It has been a busy and exciting week for students at Balliol College in Oxford so far! Over two weeks, students have the opportunity to explore their chosen subject in detail, under expert guidance from ORA’s teaching faculty, whilst living and studying in one of Oxford’s colleges, Balliol. You’ll see from the photos that students are making the most of the college’s Common Room, study area and gardens to make friends and enjoy the experience.

Following an induction and welcome talk from Programme Director Steve Flavin over delicious refreshments last weekend, students got the chance to have free time around the city and then play some ice breaker games on arrivals day on Sunday. This prepared the excited students for a week of jam-packed lessons and activities!

As with all of our campuses, a team of dedicated Counsellors took the students at Balliol on an adventurous tour of Oxford at the start of the week, soaking up the beautiful rays of sun around Oxford centre where some of the most iconic sites can be found.

Today students participated in various Master Classes: stage combat, CSI Investigation and an exciting Stock Market Challenge! You can see from the photos below that the students really got stuck in to all of the workshops and had a great time. What’s more, they rounded off the day by making, decorating and of course eating their own cupcakes- certainly well deserved after the week they’ve had.

The students here are taking range of subjects including Business, Law, Architecture and Introduction to Medicine, while complementing their studies by living on campus like a true Oxford University Student. In addition, students had the opportunity to try out a typical Oxford past time of punting! It was the perfect way to end an afternoon of academia and to enjoy the rare British sunshine. Some students also had a visit to the Ashmolean museum, while others delighted in the wonderful animals at the Natural History Museum.

Coming up this evening and tomorrow (the days are going by so quickly already!), are more intellectually stimulating experiences such as a British Parliamentary-style Debate debate hosted by one of our guest speakers, a seminar on University Life, and of course the end of week party at a beautiful 12th Century Manor House (which was even used to film the British Drama TV Series Downtown Abbey) – with a Vintage Circus theme!

Stay tuned for more updates from the students at Balliol College Oxford, you won’t want to miss out on what ORA has in store!