Life at Bellerbys College

Applying to Oxford & Cambridge Uni!

Posted by @ Bellerbys Brighton

Hey guys!

September is finally over, and all Oxbridge applicants including me are really stressed out, which is obvious - we have to submit our UCAS applications by 15 October. So it’s basically only 2 weeks left! The time is running incredibly fast. And it’s so difficult to cope with the nerves, as nobody is actually happy with their personal statements. Neither am I - every evening I either add or delete something. So far I have all my desktop full of different drafts and it’s so hard to make the final decision! That’s why although I am really scared of the day when I have to submit UCAS application, it seems to me now as a moment of a relief.

A2 is in a way more difficult than AS as the homework is much more difficult and requires excellent analytical skills in order to get 80% or higher but at least now I know my teachers’ demands and therefore up to now I have all As in the register. Hopefully it will remain the same*)).

And of course A2 is more interesting: in German and French classes I study some current affairs and problems of these countries; in History class it’s finally Britain!! And moreover it’s modern Britain, so it’s very exciting to get to know the country where I live now more profoundly.

In English Literature it is modern poems, which I personally find quite complicated in terms of finding the actual meaning of the poem as unlike AS the task is not just to describe mood, tone, patterns of sound etc, but also to be able to read poem properly in order to describe what idea an author wanted to convey. However we practice every week so I am positive that by the time of the exam I will improve my understanding of them.

And of course there is Shakespeare! Everyone in our class enjoys “Othello”, which we need to use in our coursework. I am so nervous about it, as I don’t really like the topics of it. The main theme is Shakespearean women, therefore it is more or less connected to feminism. No offends to feminists, but I personally dislike their quotes something like “Shakespeare is a patriarchal bard”, as I think that he’s a genius and all his works are masterpieces. As for Maths it is Statistics now, which is indeed very interesting especially with Dr Cheng. So I can’t complain that my subjects are boring.

I wish the best of luck for all students applying to universities for 2012 entry! Keep going, half term break is not far!

Asel is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton

Helping to Welcome to New Students to Bellerbys Brighton!

Posted by Asel @ Bellerbys Brighton

Hello!

Congratulations to the new A2 students! You’re the best! And welcome newcomers, I am sure you are going to love your time here in Bellerbys! So, the welcome tea parties are over, and it’s time to study now.

As for the tea parties, I have found them pretty good. After the first meeting of the Student Council, where Mr Corcut and Mr Addison explained us our role at these events, I have realised that it is a very responsible task, as of course new students are very shy at the beginning and tend not to ask any questions. So we had to be as friendly and social as possible, so that they would soon realise that there is a very warm atmosphere and that they would soon become part of our big Bellerbys family. Moreover I really wanted to help the freshers as I remember myself last year, when I had so many questions and did not know who to ask.

The parties took place in the college library under the control of Mrs Chris. So firstly our task was to ask the new students whether they wanted some tea or coffee. Although shy in the beginning almost all of them felt much more confident and content by the end. This could be easily felt - it became so hot in the library!

One boy from Nigeria managed to make friends with everyone! This fact amazed Mrs Chris and therefore he became our example for imitation. After the event Fabrizio and I conducted a tour around Brighton for some new students, where we showed them some basic places: Sainsbury’s, London Road, St Bartholomew’s church, the Lanes, North Road with all the main banks, Churchill Square, Waterstone’s etc.

On the second tea party I felt myself much more confident as I already had some experience and knew what to do. And if on the first tea party there were mainly students from China, on the second one there were mainly Russians. And basically everything was the same. Some of the students had no idea what they want to do in the future, others already aimed to study in the top UK universities.

Unfortunately I was very busy to make some photographs, so that’s all!

Good luck with your studies!

Asel is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton

Learning French in Nice

Posted by Asel @ Bellerbys Brighton

Hello everyone!

Now I’ll tell you about my trip to Nice which lasted for 3 weeks. It wasn’t just a holiday, as I was improving my French. That is why I had classes every day except for the weekends. Although it was quite exhausting, I am very happy, as the result turned out to be great. The proof for it was the last Harry Potter movie, which I watched in French, and where I understood everything!

In Nice I lived in a host family. Although I wasn’t sure in the beginning whether it was a good thing to do, I am very happy now, as the family was so nice and helpful, and we became very good friends! Another great thing about the accommodation was the location. It was just 7 minutes from the school and only 5 minutes from the main street.

The weather in Nice was very hot. Luckily there is Mediterranean sea and the water in July is quite pleasant. One of the main tourist streets in Nice is along the sea shore and is called Promenade des Anglais. A strange name for a street in France, isn’t it? Later I found an explanation: it was the Englishmen who built the Promenade, as that time Nice was very poor. The architecture of the main square in Nice, Place Massena, is influenced by the Italian Renaissance, so basically Nice appears to be a multi cultural place.

The food in Nice is different from that in the rest of France. The special dish is quiche lorraine, which is something like pizza, but in my opinion much better. And of course there was a great variety of sea food: fish of all kinds, oysters, crab, lobsters, mussels etc. And everything was fresh!

As for museums, the one that I liked the most is Fragonard Museum, with a wide range of paintings of this genuine Rococo master.

All in all, this trip was a great time!

Asel is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton 

Summer Break Trip to Serris & Disneyland Paris

Posted by Asel @ Bellerbys Brighton 

Hi there!

The holidays continue, and now I’ll tell you about my trip to France. I stayed in Serris, which is just some 30 km from Paris. This place is famous for its La Valé Village, a huge outlet, very similar to Bicester Village near Oxford. Also it is just one station from the famous Disneyland so it’s easy to guess what I visited))

To tell the truth, the weather for a place which is not located by the sea was awful. It was so hot, unbelievable! About 37 degrees above 0! So you can imagine how difficult it was not just to stay outside, but also to do shopping. Nevertheless I am very pleased with the result, as the prices there are much lower than those in Russia, and the tax free makes it even cheaper. Moreover there was a perfect opportunity to try traditional French cuisine, like fois gras, escargots and of course a great variety of cheeses. And if sometimes you are too tired to eat outside, luckily there is Auchan, where you can buy everything you need.

As for the Disneyland Paris, it was my first time there, and it was stunning! The whole town of beautiful fairy tale buildings, shops full of sweets of all kinds and some crazy attractions! I’ve spent the whole day there and it was probably the best day of my trip. I’ve visited the Horror House with the greatest supernatural decorations, where the skeletons and ghosts were dancing around me. But what I wanted most of all was to try the Big Thunder Mountain attraction. Although the queue for it was huge, I just couldn’t miss it. Therefore I had to spend about 3 hours waiting for a 10 minute ride, but it was worth it!!!

So, I advise everyone who hasn’t been in the Disneyland before to visit it! Enjoy your holidays, guys!!

Asel is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton 

End of Term Trip To Riga, Latvia

Posted by Asel @ Bellerbys Brighton

Hello everyone!

Since I’ve been offered an opportunity to become an official blogger for Bellerbys Brighton, you’re going to hear from me more often!

So, the exams are over (thanks God!) and it’s time to relax. However, I proved to be a masochistic person since I’ve chosen to study almost the whole summer! But now, before the language school in France, my mother and I decided to spend some time doing what all girls love and all boys hate to do - shopping!

My vacation started in Riga, Latvia. I’ve been there only one day though, but I fell in love with that city. Everything was exactly like it was in my dreams. Nobody in the streets! Perhaps it was because we arrived there during the national holiday - Ivan Kupala (I hope the spelling is correct), that lasts more than Christmas and the New Year holidays - 4 days!

The hotel was great in terms of location, and the rooms for that price were excellent - it was 3 times larger than a room in the college residence. The hotel was situated straight in the centre of the ancient and, in my opinion, most beautiful part of Riga. Therefore in the morning we decided to take a tour along the streets and local shops. Most of them offer a great variety of amber accessories, such as different earrings, beautiful bracelets, huge necklaces and sophisticated pendants. However I’ve bought myself pearl earrings! A very strange choice...

As for food, there are lots of lovely restaurants with Latvian cuisine, which is very similar to that of Germany. In the first restaurant my mother and I took one dish for both of us, as it was huge! That was the most delicious Schweinehaxe I’ve ever eaten. It was served with Sauer Kraut - absolutely German!

Another restaurant that we’ve been to is “Ribs & Rock”, that offers its customers a great variety of ribs. After we finished eating there was still a huge part of ribs left. It’s hard to imagine how difficult it was to leave it on the plate, as we were absolutely full and most importantly had a plane to catch.

And that’s it, my short trip to Riga is over, and now i’m going to Serris, which is some 30 km away from Paris. But I’m sure, one day I will definitely come back to Riga for more than one day to explore it more profoundly! Have a nice holiday!

Asel is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton 

Sixth Form Cambridge Law Conference Trip

Posted by Asel @ Bellerbys Brighton

At the end of last term I attended the Sixth Form Cambridge Law Conference and now I’d like to share my impressions with you.

The whole thing was amazing!  It was an unforgettable experience.  During the Conference which lasted four days I was living in Pembroke College which is located in the very heart of Cambridge. So it presented no difficulty to get to any place where the actual conference took place.  Accommodation was very comfortable: the room was quite big, the window was on the sunny side.  The only minor inconvenience was the fact that the toilet and the shower were downstairs.

The meals were absolutely the same as they are in Bellerbys.  However the canteen was different.  If you’ve watched Harry Potter movie you would be able to imagine what it was like: four long tables for students and one standing perpendicularly to others - for Fellows and Lecturers of Pembroke College.  This hall is performed in Gothic style with typical high ceiling. Along the walls there are different portraits of College’s patrons. So it was a fascinating place to eat!))

The Conference was made by the committee which consisted of current Cambridge Law students whom I would like to thank for such splendid work and for being so fun and easy to work with!  The programme of the Conference was very intense, as we had to be introduced in every piece of Law.  So I had to wake up at 8 am and could go to bed only at 11 pm!

We went to the Law Faculty where all lectures took place we were introduced to Law as the whole academic subject, and afterwards had lectures about European Union Law, Intellectual Property Law, Sentencing and Penal System, Legal Problems, Land Law, Roman Law and International Law.

After a short break we were divided into small groups and taken to different workshops. I was in Linklaters workshop. Linklaters is a British solicitor’s Law firm on an international scale which specialises on Commercial Law. In this workshop I was given various valuable advice on how to perform successfully during the interview in a law firm by Linklaters’ representative.

After dinner there was a Debate at Cambridge Union - a special building for debating. The motion was: “This house believes that we are too harsh on criminals”. I have never seen such a perfect debate in my life: for the proposition were Professor John Spencer, who is also a co-director of the Cambridge Centre for European Legal studies and a President of the European Criminal Law Association, and a current Law student at Cambridge; for opposition were an MP and Paul Stanley, a barrister and a former student of Cambridge University. The debate was very heated and sharp, and in the end the opposition was proclaimed a winner.

The next day we had lectures in Constitutional Law, Contract Law, Tort Law, Criminal Law and Family. Afterwards two former Cambridge students gave talks about the job of a solicitor and a barrister. Then another person, who had attended the Conference many years ago but later went to Oxford University gave a talk about an alternative perspective for Law students - to become a teacher. I personally became very interested in working at Bar.

That day’s workshop was negotiation skills, where we were divided into teams and tried to negotiate and make a beneficial for us deal. The night’s activity was different from the previous one: instead of a serious event we had an extremely funny Mock Trial!

And finally, on the last of the Conference before departure we had two lectures.  First, with the Lecturers about applying to Cambridge, and second, with the members of the committee, about life in Cambridge.

All in all, the Conference was one of the most enjoyable event in my life in England!  And now all I have to do is to work hard to go there next time as a University’s student!

Asel is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton

Hi, It's Me, Asel!

Posted by Asel @ Bellerbys Brighton

Hello everyone!

I am delighted to become a new blogger for Bellerbys College Brighton! My name is Asel Mansurova and I come from Moscow, Russia. I am intended to study Law at the university. My passion for this subject has appeared recently, as when I arrived at Bellerbys I wanted to study History of Art. However soon I understood that it wouldn’t help me reveal myself entirely and I decided to change it.

Obviously I must thank Mr Peter Corcut, the Program Manager of A Level Department, who supported this idea and made it possible despite the fact that half of the term had already passed. So now I study Pure Maths, English Literature, History, German, French and once a week Philosophy.

As for extra curriculum activities, Bellerbys has plenty to offer. One of the most exciting things is Debating Society with Mr Lucas and Mr Gray, where they teach us to state our opinions about some important topics of the day, as absolute freedom of speech, age of majority, legalisation of cannabis and torture. There are always 2 proposers, 2 opponents and a chairman. My team has won the debate twice!

Another wonderful thing was Public Speaking Competition that was held in Hilton Metropole hotel. Our team consisted of three people: Tigran, the chairman; Rauan, the speaker; and me, the proposer of vote of thanks. This was unforgettable!

Obviously the discussed topic caused a resonance among the audience, as Rauan gave talk on "Why Borat Make Benefit for People of Glorious Republic of Kazakhstan". Most of the people have watched this film and they understand that it was very provocative, sometimes offensive and apparently extremely vulgar. However, the point was that, on the contrary, the Kazakhstan tourist industry has benefitted enormously after the 'Borat' film was introduced.

Though we didn’t take the first prize, we managed to perform better than some other English teams and moreover I have won the cup for the best vote of thanks! This was my first great achievement at Bellerbys, and hopefully not the last:) Nevertheless it is not entirely my achievement. I am very much obliged to Mr Lucas and Mr Gray for given opportunity to participate in this competition, their help and support throughout the whole stage of training. Not less I am grateful to Mr Russ, the Ielts preparation teacher, whose effort and excellent support helped me improve my knowledge of English and gain the victory over the native speakers.

Having said that, it is not my only achievement at Bellerbys. I have always wanted to take part in the Senior Maths Challenge, as in my opinion I’m rather good at Maths. However I couldn’t even imagine the shock that I felt when I saw the test papers. Moreover it was impossible simply to guess the correct answer, as for every incorrect one you lose marks. That’s why I had to toil a lot over it. Surprisingly, when the results were announced I found my name amongst 16 Bronze winners. It was so stunning, that at first I couldn’t believe my eyes!

Oxbridge meetings with Mr Corcut are essential for those who are thinking of applying to Top English Universities. There we give talks on topics related to our subjects. It is very difficult to prepare, as your talk should be illuminating, interesting to others and reflect your own position. As for me, unfortunately I can’t say that I am absolutely satisfied with the way I perform due to the lack of self-confidence when I speak in front of Mr Corcut, whose appreciation is very difficult to receive.

After every talk he sets some questions to the speaker. The difficulty lies in the fact that there is no definite answer to them. For example, “What is justice?” This question apparently placed me in a deadlock. But this is exactly what may happen at the interview, so it’s better to become a skilled hand at it. And I’m sure that these meetings will be very helpful, as well as a short course of Philosophy with Mr Stillwell.

Having already spent a lot of time here, I have understood how strongly Bellerbys appeals to me. I like every day spent here, as there is always something interesting!

Asel is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton

Meet Asel, A New Blogger for Bellerbys Brighton

We are very pleased to introduce a new student blogger for Bellerbys College Brighton.

Welcome Asel Mansurova from Moscow, Russia. 

Asel will be 17 this month and is in her first year studying A Levels at Bellerbys Brighton. She hopes to study Law at university and has her sights set on a place at Cambridge University.

Outside of the classroom Asel enjoys playing lawn tennis, snowboarding, reading, singing, debating and philosophy.

Visit the blog again soon to read her first post about her very busy life studying A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton.