Life at Bellerbys College

Visit to UniFIS 2011

Posted by Autumn at Bellerbys Oxford

It has been a long time since I last posted. Exams are coming and everyone is simply freaking out. But it did not stop us from enjoying ourselves and having an extremely good time at the very informative UniFIS 2011, University Fair for International Students, where we were given the chance to 'meet some of the UK's most prestigious and popular universities'. (direct quote from UniFIS website!).

It was raining when we assembled at the rail station on Saturday, 07 May, 2011, to set out for London. The sky was gloomy and the rain was not helping at all, but we were still able to kid around, excited about the trip. The coach arrived at 9am, and off we went; our destination was Covent Garden, London.

The uneventful trip took around an hour and a half or so, and I spent most of the time chatting with my classmate about everything we could come up with. It was great to have a break after all those painstaking review sessions.

If the weather hugely disappointed us, the fair compensated for it...and more. The fair was held at The (super-cool) Grand Connaught Rooms. We were greeted warmly at the reception, where we all registered and waited for the opening time.

At 12pm, the fair officially started. We quickly divided ourselves into small groups of 2-3, and started wandering around.

As I had actually highlighted some of the universities that I want to apply for beforehand (surprisingly), I did not feel particularly lost and overwhelmed by so many university stalls there.

I headed for Durham University, which was on the top of my list at that moment. The lovely representative of the school eagerly welcomed me and my friends and we earnestly bombarded her with lots and lots of question, regarding a variety of topics like courses, tuition fees and accommodation to name but a few. The lady answered all our questions with grace, and offered us the prospectus and brochures.

The most popular university seemed to be Oxford University. When we reached the stall of the university, it was crowded. The representative of the university was surrounded by students and parents, who were all so interested in this prestigious university. The questions were mostly about some of the most popular courses offered by Oxford University such as Economics and Management, and Philosophy, Politics and Economics, etc.

The representative, who himself was an Oxford alumni, answered every question in great details, providing us with some insights into how course were taught and by which way the students were expected to study at Oxford University.

At about 3pm, when I had more or less visited all the stalls, we left the fair for lunch and a brief tour around Covent Garden. It was a Saturday afterall, and the place was crowded with shoppers and tourists.

At 4pm, we all gathered at the meeting spot and the coach left the capital for Oxford half an hour later.

The fair was fantastic and so informative. I did manage to collect quite many prospectuses and brochures, and a lot of valuable information. Now it's time that I worked hard to get the best grades possible and to apply for my dream university.

Posted by Autumn, studying A Levels at Bellerbys Oxford 

Riding into the Waves of Exam Month

Posted by Jamie @ Bellerbys Brighton

Well, it's safe to say that I'm definitely not going to be an Ivy League girl. I got my rejection letter at pumpkin o'clock and felt quite upset at first, but decided that it's probably for the best. I'm not so sure I can keep up with the fast pace of Harvard life, anyway.

Nevertheless, I'm really happy to say that I'm heading to sunny-side California! Funnily enough, I didn't get chosen for character animation - the course I had applied for initially. This September, I'm going to study Experimental Animation, which actually sounds way cooler, come to think of it! Many have asked what experimental animation is. To sum it up, it's Pixar meets Tim Burton meets Damien Hirst.

Something like that.

Anyhow, the point of this post was to update you guys on my current status - busy.

I finished my Photography Unit 4 exam last weekend and I'm just about to hit the most hectic two weeks of my life. I've got my Art Unit 2 eight hour exam next weekend and a 12 hour Unit 4 exam the weekend after.

People tend to think that Art is easy, but it really isn't. Studying written subjects is basically reading other people's words over and over again, but Art is more than that. It's like a continuous seething wound of creations you have to squeeze out all by yourself.

 

Here's a peek at one of my final photos:-------->

On top of that, we're in the midst of preparing for the biggest social event of the year, the May Ball. (Or June ball, if you must). It seems like it's going to be a "capital time" as they used to say in the '50s.

I'll keep you posted.

-J

Jamie is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton 

Paris, The City of Lights and Love - Previous Term Recap (Part 1)

Posted by Belinda @ Bellerbys Brighton      

                            

It’s already my last term in Bellerbys and in around 6 more weeks' time, everything will come to an end.

It seems like it was just yesterday when I first entered Bellerbys in September 2009.

Well, I guess time really flies. 

The previous term was yet as hectic as this term.

But still, I managed to catch my breath by making it a point to go on an escapade, relieving myself from all academic related stress.

I feel that having a work-life balance is essential, as obviously, we do not want to over-work ourselves.

And hence, I believe that as much as there is always time to work hard, there is equally as much time to play hard too. 

So during the end of February mid-term break, I went to France to visit Paris and Versailles. It was rather a romantic experience, especially for the fact that Paris is well known for being The City of Lights and Love.  Of course, I did not go with my lover. Instead, I went with a friend from Bellerbys, Jocelyn, who is coincidentally my secondary schoolmate too. I remember ourselves being so ecstatic when we reached Paris. We have heard so much about it and had high expectations…

We visited a few of the top attractions in Paris, namely the Notre Dam Cathedral, River Seine, the Louvre Museum, Ladurée and of course, not to forget, the most popular attraction of all, the Eiffel Tower!

   
Notre Dam Cathedral and River Seine

 

    

The Louvre Museum where the world famous Mona Lisa painting by Leonardo da Vinci is hung. 

 

 

   

Ladurée which is known as the inventor of macarons and one of the top macaron makers in the world.

 

 

 

And of course, the Eiffel Tower!

 

Apart from Paris, we also visited Versailles which was nearby Paris.

 

Versailles Sunday Market

 

   

 

We also went to the Versailles Garden where the scenery was so breathtaking.

 

   

The place was really huge and thankfully, the Sun was out and the weather was simply perfect.

As we strolled down the garden and admired the scenery, we made a promise to come back to France and visit Paris together again in the future.

And this time, with our spouses... =))

      

Jocelyn!

 

Belinda is studying A Levels at Bellerbys Brighton

Кембридж! :X

Posted by Tien, from Vietnam, studying @ Bellerbys Cambridge who has blogged for us in Russian!

С утра, за исключением выходных привычно прихожу я в школу! Друзей встречаю, милых и родных… здесь светил мир, как в первый день творенья… пролеты коридоров, залы, классы… здесь все подвластно только вдохновению, разумно, мудро, чисто и прекрасно!  - эти мысли приходят ко мне в голову, когда я думаю о своей школе здесь, в Англии.

Я много раз писала про свою жизнь в Кембридже, про школу, про друзей, про учителей…, но еще ни разу не писала по-русски!

Я приехала в Беллербис колледж в сентябре и вот уже живу здесь почти год. Я сама из Вьетнама, просто выросла в России, точнее в Санкт-Петербурге.

Я всегда говорю, что время не просто бежит, оно просто летит очень быстро! Мне казалось, что впереди целый учебный год, новая страна, новая культуру и конечно же новый люди. Но удивительно, я не почувствовала какого-то шока… Англия конечно же не Россия, но все равно, есть что-то схожее. Я сразу же познакомилась со многими ребятами и вскоре мы уже все сдружились! Хорошо, когда встречаются добрые и отзывчивые люди!!!

Если говорить о Кембридже, то наверное всем сразу придет в голову Кембриджский университет, красивый замки. Нет сомнений, что Кембридж – это очень красивый, не большой интернациональный город. Мне очень нравится Кембридж, так как здесь очень спокойно. В центре города всегда кипит жизнь, как и во многих больших городах. Много магазинов, большая библиотека, рестораны, кафе, кинотеатры, клубы, бары… но с другой стороны, в Кембридже очень спокойно, нет суеты, это все-таки город студентов, кругом маленькие и очень уютные дома.

A eсли говорить о школе, я бы сказала, что меня все устраивает. У нас хорошие учителя. В классе примерное 7-10 человек, поэтому учителя могут уделять внимание каждому ученику. Это очень помогает, особенно когда мы в чужой стране и когда все предметы на английском! Я сразу же почувствовала поддержку со стороны учителей и мне это очень помогает!

Еще я бы сказала, что моя школа именно в Кембридже – это самая лучшая, так как у нас очень много кружков, это спорт, иностранные языки, йога … кружки на любой вкус! Каждый ученик может создать свой кружок, если он этого хочет. Мы не только получаем знания, но и развиваемся!

Мне  очень нравится здесь, потому что здесь я учусь, получаю знания, здесь встретила замечательных друзей! :)

Tien is studying A Levels at Bellerbys Cambridge