Impromptu Fun at ORA This Summer

As you know, ORA has a huge variety of events and activities planned for every campus, every session and every day.

But we make sure our students get some free time as well – and sometimes, that’s when there is even more fun to be had.
Back in session 1, we had a spontaneously organised Summer Olympics in the wonderful environment of the University Parks. In the bright July sunshine, students competed in football, ultimate frisbee (which the Balliol and LMH teams had been practising earlier in the grounds of Blenheim Palace) and rounders, with Balliol being crowned the eventual winners.
In session 2, David, one of our enterprising counsellors in St Peter’s, wrote their own scavenger hunt. Students explored the campus and the city following clues and trying to answer 20 challenging questions, such as “How many gargoyles are there on the tower of St Mary’s Church?”, ‘What is special about the Oxfam shop on Broad Street?” and the cryptic clue of “Starting on Broad Street, go to the end of the alphabet and find the elephant in the sky. Take a picture.”

Finally, one of the great successes of session 2 was our brand new collaborative learning event, ORACLE, a fantastic experience with stimulating workshops and fascinating talks. After an academically challenging few hours, the lovely team at St Catz decided that what the students really needed was afternoon tea – a splendid idea! As a complete surprise to everyone, they provided 150 scones with jam and cream so that the students could enjoy an indulgent break. Afternoon tea is one of those quintessentially British experiences, and if it can be enjoyed outdoors in the sunshine, so much the better!
With a cornucopia of lessons and events running like clockwork, it’s remarkable that students and counsellors can find time for great extra activities and experiences like these – but they really are the icing on the cake.
Bookings are already open for next summer, so if you’re keen to join us, take a look at our course options now ➙
Image credit: scone