5 Reasons to Return to ORA
Our summer courses for students aged 19-25 are the perfect opportunity to take your ORA experience further.
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Here at Oxford Royale we’re very proud of our strong alumni community, especially those of you who return to take your studies further, for instance moving from New Perspectives to Broadening Horizons, or attending our International Study Centre for an educational gap year. If you’re aged between 19-25 and keen to relive happy ORA memories in more adult surroundings, you might like to consider our summer courses for older students. Here are just 5 of the many reasons why we’d love to welcome you back to Oxford this summer.
1. A wide variety of academic programmes to choose from
From Global Business Management to Psychology and Behavioural science, you’re sure to find an ORA course that piques your academic interest. You might already be studying a subject at undergraduate or postgraduate level and keen to top up your knowledge over the summer break, or you might want to explore a vocational direction such as Medicine or Law for the first time before taking the plunge and applying for a degree programme or conversion course. If you’re already making headway in the world of work then Business Management might be more in your area, which is not to overlook the value of trying something completely new to keep your intellectual curiosity ticking over well into adulthood: General English, App Programming, or Politics, anyone?
2. A more mature study environment
The tranquil quads and comfortable accommodation of Merton College are used exclusively by students on our 19-25 courses, ensuring a calm and exclusively adult environment in which to live and study. This is not to say, however, that students on our adult courses lose out on the extra-curricular front: a rich and varied programme of events and excursions is available to you from the moment you arrive on site. Start your day right with a personalised fitness class, or join a leisurely post-lunch punt down the Isis. Plays, film screenings, and workshops are available each evening, with full-day excursions to sites such as Blenheim Palace or Hampton Court taking place at the weekends. Don’t forget to pack your glad rags, too: your final Friday with ORA will be an Oxbridge-style Grad Ball, hosted by a nearby country house, college, or hotel.
3. Learn from experts in their field
Our teaching staff are required to hold at least one postgraduate qualification in their subject, and are specifically selected for their knowledge, passion, and enthusiasm for it. Our trademark emphasis on academic rigour is at its most evident on our 19-25 courses, and we welcome keen, engaged young adults to come and enlarge their intellectual horizons with us. We encourage you to view your subject teacher as more than simply a ‘sage on the stage’ for the duration of each lesson, and instead avail yourself of their experience and expertise outside the classroom too; drop-in essay workshops and academic writing surgeries are a vital part of your time with us.
4. Discuss and debate with your peers
With a varied student body from all around the world, an ORA Oxford summer school is the perfect place to hone your debating skills and expose yourself to fresh opinions and ideas. Talks, lectures, and panel discussions will be scheduled, as well as the opportunity to participate in a more formalised debate – either as an audience member or sitting on the panel itself. Our weekly ‘Conversation Café’ – based on the renowned World Café conversational process – enables students to discuss pertinent topics and engage with guest speakers on a more egalitarian level. Engage in collaborative dialogue with experts in their subject or industry, all whilst enjoying a cup of coffee or afternoon tea.
5. Take your academic career to the next level
Your early twenties are a time of personal development and academic opportunity, and we encourage you to make the most of this exciting stage in your life. You may have had the time of your life on our 13-15 or 16-18 programmes, but Oxford Royale Summer Schools is so much more than a summer camp: we are here to guide and accompany you on your academic pathway, keen to ensure that all our alumni go on to achieve great things in their individual fields. Give our Registrations department a call to discuss our study options for older students, and see where an ORA Oxford summer course could take you.