After a good night’s sleep, everyone was feeling full of energy again yesterday and everyone was eager to get started with their programmes!

Over breakfast, students compared their classes, trying to work out which of their new friends they would be spending the morning with. Braver members of the cohorts reached out to those students they didn’t know and began getting to know their peers as the counsellors guided them to their lessons.

As it was the first day, classes were focused on giving students overviews of their courses, introducing key concepts, and answering the multitude of curious questions our students had.

The afternoon was full of plenty of opportunities to make even more friends as both cohorts headed out together on tours of the city. It was a great opportunity for our counsellors to show off all their Oxford expertise as they guided the students around the city’s famous sites like the Bridge of Sighs and the Bodleian Library. After the more structured tour was finished, the students split up to explore some of the tastier sites with their friends!

Once everyone had eaten some dinner that evening, the counsellors launched the ORA quiz on the students in the Long Gallery. Between rounds on UK Prime ministers, music, Oxford history, and even Harry Potter, our students were really put to the test!

For team ‘Romeo and his Juliets’, the effort was worth it as they scored a box of sweets for racking up the most correct answers – they particularly loved winning a couple of extra points for having the best team name!