We’re thrilled to be able to share this reflection on a summer spent with Oxford Summer Courses with you, written by one of the students who studied with us last summer. You can find them on Twitter at: twitter.com/anishkatariya.

What’s Included in an Oxford Summer Course?

Our tailored summer courses for ages 9-24 include all teaching and academic content, accommodation, meals (including Friday night formal dinners), a prize-giving ceremony, all-day trips and activities, airport transfers, access to Oxford Summer Courses Foundations, travel and medical insurance, and a welcome pack. Apply now to secure your spot in one of our comprehensive summer courses.

Going to Oxford Summer Courses was the best decision I ever made. I studied physics during my course .The things I leant during the course were invaluable. We went to the Oxford Physics Research labs where our classes were held. There we saw experiments happening in front of us, which not only help us learn but also amazed us a lot.

We got to know why the things we learn were significant and how they were used in everyday life .Our tutor was really helpful, and was happy to help us in any way we needed and was always ready to clear our doubts. He also challenged us from time to time to make sure we made the best out of the 2 weeks that we were there. He told us about how physics was taught at Oxford and how we shall proceed if we wanted to pursue physics in the future.

The Residential Deans at Oxford Summer Courses were really helpful and caring. They could be approached at any time and they would be happy to help. All of them were Oxford alumni, and were like mentors for us. They told us a lot about the Oxford life and what the colleges were like. They were the perfect people to ask about anything related to Oxford. They were very friendly and we could talk to them about anything from global issues to the silliest things like haircuts or looks.

In fact my course director took me for a haircut and told me how to do my hair because all the girls loved his hairstyle. Our Residential deans took us around Oxford, from the best restaurants to the oldest museums. They also took us for activities among which my favorite was punting. And may I add the best part about punting was pushing Harry (the course director) from his boat.

One of the best things about the course was witnessing a stand up act by the legend Matt Lacey. He was hilarious and his character Tarquin was amazing. Bill Spectre’s Ghost tour was really scary and awesome as well!

Even though I studied physics in the two weeks I was there I learnt much more than just physics. We had a debate night in which we got to know about the point of view of people belonging to different cultures on a certain topic! We also had TED style talks in which we had guest speakers talking on a topic each! My favorite one was Matt’s talk on how YouTube has taken over, and about the commercial side of YouTube! He also told us more about his viral video (Gap Yah!), which has over 5 million views on YouTube. We also had a quiz night in which we got to know exactly how dumb we were (Yes my group came last).  

The friends I made in Oxford are invaluable; meeting people from different countries and backgrounds was amazing. I learnt so much from them. The formal dinner we had in Wadham College was amazing! Our graduation ceremony was held at the famous Oxford Union, we also had an award ceremony before our graduation ceremony in which I won the award for the best haircut (Thanks to Harry!) Even though we were in Oxford just for two weeks we had bonded so well with each other that everyone was  really sad when the course was over. According to me the two weeks I spent in Oxford were the best two weeks of my life!

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About the author

Rhys Mackenzie is the Website Marketing Manager at Oxford Summer Courses. With extensive experience in SEO and digital content management, they are passionate about showcasing the best that Oxford has to offer. Their previous role at Experience Oxfordshire gave them a deep appreciation for the city's unique cultural and academic offerings. Learn more about Rhys here.