My S’21 is interested in St. A’s and there is a 2 week program offered by Oxford Royale where he could stay on campus, take a course, get familiar (I think?!) with the location and village, etc.
But, does anyone have any info on reputation of this program? (His summer schedule is such that this would be the only way for him to visit there for a couple weeks to get a feel for it.)
Worth it? We are also considering the option of having him visit there next fall/winter if he got accepted (and when it’s cold and dark, haha!). But ideally, would like him to visit this summer to gain more insight into St. A’s, maybe meet with a professor, etc.)
Thank you in advance for any f/b.
A lot of the answer depends on your son, including his experience being away from home or traveling, as well as his interests and - especially- what his other summer options are.
These summer programs are best thought of as summer camp for big kids. The fact that it has “Oxford” in the name does not mean that it is in any way affiliated with Oxford University (it isn’t) or that universities (US or UK) will be impressed by the classes he takes or his attendance (they won’t)
But, for the family that has the funds & a student who wants the adventure of living in a different place and/or has a summer course of genuine interest (especially if the same course was being offered anywhere else they would be interested) it can be a good summer option. I don’t know anybody who has done that particular program, but I do know people who have done similar ones (there are a lot of organizations offering similar programs) and they generally have been happy with them. From the students I have seen / talked to, the degree of freedom and independence is one of the highlights.
Is there a course in the subject area he would be applying to study? Even though StAs is broader than most UK universities, they still want students whose real love is the subject that they are applying to study. If you son is thinking IR then the Global Leadership Program might make sense- but others, not so much.
I agree that the summer experience will not prepare him for the winter! Sunrise in December is 8:45am and sunset is 3:30pm. In summer it’s 4:30am to 9:30pm- and you can still read outside at 11pm, and it is technically twilight the rest of the night.
Thank you @collegemom3717. Your f/b aligns with what I had assumed.
In the time that I posted this DS’21 got accepted to Boys State next summer and the timing of the two would overlap a tiny bit but enough that he won’t try to do the Oxford Royale program at St. A’s afterall.
He will take 2 more subject tests in June and hopefully, have better idea where he wants to study (states or Scotland).
Thank you again!