 
In 
this 
review, 
I 
will 
provide 
a 
multifaceted 
report 
on 
my 
time
 at 
Oxford 
Royale
 Academy 
(ORA) 
at 
St. 
Peter’s 
College; 
this 
piece 
highlights 
some 
of 
the 
things
 that 
I enjoyed 
about 
the
 Summer 
Camp 
Program. 

First, 
I 
shall 
touch
 up on 
the
 differences 
between 
Oxford 
and 
my 
home
 town 
of 
Winooski, 
Vermont,
 USA.

Oxford
 is
 vastly 
different
 from 
my
 home
 of 
Winooski 
in
 many 
ways 
that
 are
 very 
obvious 
in 
terms
 of
 scenery,
 personality 
and
 character.

 The
 age 
of
 Oxford
 sets 
itself
 apart,
 by 
the 
fact
 that 
the 
buildings 
were 
hundreds
 of
 years 
old.

 The 
feel
 of 
the
 environment,
 was 
like 
I 
was 
stepping
 back 
into 
history 
and 
I 
was 
one 
of 
the 
ancient 
scholars
 of 
that 
time.

 By
 contrast, 
in 
Winooski
 most 
buildings
 were
 just 
built 
in 
the 
last 
fifty 
years. 

In 
my 
opinion, 
the 
character 
of 
Oxford 
was 
calmer
 than
 any 
place 
I 
have 
experienced
 before, 
because
 it
 seemed 
like 
every one 
was 
proud 
of 
their 
history 
and 
people 
were 
more
 respectful 
and 
clean‐cut.

I 
enjoyed 
many 
different 
activities 
and 
trips 
hosted
 by 
ORA 
and 
the 
counselors 
who 
were 
running
 it 
were 
nice 
and 
easy going.

 We 
went 
to 
see 
many 
interesting 
places, 
such 
as 
The 
Tower 
of 
London, 
Shakespeare's 
Globe 
Theatre, 
Hampton
 Court, 
Bath 
and 
Stonehenge. 

For
 example,
 the 
Tower
 of 
London
 was 
an 
interesting
 piece of
 draconian 
history 
that 
I
 will 
never 
forget; 
I 
was 
in 
a 
state 
of 
awe. 

Stonehenge
 was 
an 
archeological 
marvel
 that
 blew 
my 
mind 
when 
I 
thought
 of 
all 
the 
back breaking 
labour 
that 
went 
into 
building 
that 
circle
 of 
stones 
so 
precisely 
to 
make
 a 
solar 
calendar.
 
Also, 
the 
activities 
of 
the 
camp 
were 
well 
put 
together 
and 
I 
had 
a 
fun 
time 
playing 
the 
sports 
such 
as 
rugby, 
capoeira
 and
 football. 
These 
experiences 
were 
beneficial 
to 
my 
development 
as 
a 
person.

The 
academics
 and 
Oxford’s
 reputation
 were
 the 
main 
reason 
why 
I 
applied 
to 
the 
program.

 During 
my 
time
 there, 
I 
studied
 Physics, 
Chemistry, 
Human 
Biology, 
and
 Public 
Speaking,
 but 
if 
I
 had 
to
 choose 
a 
favorite
 class 
it
 would 
be 
Physics, 
because
 I
 found 
it 
the 
most
 interesting 
because 
most 
of 
the 
sciences 
use 
the 
laws 
of 
physics
 and
 I 
want 
to 
be 
as 
well 
rounded 
as 
possible. 

I 
learned
 new
 formulas, 
and 
factors 
of 
measurment 
that 
I 
never 
even 
heard
 of 
before;
 physics 
is 
just 
fascinating! 


The 
professors 
were 
kind, 
understanding 
and
 progressed 
at 
a 
comfortable 
pace 
to 
allow
 time 
for 
the 
information 
to 
soak 
into 
our 
brains. 

Upon 
exiting 
each 
class, 
I 
truly 
felt 
like 
a 
new
 lesson 
was 
learned 
and 
that 
I 
gained 
knowledge 
for 
the
 rest 
of 
my 
life.

Overall
 I
 found 
the 
experience
 an 
unforgettable 
one, 
I 
enjoyed 
the 
international 
friendships 
I 
made 
and 
the 
understanding 
I 
have 
gained
 due 
to 
experiencing 
a
 new 
culture 
and 
customs.
 
I 
give
 Oxford
 Royale
 Academy
 5 
stars 
out 
of 
5!

(Dylanger)