Posted by Autumn @ Bellerbys Oxford
Welcome again to Autumn's extremely short introduction. Our destination this time is University College London, University of London.
UCL is a world-leading university. Its worldwide reputation cannot be denied, and is a "true academic powerhouse". (UCL website). As many of our students here have expressed their ambition of applying to UCL, Bellerbys College Oxford has organised a school trip for AS level students to visit UCL on 9th March, 2011.
The only drawback of the trip is that it started too early. All of us had to arrive at the rail station, where the coach was waiting before 7am. Complaints, of course, were made. However as we all understand the importance of a university trip, which would eventually aid us in deciding to which universities to apply, all of us were there on time. And we set off uneventfully.
The trip from Oxford to London took a little bit more than an hour and a half. At around 9h30am, we arrived at UCL, on a perfectly sunny day in London.
Situated at the very centre of London, UCL has a very convenient location. Bus stops, Tube station and Rail station are all located around the area, allow the students to commute there easily. As we were early, we were invited to visit the cafeteria to have some refreshments and coffee before the tour officially started.
UCL buildings are different the colleges here in Oxford. They have different architecture, and are centred on one street. The buildings were quite empty when we came in, given that it was still not time for school. We rested for a bit in the cafeteria, enjoying coffee and (in some cases) having breakfast. At 10am, we moved to our main avenue.
Like any standard university trip, ours began with a informative and educational presentation. We were provided with an overview of UCL: how the school was founded in 1826, how it earned its now-too-well-known name, and why UCL is one of the best university and research institution in the world. We were also informed about the requirements of UCL, and about some of the changes in tuition fees and modern languages requirements for 2012 entry.
After the 45-minute presentations, we were introduced with UCL ambassadors, a group of current UCL students (mainly Law and Politics and Medicine students, I noticed) who had volunteered to guide us around UCL and answer our enquiries. Due to my interest in Politics, I and my Politics classmates grabbed Aisha, a pretty Politics and Eastern European Studies third-year student. (It's a pity that my clumsiness prevented me from taking a photo of Aisha).
Aisha guided us around the campus. We visited the Main Library and UCL Union Building, as well as the accommodation for students (well, we weren't allowed inside the building, though). Aisha also introduced us Jeremy Bentham, whose embalmed body is kept on public display at the end of the South Cloisters in the main building of the college. (Fun Fact: for the 100th and 150th anniversaries of the college,he was brought to the meeting of the College Council, where he was listed as "present but not voting" ~wikipedia.com)
While making our way around the university, Aisha explained her undergraduate course and highlighted the key factors of the course and what to expect. She also enthusiastically gave us some advice on student academic and social life in university. What a kind and energetic young woman!
At the end of our tour, after receiving the UCL undergraduate prospectus for 2012 entry, we said goodbye to UCL and hurried back to the coach in order to make it in time for the afternoon lesson.
Posted by Autumn, studying A Levels at Bellerbys Oxford
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