It has been a week full of learning, excitement and fun at Yarnton Manor!
The party was the best- lots of fun with new friends. We were all happy and relaxing after an intense week of studying!
-Ishaan from India.
As with all ORA summer courses, students work hard to get the most out of their academic programme, including delivering presentations and writing essays on their chosen subjects. They are always able to relax and have fun, though, thanks to exciting enrichment programmes, and last week at Yarnton was filled with numerous entertaining activities.
Arrivals day was the perfect start to a week of jam-packed activities both inside and outside of the classroom. Students were welcomed with a speech from our Programme Director, Christine Luscombe-Whyte followed by enjoying a traditional British Afternoon Tea and ice-breaker games on the lawn. After a lovely visit to Oxford City centre, the British traditions continued with a delicious Sunday Roast, the perfect way to fuel up for the evening’s entertainment: a quiz. The quiz was split into 6 rounds: geography, general knowledge, ditloids, Oxford, literature and a picture round. This really tested the students’ brains, and while it was a close call, team Chicago were the winners of a box of chocolates. Well done, team Chicago!
Students also had a superb afternoon on the river punting, and stepped off the boat in fits of laughter. It was the perfect day for punting at Cherwell Boat House, students soaked up the sun while trying to navigate their way under trees, out of bog and up and down the Cherwell river.
“The scavenger hunt was so much fun – going all over the city looking for fun stuff!”
– Bhavya from India.
As a fun way to explore the city of Oxford, students were divided into teams for a scavenger hunt as one of their social activities, which involved using clues and looking for specific items, such as a coin from 2014, or even a street name with the same as someone on the team. This was a particular highlight for one of our students from India, and the winning team were presented with an Oxford Sweatshirt as a memento of their stay here.
All of the activities last week, including salsa, cricket, and punting, helped to forge new friendships between the students. Our Programme Director even commented about the amount of fun and laughter she could hear outside during the students’ free time in the gardens after Sunday’s cricket game, as they relaxed from a jam-packed week.
A particular highlight for Alexi from Finland, who is taking the Broadening Horizons course, was the soap making. She said she really enjoyed learning about how to make soap and producing a bar of soap as part of a competition. The Soap Science Masterclass always proves interesting and engaging for our students, and we always have the best soap scientists to deliver the workshop.
“The party was definitely a highlight!”
– Nontharak from Thailand.
The Caribbean themed end-of-week party was certainly a memorable event for Yarnton students. With a limbo competition, surf machine and coconut-themed games, students were able to unwind and further develop their friendships with one another while having a lot of laughs!
Week 2 is going to be just as exciting and intellectually stimulating for Yarnton students. They can look forward to an exciting visit to London to see a popular West-End musical; Matilda, and also the chance to take part in the ORA Great Debate! We’ll have guest speakers bringing their passion and research to the students and inviting them to debate around a particular subject.
Classes are also set to be insightful, where students can gain real insight into possible future career paths including hands on heart dissection in our Medical School Preparation class on Tuesday.
Living and studying so closely with one another is certainly proving to be the ideal opportunity for students to make intellectual and personal bonds to carry with them into future studies and experiences. Stay up to date with news and what’s been happening by following our regular blog posts for the Yarnton Campus, where we will be posting all the latest news, highlights, photos and videos of the Summer School. We’ve got plenty more weeks of fun and learning ahead, you won’t want to miss out!
