Queen’s had had a busy few days, from introductions to making new friends. Tuesday offered the welcome chance for some respite, with lessons being followed up by some exceptional Masterclasses.

Lessons went over very well, and there was a great sense that everybody was getting into their studies after the long introductions on Monday. However, it was soon time to move as students made their way to the first Masterclasses of the course.

In the spirit of being educational whilst also hands-on and exciting, yesterday’s Masterclasses offered the students the chance to try a wide variety of unique challenges that had them puzzled, frantic and every shade in-between.  The most popular by some margin was The Stock Market Challenge; only the fastest minds would prevail in this battle of wits to see who could generate the largest amount of money in the shortest time. Buying low and selling high, the students competed until final trading when the winning team was announced.

The evening was a great one for those willing to adventure onto the ice, with ice-skating being another popular addition to the day’s activities. The students had a fair few tumbles, but there was soon some great progress being made on the rink. It had been a pretty hot day yesterday as the UK heatwave continues, so it was a nice change of pace for everyone to try something a little cooler. For those who were slightly too exhausted however, there was a Great Debate Workshop happening at the same time. What a day!