Immerse Education Summer So Far…

…And that’s it for July! The first month of programmes have finished. In what has felt like the blink of an eye, hundreds of participants from all over the world have jumped into the Immerse Education experience. We’ve felt nerves, we’ve felt excitement, we’ve seen the formation of lifelong friendships and sunk into the depths of educational knowledge being explored within each subject. With some fantastic weather this month, participants have explored the beautiful cities of Oxford, Cambridge and London – and with their Oxbridge mentors to guide them, they have been able to experience the best of student life – visiting little-known coffee shops and gardens that are a well-kept secret amongst current Oxbridge students.

Oxford

As Session 3 comes to a close, we’re having a look at how far we’ve all come.

In Oxford, the team hit the ground running on all fronts. Students were welcomed by sprawling green fields and floral garden design pieces within what seems like an oasis of tranquillity at Lady Margaret Hall, where students arriving at Brasenose College were introduced to a historically rich campus, home of the famous Brasenose Knocker sitting in pride-of-place in the dining hall. Participants arriving at St Edmunds hall were greeted to explore one of the oldest academic institutions in the world, with roots back to 1317 – A hidden gem in the heart of the city of Oxford. Students arriving at Balliol were greeted by a sprawling sports ground; the ‘masters field’ is one of the closest sports fields to the city centre. Balliol college offered students state-of-the-art accommodation, juxtaposed with the classically sculpted 19th century quad, chapel and buildings.

“The moment I set foot in one of the Oxford University colleges, I felt myself being welcomed into not just a college, but a family. I know it might sound cliché, but this flower-filled college has become a home to me” 

Immerse Education Participant

Academic sessions commenced from day one and were incredibly informative, covering new material that participants had not been taught in school, as well as expanding on topics that piqued the interest of participants in class. The Oxbridge tutors taught material in a way to suit the students’ academic strengths and weaknesses, so that students understood the material perfectly. 

“We spoke of a controversial gene-editing experiment that was carried out on twins in China to make them HIV resistant. I had previously read about this case so I loved hearing the opinions of my peers and their thoughts on the new CRISPR technology.”

Medicine Academic Insights Participant

 “Our tutor, Chelsea, has introduced me to the concept of free-writing, which is a prewriting technique practised in both academic environments and creative writing workshops. The process involves writing continuously for a set period of time with no concern for conventions or mechanics, sometimes working from a specific prompt provided by a teacher. This technique has really helped me to switch my thinking brain off and just write – I will definitely be using this technique more in the future!”

Creative Writing Academic Insights Participant, Oxford

Academic highlights included medicine students learning about the mammalian circulatory system with hands-on practicals including dissection, as well as the creative writing students being challenged by norse mythological creatures and expanding their understanding of the history of creative writing through ancient viking texts.
After sessions, activities were planned and students’ highlights included a Murder Mystery Night, where newfound friends and mentors appeared dressed in victorian clothing to amplify the storyline – Students set out to uncover the truth of the mysterious death within the college, working together to uncover evidence and searching for clues within the surroundings of the college.

With a jam-packed activity timetable, you would believe it would be difficult to find a moment to explore the beautiful city of Oxford, but the Immerse team have carefully curated each day to showcase the best of the programme and the city. Amongst guided tours of the cities historical spots, and workshops and events within famous Oxford Museums, students also had the opportunity to explore with their new friends. 

“This summer is the perfect balance for an amazing experience because there are scheduled activities that allow time for fun, learning and socialising, such as academic sessions, workshops and games. We also have the independence to discover the college surroundings and the city by ourselves.
I cannot quite describe the feeling of being here. Every day is a mix of excitement and intellectual curiosity, students who immerse themselves in this will only leave this program improved and inspired.”

Immerse Participant

The programmes at Oxford also included a full-day excursion to Cambridge and London, as well as visiting speakers from all over the world, including Simon Parker, travel writer, news columnist and broadcaster. He talked about his inspirational 3000-mile bike journey around the coastline of Great Britain. Participants found it riveting to hear his story of how he used cycling to help him overcome the struggles of the pandemic and hear the tales of the people he met along the way.

All the while, over in the glorious city of Cambridge, students were experiencing academic excellence of their own. ​​It was difficult to find any student who wasn’t grinning from ear to ear as they began to explore their colleges in Cambridge, and started to settle into their home for two weeks.

Participants explored using insights into their college surroundings by their Oxbridge mentors, many of whom live and study at the University. Throughout the two-week programme, participants had opportunities to experience Cambridge’s traditions, as seen in particular with the formal hall dining experience in the evening as all the participants sat down in a neighbouring Cambridge university college grand hall for a brilliant three-course meal. Students also got to experience punting along the river Cam – taking in the scenery from the water. 

Academic studies were stimulating for participants, with subjects being explored from lab visits for Medicine, to building robots in Engineering to writing their very own play in Creative Writing, each subject pushed students to be as creative and engaged as possible within the space of two-weeks. 

The Cambridge participants spent a day exploring Oxford and London at the weekend, enjoying the experience of a formal lunch at Oxford and a visit to the London Eye and seeing famous buildings within the capital city.

Between the academic sessions and excursions, Cambridge participants experienced the Best of British Sports with a team sporting event hosted by Immerse Education. One participant, Viktorya, commented “I love that there is a lot of team-building and team spirit in mentor family competitions!” 

On the sports day,  each ‘mentor family’ team donned tribal face paint and pushed in pursuit of that gold medal. The exciting mixture of sack races, egg-and-spoon races, three-legged races, and tug of war had all the teams working closely, battling for the win. The warmest day of the year ended in a fantastic water fight, with participants and mentors cooling down in style.

London – Career Insights

Alongside Academic Insights in Oxford and Cambridge, our New Career Insights programme kicked off with students welcomed to University College London (UCL) to explore their chosen career choices through a combination of academic sessions, industry workshops and excursions. 

Business Management

The Business Management participants got the opportunity to visit the Museum of Brands – an exploration of branding and its importance within a business. The students were engaged and enjoyed the product and packaging development workshops at the museum, where they had to pitch their innovative sustainability packaging ideas. The visit fitted very well with the material that was discussed in the morning academic session.

The business management students also got the opportunity to attend a workshop at Thorpe Park Resort, exploring how the park operates as such a successful and exciting business. The workshop creators demonstrated how creative marketing, efficient environmental management and evolving customer service are all required to achieve a successful, thriving business.

Medicine

The Medicine students had the opportunity to meet Make A Medic founder Dr. Lasith Ranasinghe, who explored the career of medicine through creative and interactive workshops. Make A Medic use their resources to strengthen participants’ knowledge base and build their confidence, developing their understanding of what it takes to be in the medical industry. 

Participants had the opportunity to insert cannulas and perform other hands-on medical procedures using high quality practice resources within the classroom.

Medicine students also visited the Science Museum to explore the exhibition ‘Cancer Revolution: Science, Innovation And Hope‘, the world’s first exhibition of its kind, explores the past, present and future of how cancer is prevented, detected and treated. With over 100 objects and numerous personal accounts, this exhibition brought to life stories of people who have been affected by cancer, alongside those who study and treat it. Participants gained an insight into the career of cancer research within the field of medicine, revealing how researchers, clinicians, policymakers and patients are fuelling progress within the field of medicine.

Law

The Law participants have had an insightful exploration of different areas of the field, with a tour around the Supreme Court. An experienced guide showed the students around the beautiful courtrooms, and gave an insight into the workings of the Supreme Court, the background to its creation and some of the famous cases that have been heard in this fantastic building. This court hears appeals on points of law of the greatest public importance for the whole of the United Kingdom.

Participants also had the opportunity to visit the UK Houses of Parliament, one of the most famous and important buildings in the UK – the space where laws are created and debated. 

Participants could listen to a talk on the creation of the Houses of Parliament and its rich history. They then toured around the House of Commons and House of Lords debating chambers, as well as having access to the public galleries to watch MPs and peers at work, debating UK Law.

Engineering

The Engineering career Insights participants had the opportunity to practice their skills in an interactive coding workshop, including an engaging educational exploration into the coding and engineering of drones, VR headsets and other state-of-the-art technologies. 

Students had the opportunity to design and code their own machines, enhancing their understanding of coding and its applications across multiple disciplines. 

As such an ever-important aspect of engineering, coding and VR technologies played a big part in the exploration of different engineering career opportunities.

Engineering students also had the experience of exploring the London underground in a ‘Secrets of the Underground’ tour. From its creation to the present day, London Underground’s 150-year history has been an eventful one. Constructed by Sir Marc Brunel and his son Isambard, the first Thames Tunnel opened in the 1800s, shortly followed by the first official London Underground passage. Students discovered the labyrinth of tunnels and passageways once used by the public, and explored a gallery of vintage advertisements, concealed for over 50 years. The young Engineers were given an insight into the operation of constructing the underground tunnels, as well as an exploration of the engineering methodologies that makes the underground what it is today. 

Surrounding these exciting career focused excursions and workshops, participants had the fantastic opportunity to explore London, spending the day out on the London Eye and discovering the shopping and cultural districts of the capital city with their new friends from across the globe. 

What’s Next?

Whilst the Summer continues to be a fantastic success, the Immerse Education team won’t be stopping there! New for January 2023 is the fantastic opportunity for participants to study the Oxbridge academic programme that we know and love from Academic Insights in Australia! 

For two weeks, participants will be immersed into the life of an Oxbridge student whilst experiencing an incredible social and cultural programme in Sydney, Australia. 

If you would like the chance to be granted a scholarship for the Australia programme, or any other Immerse Education programme, enter our Immerse Education Essay Competition!

Each and every year, we give away 10 100% fully funded scholarship to participants who complete the essay competition and showcase their passion for their chosen subject.

Click here to find out how to enter.