Session 4 got off to a rocketing start yesterday, as students arrived and were quick to bond with each other, setting an energetic and exuberant tone for the next two weeks. The excitement was visible on students’ faces from the moment that they pitched up at the Catz porter’s lodge and took in for the first time the college’s inspiring blend of sharp, angular structures and vibrant, verdant natural surroundings.

Students and parents alike enjoyed a traditional afternoon in the airy Catz marquee, and when it was time to bid mother and father farewell, it was done happily, with students clearly already at home on campus and with each other. Indeed, Programme Director Dennis made sure of it in his welcome talk, emphasising that the experience was there for students to make their own, and encouraging them to take every opportunity that was to come their way.

From there, students settled into groups for some ice-breaker games, playing round after joyful round of Mafia, Two Truths and a Lie, Ninja, and the Human Knot. After a well-deserved dinner in the stunningly stylish Catz dining hall, students willingly observed the 11 o’clock curfew, with some fighting a losing battle against jet-lag, and all eagerly anticipating the start of lessons at 9 in the morning.