Life at Bellerbys College

Exams and Christmas in Oxford!

Posted by Bushra

Asalam-o-alikum and sorry fellows.....,but what to do, friends???  I was so happy and excited that I literally forgot to share my emotions with my buddies out there, that how I felt to be done with my first term exam on the 5th of December 2009..... How I felt, knowing that ahead, no studies for a month, can u imagine ???   A month absolutely without academic pressures and constraints....... Knowing that the term break was to be full of outstanding events such as; Christmas Day, Boxing Day, New Year.... and I will be able to enjoy and celebrate all of them not only with myself but also with my family members, who enhanced my celebrations a thousand times by coming to UK from Pakistan, and to let you know, just for me!

Hey, don't get me wrong fellows when I say, NO MORE STUDIES....... It happens that many people take it negatively and create false impressions regarding studies, let me tell you what I meant, "when anything starts, and become consistent for a sufficient amount of time, is challenging, there are three groups of people connected to this statement.  Firstly, those who do not even dare to accept the challenge keeping in mind the fear of defeat, secondly, those who convince their hearts to accept, but lose, comparetively better, and finally those who bravely and confidently accept, keep working for it, never give up and ultimately win it and that's what I did by getting over my term exams successfully.  My heart yelled, YES, I DID IT, I WON, I WON THE CHALLENGE......but this did not happen so easily :P

The clock was ticking at the last minute, it was the Politics exam, I was writing the last word, my mind was full of energies, enjoyment, plans and much more that resulted in a very annoying moment which was the development of friction between my pen and paper to an extent which made me feel that I will never be able to finish it!  But I knew that I had accepted a challenge not to lose, but to win it, so I did it, and went straight up from 1b ( the exam room) where my teacher was.  Unfortunately he was engaged with an other class, even though I could not wait, I put my face against the window to just let him know that I DID IT..... as soon as he looked at the window , he understood and in no time and came out of the class to greet me, WELL DONE BUSHRA........ I cannot explain how satisfying those two words were for me!

Hmmm...... now was the time to plan and sequence what was bubbling into my mind.  First I decided to explore Oxford which I had tried to do since I started my term but due to my schedule, it seemed to be very difficult to spare time for recreation.  But it was highly unfair to explore and view the historic,old, beautiful and architectural buildings, parks, colleges, sites and lots more in only one day, because the very next day I had to go to Luton where my family was gathering and I wanted to see each and every site of Oxford.  So, I postponed this plan until I get the opportunity to view this beautiful and fasinating city.  So, in order not to waste the day I called my friends to celebrate the end of term and we planed to go to a pub named Copper, a small but lovely one.

     
  
It felt great to see so many people with only one feeling at that time, that is, ENJOYMENT.  No matter in what way they do it, some show it in a funny way, others do it soberly, many just do nothing except gossips, chit chats, looking around and observing others, relax as well as rock with the beat of music and I guess me and my friends fall in the third category, because that was the first time I, as a Muslim, stepped into a pub and tell you wha, it was great.  It was a totally new and wonderful experience for me.

The very next morning, as planed, my brother came to take me to Luton.  I was happy and highly excited that I am going to see my family.  It takes around 50 minutes from Oxford to Luton but it felt like the time has stopped.  Those 50 minutes were like never ending, I diverted my attention to the journey which was full of beautiful scenery and finally, there I was, in Luton.

Bushra is studying Law Foundation at Bellerbys Oxford.

Half-Term Break in Paris

Posted by Maggie

Friday

5AM, London

My friend Elena and I dragged our luggage to the Eurostar departure hall at St. Pancras station with much enthusiasm.  In this wee hour, there were already numerous people at the station, waiting to board the train from London to Paris.  Some were older men and women who looked tired; some were younger children with their parents, running around with excitement; some were students traveling on their own and some were friends, traveling together to the city of love.

The train left the station at 5.25am, right on time.  Elena and I decided to watch "Paris, Je T'aime" but we fell asleep 20 minutes into the movie.  When we woke up to the voice of the captain, speaking both in French and English, we found ourselves staring at the fields of Paris.  As the train came to a halt at Gare du Nord, we jumped up and out onto the platform.  We couldn't believe we were in Paris!

 

8.30AM, Paris

It was a rather gloomy morning but that did not dampen our mood.  We grabbed a cab and went to check in at our hotel, Novotel in Gare du Lyon.  But our room wasn't ready yet so we left our luggage at the hotel and took the metro to Rivoli to visit the Louvre.

Before we went in, we ate some baguette and drank some cafe au lait at Cafe Marly - a cafe situated in front of the Louvre.  We laughed at the synonym between French pigeons and French men (how they're both extremely gorgeous and greedy) while enjoyed the great sight of the Louvre.  After visiting the Louvre, which house many great art pieces and crafts including Mona Lisa, we went back to the hotel to take a shower.  By the way, it was free admission for us because we're students!  How awesome is that?

4PM, Paris

I took an hour long nap before we went out again.  We were starving again so I brought Elena to my favorite restaurant in the world - Allard.  It is a French-cuisine restaurant located close to St. Michel metro station where the entrance is situated right in front of the kitchen.  Its cosy and homely feel appeals to most visitors and don't even get me started on the food.

First, we ordered escargots (snails) with garlic sauce. Then we had some duck foie gras with bread.  For our main course, we shared the boeuf au carrotes - beef with carrots stew.  We gobbled up everything and washed everything down with a very fine bottle of wine.  To top it off, we nibbled on some tarte tatin - apple puree tart.

We left Allard with much satisfaction and proceeded to walk to Champs Elysee - the main street in Paris with branded stores, bars and restaurants.  It's close to the Arc du Triomphe where Napoleon marched his victorious soldiers.

On our way there, we sang and danced on Pont Neuf, the oldest bridge in Paris and met lots of people on the street.  We were invited to a million parties but an hour later, we found ourselves listening to a Mediterranean band on a bridge.  Many teenagers and youngsters lounged about on the bridge with their guitars and beer.

It's a lovely atmosphere.  Some guys started asking us to dance with them so we just let go of our inhibitions and started dancing!  We had an amazing time, with this awesome buzz in our heads even after we left the bridge and continued to trek to Champs Elysee

One thing that I absolutely adore is the fact that Sephora is open till 1am.  We did some late night cosmetics/skin care shopping and then went to Monte Cristo Cafe for some late night tea and shisha.  This is when something totally crazy happened: I met a friend from Harvard Summer School just randomly on the street!  I mean, what are the chances?!  We talked to each other for a while and he was on his way to meet his friends, so we parted ways.  It was a shock.  A good shock.  On this fall night in Paris, my memories of Harvard Summer School resurfaced and took hold of me.  I miss that place.

 

Saturday

11AM, Paris

We woke up, fresh-faced and ready for another day of adventure.  After grabbing a quick lunch at a cafe outside of our hotel slash the Gare du Lyon train station called Les Deux Savoiles, (mouth-watering club sandwiches!) I wanted to show Elena my favorite hang out spot in Paris - St Germain des Pres.  There were American performers on the street right outside of the metro and we chilled there for a bit before heading to the Catacombs to meet some of my friends.  It's Halloween!

When we arrived at the metro close to the Catacombs, my Parisian friends told me that it was closed due to vandalism!  So instead, we went shopping around Centre Pompidou.  We made some trips to the tabaq.  They are shops that sell cigarettes, lottery tickets and beer.  We wanted to track down some vanilla-flavoured pink cigarettes that you can only get in Paris.

5PM, Paris

It was time to replenish our systems.  Everybody chipped in 5 Euros and we bought buckets and buckets of KFC fried chicken! (The irony)  We brought those chickens back to one of my friends' flat in the 16th arrondissement and stayed there for a couple of hours.  Elena and I decided to return to our hotel so we bid our goodbyes and thanks and left.

By the time we reached our hotel, Elena was tired and told me she wanted to sleep but I still had an enormous amount of energy so I went back to Champs Elysee and saw a French movie without any subtitles!  I understood parts of it, like how the dad had an affair with his son's teacher and when they were about to elope, the dad returned to his family.  Hmm. Interesting.  I wonder what's the moral lesson behind the story.

     

Still feeling restless, I wandered the streets of Paris, spotting 10 million different kinds of costumes.  Some people started speaking to me in French, and I actually understood what they were saying thanks to my weekly French lessons taken at Bellerbys!   I communicated with cab drivers, shop keepers, waiters and strangers.  Of course, it's just basic French but at least when the cab driver asked me if it was "froid?" (French for "cold?"), I said "oui, tres froid!" (French for "yes, very cold!")

For some late night snacks on my way back to the hotel, I bought myself some banana and chocolate crepes!  So delicious.  Makes me crave for some now, yum.

Sunday

Noon, Paris

Sitting in the Volkswagen taxi, Elena and I felt unwilling to leave Paris. It's such a beautiful city, filled with lots of beautiful people and things.  But school awaited us on Monday and the most important thing now is to get into good universities.  So we boarded the Eurostar train and we were homebound... 

Lessons learned dans Paris:

1. Do all your errands from Mon-Sat because nothing operates on Sunday.
2. Don't apologize on the metro, it's simply unnecessary.  It's the metro, you're bound to bump into people!
3. Wear flat shoes at all times.
4. Just be yourself, don't take things too seriously and you'll have fun!  The French may be blunt but are actually very nice people.
5. Start all conversations with bonjour/bonsoir.
6. Give money to street performers.
7. Expect people to flirt with you (and enjoy it!) 
8. Expect nothing.

Have an amazing day!

Maggie studies A Levels at Bellerbys College London.

Gigs & Concerts in Londontown

Posted by Maggie

One of the many fabulous reasons for living in London is the fact that there are countless concerts and gigs happening right in the middle of this city every single passing day.

1. Coldplay

Since I'm an Oxfam Outreach volunteer, I managed to score myself a free ticket to Coldplay earlier this term. The concert was held in Wembley Arena and we were in the standing area which was roofless. There were a vast amount of concert-goers, filling in all the seats and ground area. I was squeezed somewhere in the middle of the standing area with my fellow Oxfam volunteers. Chris Martin walked onto the stage, grabbed the microphone and started addressing the audience. Roars of applause went up into the air! I vividly remember when they played "Fix You", it was POURING rain and everybody got wet! Then, Chris said, "Hello, London in the rain!".  I'm not sure what it was, perhaps it was the combination of both the ethereal sound and the spirit of the audience, but I experienced a moment of epiphany standing amongst the crowd that night.  My pores were open and gasping for air.  The music flowed through the crowd and it felt so damn good. 

They played their classic songs like "Yellow", "Sparks" and "Viva La Vida", then some of their new songs. All in all, it was an amazing concert, mostly owing to Chris Martin's charisma on stage and the rain coming down on the perfect time.

Rating: 4/5

2. Beyonce

In June, I went to Beyonce's "I Am..." concert at the O2 with some friends from college.  While waiting for her to go on stage, we bought some beer and waited eagerly.  Suddenly, the lights dimmed and the music started blaring through the speakers and we saw Beyonce stormed onto the stage! 

She looked absolutely stunning that night.  There were at least 10 different costumes that she changed into that night, all designed by Thierry Muggler, a world-renowned designer.  She performed all the older hits that made her Beyonce including "Crazy In Love" and "Naughty Girl".  In addition, her new singles such as "Halo", "If I Were A Boy" and "Single Ladies" were greatly enjoyed by us on that night too.

The stage, the light and sound effects, the hot back-up dancers, her outrageously gorgeous costumes, Beyonce herself, (and maybe the beer) contributed to this unforgettable performance at O2 on that June night.  My friends and I were dancing and shaking our bootays all night.  We had such a blast.  Definitely recommended!  (And I can't believe I saw Beyonce in real life!)

Note: It's quite a feminist show.  She kept saying, "To all my ladies out there..." without acknowledging the male audience!

Rating: 4.5/5

3. Kaiser Chiefs

Hails from Leeds, this British band put on quite a good show at Wembley Arena earlier this year.  To be honest, I wasn't that big of a Kaiser Chiefs fan prior to the gig.  I only went along because I was volunteering for Oxfam and it's free entrance so I thought, why not?  

We sat very close to the stage but next to the blaring speakers.  However, I didn't mind it so much after a while, as I found myself swaying to the beat of their songs and actually liking them a lot!  Their music is super catchy and on my way home, a bunch of teenagers were still singing their songs on the Jubilee line.  Thank God, I got off at Canada Water and not Stratford.

Rating: 3/5

4. Ben Harper & Relentless 7

A relatively small gig held at the Forum, Ben Harper and his gang wowed us all.  I first heard about Ben in Canada and he's huge on the west coast.  His apparent laid-back style (dreadlocks) and pure talent convinced me to attend his concert in London.  My friend and I got tickets to the standing area and we stood quite close to the stage.  I saw him clearly (even though I had to dodge left and right to see him as this very tall man stood in front of me) and his music was absolutely fantastic.  We rocked to tracks that were bluesy, american folksy and just good ol rock!  Ben likes to mix interesting sounds in his music so it's always interesting to listen to his stuff. Not to mention, his lyrics often resemble some sort of pun.  For example, 

"I'm not sure what worries me more.

The fact that I'm talking to a wall

Or that the wall keeps answering me"

All in all, the gig was satisfying and we went home with huge grins on our faces, repeating his songs after songs.

Rating: 3.5/5

5. Nouvelle Vague

A recent gig that I went to was Nouvelle Vague at the Roundhouse in Camden.  It is a French band that plays mostly renditions of older songs with a bossa nova style.  I was lucky to be able to stand right in front of the stage.  I could see everything perfectly.

The band's lead singer, a sassy blond girl, put on a rather crazy (in a good way) show!  She splattered water all over the audience and many people got hit (including me - my hair was wet!)  But the music was wonderful!  We were all singing, screaming, and dancing. 

Melanie Pain opened the show for them and she is in fact, an ex member of Nouvelle Vague.  She has a unique voice and that captivated the audience at the beginning when she had nothing but her voice and a guitar.  Later on in the show, she joined the band and sang with them.

I adored the "Frenchness" of the performance (they spoke French at some point) and the energy they exuded.  I had a good time and would definitely want to see them again in the future.

Rating: 4/5

Lastly, to anyone who's reading this post, may your mind always be open, your heart always be full, and your life always be filled with wonder and adventure.

Love,

Maggie

Wrapping Up September, Welcoming October

Posted by Maggie

As the last trace of summer breeze disappear, autumn wind dawns on us.  School is in session and students are busy assessing questions.  New kids keep showing up everywhere, in French and Spanish lessons after school; debating society; Student's Union meetings and various social activities.  I'm quite impressed with their keen participation in school.  Most of them are exploring London on the weekends and some, even on weekdays!  I can't help but feel a wave of nostalgia cascade over me now...  I still remember my first year here at Bellerbys London.  I was so excited and everything was fresh.  New friends, new environment, new teachers, new culture.  How I long for those days.

But to be honest, I'm much more content with myself this year.  I've found peace in so many aspects of my life.  School life, personal life and even my domestic life (my room).  I actually enjoy studying this year (no joke!) and I have more time put aside to study.

Firstly, I only have three A2 subjects instead of four like last year.  Secondly, I'm not too preoccupied with wanting to visit every single attraction in London which by the way, is one of the best thing about London cause there are just so many amazing places to visit!  I'm so grateful that I live in this magnificent city - a world capital, where diversity prospers.

In regard to my personal life, I'm now enjoying the bliss of having a closely knitted group of friends unlike the beginning of first year, where everyone experimented with different cliques.  Lastly, I live in L block now so my room is bigger!  Which is always a bonus.  I really appreciate the extra legroom while I do my homework.

So what have I done over the past two weeks?  Apart from going to school, I got a hair cut and dyed my hair!  Nothing dramatic though so don't get excited.  My friend and I went to Sanrizz, a famous salon chain in London.  We went to both Grovesnor House and Covent Garden salons cause they didn't have anyone who could do rebonding for my friend - a permanent hair straightening process - at Covent Garden.  So while I waited for five hours for my friend, I went out for a stroll around the Mayfair area.  I think I fell a little bit more in love with London.  The streets are just gorgeous, and the people are so stylish! 

Not to mention, while my friends and I worked out at our gym in Canary Wharf, we noticed Jamie Oliver's new restaurant called Jamie's Italian!  Without a doubt, we went there afterwards to reward ourselves with our hard work at the gym earlier.

We ordered four plates of pasta - two plates of sausage pappardelle (TO DIE FOR!), a plate of Carbonara and a plate of Bolognese.  We also shared a plate of salad with yoghurt.  Then, another friend of mine came and ordered Lamb Lollipops (ANOTHER DISH TO DIE FOR!) which were basically lamb shanks.  The only thing is, the portions of the dishes were slightly smaller than the usual portion we get served here in London.  But considering how affordable it was, (the bill came up to a total of 80 pounds including tax for the four of us) we were willing to overlook that fact.

Anyway, if we're still hungry, we could always order dessert which we did!  We had a tiramisu, a cup of latte, an orange tart and vanilla ice-cream with espresso!  On top of that, we ordered three glasses of bellinis and a glass of cranberry juice!  So I'd say 80 pounds is a pretty good bargain for us students who would like to dine out at a relaxed and hip setting with very yummy food.

Well, it's almost 1 am now.  I should be getting to bed.  Economics class awaits me tomorrow at 9.30 am. Good night!

Love,

Maggie

The New Beginning

Posted by Ksenia

In all those posts that I wrote during the holiday I mentioned lots of great things which made this summer special (I firmly believe that every summer is special in its own way) – trips to Tunisia and Ukraine, searching for a flat in London, friends, family, some free time for my hobbies (finally!) - but one thing was absent from this blog and at the same time always on my mind – the 20th of August, The Day of Release of A-Level Results, The Big Day that was the aim of all the lessons, practicals, homework and tests, revising till complete exhaustion and endless patience of our teachers.

I did not want to talk or think and even would not dear to write about it.  On the 19th one of my friends wrote that whatever will happen the next day we will face it with dignity and regard it as destiny.  There was nothing we could do; and I was absolutely agree with her.

When I saw in my mail box a letter with a title “Congratulations from Imperial College!” the first thing I felt was an enormous relief: I’ve done it, it’s over, I do not have to worry about it any longer.  Then it was a feeling of absolute happiness and I just had to share it with someone – I run towards my mum crying out loud: “I got in! I got in!” and gave her a very strong hug.  Then I ran back to my computer to see the actual results on the Edexcel website and check UCAS – I could not believe that my dream has come true until I saw the official confirmation.  (Ksenia achieved an amazing six A Levels at grade A!)

Once I’ve check those two out I went straight to Facebook and Vkontakte to put “Hurrah!!!!” in my status and see how everybody else did.  My happiness was not fully complete till I realized that all my friends got in where they wanted to.  For the rest of the day we were all sending and receiving congratulations, speaking with friends and relatives over the phone and sharing our happiness with those who were next to us.  It was a great day and it was really worth the waiting.

The next big thing was to get the Visa and it's not as easy as it may seem.  I needed to receive an original Visa letter from university and the transcript of my results from Bellerbys.  At first I was just waiting patiently trying to familiarize myself with the thought (a very pleasant one) that I am a new Imperial College student.  But then I started getting a bit worried.  The visa letter should had been sent to Brighton and then sent to me by DHL but a week had passed and still did not receive anything.  Nevertheless one thing was comforting me – I knew that in my college there are people who care about me and my documents and will always be there if I need help and advice.

Here I want to thank again Ms Paula Pocock who helped me enormously in this situation – she was replying straightaway to my endless letters, answering my questions and sending me by email, post or DHL every single thing that I asked for.  While Paula was away Mr. Corcut himself (an extra busy person as I have already said) did everything to help me as well.  And after a few calls to Imperial and one more week of waiting I received all the documents and applied for my visa.

Two weeks and one day latter (seemed to be the same for all my friends who were doing their applications in Russia) I could go to the Embassy to collect my passport.  When I was flipping over its pages it felt a little bit like when I was opening my mail box on the 20th of August.  When I saw the Visa it seemed to me the most beautiful piece of art I have ever seen in my life.  Then everything was really over and the new life was about to start.

Now I just have to pack my stuff and catch a plane to London.  So how do I feel?  I guess that a line from one of the famous songs by Garbage would describe it better then my own words: “I feel ready and yet unprepared…”  So now it’s time to say goodbye to this blog.  But do not think that you will get rid of me that easily!  Nothing can tear me and Bellerbys College apart (I hope everybody understands that it’s a joke or maybe I got too used to English humour eventually?) so I will continue writing in the Life after Bellerbys College blog.

Hope that you will be following my adventures in the Greater London and wherever else in the world and I will try my best to make them fun to read!  Once again I want to congratulate all the Bellerbys graduates who got into the universities of their dreams and wish all the present and future students of our college to do the same thing.  Good luck everyone and let’s have a great year!

Facebook - Connecting People! (part two)

Posted by Ksenia

In one of my posts I have already mentioned how important is Facebook in the life of young people and the only thing I can add is that this importance becomes more and more significant – at least for me.  At first all the endless applications, silly quizzes, requests, flowers, kisses, hugs or whatever from people I have never seen before really irritated me.  But while the number of my friends - English-speakers was growing I realized that Facebook is really doing a great job.  It made possible for me to meet people who otherwise could never become my friends and, the most important; it gave me a chance to help some of them.

Answering a few simple questions was the best I could do for those who contacted me but seemed to be a good way to make them a bit more calm and confident about themselves and their future arrival to the UK.  It is a hard decision to make – to come and study in another country where you do not know anybody and leave your friends and family behind.  But at the same time it’s a big step up – a chance to get the top-quality education, meet new people and become more or less independent.  So I hope that I have helped a few people to make the right choice. 

On the 9th of September a new term started at Bellerbys Brighton.  Dozens (if not hundreds!) of new students will be joining ELPP, GCSE, A-level, Foundation programs.  One of them is Zuzka, a girl from the Czech Republic who I have introduced to you in one of my previous posts.  Before her arrival she asked me a few good (as usual) questions which some of you might find interesting if you are thinking to come to Bellerbys.

Zuzka
Well I wanted to ask you about bank accounts in England.  Because I think I will need a bank account over there.  I read that Bellerbys helps students with registering with a UK bank.  Do you have any idea about which bank do they register students with?  Because I would like to have a bank which is like close to school so I could easily access it to get some cash.  Is there any need of my parents signing some documents since I am not 18?  Ha-ha, I know, too many questions, but that is just what I am ... ;)  But anyway thanks a lot for all of your help :)))

Me
Banks are easy.  College prepare a letter for you (just go and ask in Student Services) and arrange an appointment.  You will need some kind of permission from your parents but it’s very informal- nothing to worry about - and can be done as soon as they will tell you what they need (I guess it was something like an e-mail in my case).  The easiest one to go for is Natwest.  It has an office very close to school (in the shopping center) and has a very easy to manage accounts designed especially for people like us (I recommend you sign up for on-line banking as soon as you get your account, then you do not need to go to the bank at all).  They will talk you through everything - but it’s really very easy).

Zuzka
Hey Ksenia:)  Thanks a lot for your answer - do I get it right that there's no need of thinking about the account now and it's enough to solve it in the UK?  And does Natwest have some ATM near school to get to some cash without paying additional fees?

Me
Sure that you do not have to think about it now - anyway international students do not get many options.  If you decide to go with Natwest they will open for you two accounts - Reserve (the one on which all the money from your parents will be) and Step (for everyday use).  This system is very useful - though you get two cards you can only use one of them - the one from step account - and even if it gets lost or stolen you still can use the rest of the money – it makes you absolutely calm about your card when you are going out, for example.  That is why online banking is great - you can transfer money from Reserve account on Step in seconds.  Of course all of that is absolutely free.  They will explain it to you again when you will come to open the account.  The closest ATM is at Brighton station (1 min away).  As most of ATM’s in the UK it’s free to use.

Zuzka
I'm quite surprised about the ATM being for free; in my country most ATM’s charge some small fee from your account if you use it... :)  Thanks a lot for your information :)  Do most Bellerbys students have the Natwest account or it varies?  The system of two cards looks truly useful, I feel like that would suit me well :)

Me
Most of them have Natwest because it is the one suggested by Bellerbys.  You can also have Lloyds or some others but I have no idea about it :)

Zuzka
Haha thank you for your advice :)  Surprisingly, I have more questions (you know, only ten days remain and I still feel like I don’t know what I am going to do)....  Well, in regards to my question...  It might sound stupid but I’m interested in Biology and Chemistry exams.  I mean, there are practical ones, aren't there?  Could you please tell me how does a practical exam in Biology and Chemistry look?  It's just that I'm still thinking about taking subjects from both humanities and sciences and practicals are really something I'd be worried about - I have never done anything really similar.

Me
I perfectly understand that you are worried even though I know that you have absolutely nothing to be worried about.  Well, now the practical exams will be a bit different to what I have been doing because the syllabus (the exact list of what we had to know) might have changed and the college has changed the examining boards as well.  But I can give you a rough idea - for Chemistry it is not at all difficult and is real fun - you are given a few unknown substances and instructions of what to do with them and at the end you have to tell what is the substance which is always quite obvious.

Then you will either have to do a titration (mix a base and an acid together to find the point at which is mixture is neutral by the change of colour of indictor paper -it is a way of finding a concentration of acid/base) or an experiment connected with temperature - either to measure the temperature change in a reaction and find out how much heat was released, or to find melting/boiling point of a substance.  You will practice all those things for the whole year so you will be absolutely perfect when the exam time comes.  For biology we have not actually done the practical exam - we have done a coursework (you have to plan and do the experiment) and a written alternative to practical (when the experiment was already done for you and you will have to analyze the data).  So I do not actually know what you are going to do.

But anyway most students have not done any practicals before coming to Bellerbys and it is never a problem - everything is made easy and explained very carefully and of course practice makes perfect!

I think you really should take some science subjects – it’s very interesting and respected by universities.  Of course it’s not the easiest thing to study but so rewarding!

Zuzka
Hey)))) Thanks a looooooot for your answer:)  I still don't know if I’ll take science - do you think Mr Corcut would advise me about it during the interview?  And, yeah, surprisingly, that's another one of my annoying questions) what is this interview like?  Should I somehow prepare for it?  Oh my God only 5 more days, I am totally excited, though nervous anyway ;)

Me
Oh, you know that you are always welcome!  First thing – interview are NOTHING to worry about.  I won’t even call it an interview – rather an appointment to discuss you future studies in Bellerbys.  Mr. Corcut (as you already know the head of A-levels) will just ask you a few obvious questions – what are you interested in, what are you approximate plans for the future, which subjects you are planning to take.  It is not to assess you in anyway – it’s to help Mr. Corcut to understand how he can help you.  The only thing you can do to prepare is to try and think of what YOU personally want to do.

You should understand that Mr. Corcut is a very experienced man, he knows lots of facts about universities and he will probably advise you to take “serious’ subjects like Math and Sciences, Economic, English Literature or History – the ones that are the most respected by the top places and he will probably be right.  But it’s your life, your future and your decision.  I can tell you that doing an A-level subject that you do not like only because the universities do is quite wrong (unless of course you change your mind when you will start studying it) – it will be hard and boring for you and you will be unlikely to achieve very high results.

Personally I have chosen Sciences because of one simple reason – I love it, and I hope you will be able to decide in the same way.  Good luck and remember that one of the greatest experiences is about to start!!!! 

And to finish off this post one more question from Ange Chandra, Indonesia who is also thinking to join Bellerbys College.

Ange Chandra
What do you think of ELPP?  Do you think it's important for international students to take that course?  Did you, yourself, take ELP course the first time you joined Bellerbys?

Me
Well, when I first came to Bellerbys my level of English was really poor.  So I urgently needed some help and took a 3-week course.  It was real fun and helped me a lot with my communication skills in English and raised my IELTS score by a few points) I do not think that you particularly need it - in terms of English.  As far as I understand your level is quite advanced and will improve anyway during your studies in Bellerbys.

In the first term you will have preparation for IELTS together with your other lessons so you could take the exam to get the grade required for the university (usually 7- 7.5)  But on the other hand it’s a great opportunity to see the college in advance and meet people.  So it’s really up to you - what you want)

This is all from me for now. I would like to thank Zuzka again for her huge contribution for this post and wish her all the best in future!  I guess you will hear from me quite soon and I will update you on the exam results and the university entry.  Good luck everyone with their studies in the new term and take the most of your time in Bellerbys College!!!

This Is Not A Goodbye... But A See Ya Soon!!!!

Posted by Linh

Windy... cold... lonely... and strange...

On the 1st of January, I put my 1st steps on a far-away country, wondering where I would go, what the new school was like, would people treat me well, or I would be thrown in a strange or racism environment? (lol, i know that sounds a little bit pathetic, but well, at that moment, in order to refill the emptiness of inexperience, I put an experience of imagination :D )

Later, I met a member of staff from Bellerbys College who had to throw away his first day of new year to pick up an unknown girl instead of staying at home, enjoying a celebration with his family or friends.  And instead of being such a stranger or feeling angry of my appearance, he seemed to be very nice, asking me about the flight, how I felt.

Then I met Ishy - the host mother of my new home, who had to wake up at 5 a.m to wait for a stranger to come.  She smiled at her and gave the new girl not only her first UK breakfast but also a cozy feeling that mad her feel protected as if there had not been any 20 hour flight at all.  

....

Eight months have already passed so quickly, and here I am, in the farewell party, saying goodbye to people I have gotten along so far...

Thank you Jackie, as we often say to you, YOU ARE THE BEST MANAGER WE'VE EVER MET.  No matter how many students there are, no matter how many works you have to do, somehow, you always manage to talk to each of us, help us on every step of getting to a suitable university.

From advising us how to write personal statement, how to fill in the UCAS track process until finishing choosing firm and insurance choices, you have shown us how much you care about each student here.  Awww, we are gonna miss you so much.  I wish you would always be like you are now, a super-cute and devoted manager!!!!

Thank you all teachers in Bellerbys, especially Susannah - our English teacher, Hassan - our Accounting teacher, Peter - our CIT teacher, Phillip - our Mathematics teacher, Rachel, Hilal, Ross, Linda, Sam - our Economics and Business teachers.  Haha, I'm sorry if I miss anybody or write your name wrongly. (Yeah!  Naughty student, I know, lol)

Through your lessons, I have learnt many, many new and interesting things which then help me to realise that I was not wrong when choosing Bellerbys Oxford and choosing this course.  I hope that your health and your career would always get better and would be an inspired motivation for you to get on!  And I also hope that your future students would be as good as ME (haha)!!!

Well, first it was really hard for me to write this final post!  I wrote and deleted, and then wrote again and deleted... haha, it's even harder than my first post!

I still have a lot to say to many people, such as staffs in Bellerbys - who have been really nice and helpful; my classmates and other students in different courses I have known; people living in Oxford I have luckily had a chance to meet, to talk and to share my feelings when I was happy or sad; a boy smiling at me on the bus; a stranger I have not even known her name who tried to comfort me when suddenly see me being depressed...

Life in Oxford, life in Bellerbys has taught me so much that I could never ever forget.  And now flying back to my country, I know I have more confidence, more to be proud of myself when facing my parents and my friends, because I know that I have had such precious experiences for my own!

I will come back to England soon to go to Aston University in Birmingham.  So THIS IS NOT A GOODBYE BUT A SEE YA SOON!!! :D

But for this moment, happy summer holiday! ^^

My Busy Summer in Moscow and London

Posted by Ksenia

When I got back home from Kiev I spent about a week in Moscow mainly meeting various friends – from Russia and the UK (well, they are all from Russia to be precise).

One my very good friend from my Bellerbys GCSE class also lives in Moscow but it’s the first time the two of us found time to meet each other during the summer.  There was so many things to do in my home city - shops, cinema, cafes and even my first driving lessons (not really lessons – but my mum allowed me to try on her car – at first I was scared to death that I will run into something, but after a few times I began to enjoy it!) so as usual I did not noticed how the time went by.  But the next trip was already waiting for me – I finally decided that I don’t want to live in the residence during my first year at university so I had to start looking for some sort of accommodation - more precisely a flat to rent.

The best way to do it was to go the London and see everything on my own.  We went there with my father who was obviously the brains of our little group and the one to make all the important decisions.  We found the flat I’ll be renting this and probably the two following years.  It is unfurnished so my mum and I are going back to London for a week again on the 10th to buy all the important stuff.  The flat itself is quite nice, not too big, not too small (at least for London), just a few meters from tube station but the window are facing the other way so it is perfectly quiet up there.  This factor was very important for me - back home in Russia our family lives on the 13th floor and in Brighton my room was facing St Anne’s Gardens so I got very used to sleep with open windows without any noise.  It’s very close to Chiswick with all the shops as well and the kitchen is small but very modern – in other way it is a perfect match for me! 

 

I got back exactly on time for my best friend’s birthday party.  The celebration wasn’t a usual one.  My friend organized a car to take us (me and four other girls) to the countryside where we were going to fly on a balloon.  The traffic was quite heavy as it was Friday and everyone was leaving Moscow but we were chatting all the time so it wasn’t a problem.  It was a very special feeling when we got inside the basket and started to take off.  It was nothing comparing to what I felt in the usual plane – here we were really flying!  We reached the height of 720 meters and went up and down a few times – from there the views were really fantastic.

The duration of the flight was one hour but we barely noticed it as a few bottles of champagne were there waiting for us and everyone wanted to say a few kind words to the birthday girl and wish her once more a happy birthday.  The landing was fun as well – very smoothly we stopped on some field and continued to take pictures and drink champagne until the car arrived to take us to one of the Moscow lounges.

 

On the way back I even felt a little pity for our drivers – for an hour or so we were talking really loudly, laughing and singing all the songs that was played on the radio.  In the lounge we met up with a few other friends and continued partying till late.

The next day we went to a restaurant to celebrate again with her relatives (except, my friend, I was the only person to be on the two parties).  The place was nice and I really felt as a part of a family as I already knew everyone and everyone knew me.  A very special present was waiting for the birthday girl there as well – they made a video where her entire family was singing a song wishing her all the best in her future life.  That was very sweet especially to see her little brother and usually serious father rapping).

I am trying not to forget my own family as well and spend with them more time as I don’t see them for the major part of the year.  Every weekend we go to the countryside with my parents where I am mainly collecting berries (and eating them straight away) and reading books (the pastime I missed the most in Brighton – simply did not have time for anything excepting science books).  I even had a chance to meet my distant relatives from Ukraine who came for a few days - I’ve never seen them before and was very pleased learn that I have a cousin who is the same age as me.

Enjoy your summer everyone!!! UK is waiting for us)

Aloha Summer!!!!!!!!!!!

Posted by Linh

It has been so sunny in Oxford recently!  So sunny that you just wish to be on a beach, enjoying sunbathing or feeling the supremely cool water on your never-stop-rising-temperature body. 

So, well, even we still have classes at school but we still enjoy screaming out loud: “Hello summer, hello sunshine and hello sales season!!!”  That’s why my friends and I spent our Sunday shopping in Bicester Village.

 

There were many famous brands here, such as Calvin Klein, Dolce & Gabbana or Dior.  The most exciting news, however, is the price was perhaps just like in normal shops.  We spent more than four hours there.  Well, we did not buy much but, believe me, just having a window shopping can not take you less time because there are a variety of things there.

We came back home at about 6 o'clock. I bought a t-shirt from Polo and a cardigan from CK and the total money I spent did not come to £50!  The trip makes me feel that the more time I spent here in Oxford, the more I love it and certainly, the more I will miss it I go back to my country.

Hope you guys have a nice weekend too!!

Hey You! Try Your Best Ok?

Posted by Linh

It‘s already June - the month of exams (Help me God!!!).  But I still decided to go to Germany the second time.

The main reason of this three-day trip was my mother (oh….well…and some Vietnamese food she brought with her).  My mother went to visit my brother for two weeks.  It has been six months I have not seen her (Time goes fast, doesn’t it?).  My first impression was that she was thinner.  And the second impression was that she coughed a lot.  Poor her!  I sincerely felt scared of time, she looked older.

All the time I have spent in England, I always thought for myself, just focus on the study, sometimes scared that I was not as fashionable as other girls, sometimes calling back home to ask for money.  How horrible I was!  Yes, it was true I tried to ask about my parents through my relatives as well!  And now I knew how protective my parents were of me!  They have asked other people did not talk much about them to me and asked more about my situation.  And how stupid I was, believing in what they said, and thinking that everything was fine.

Now sitting here at the airport, waiting for the flight back to England, I still remember the wrinkles on my mother’s face when she was waving me goodbye!

The exam is coming!  Through this blog, I just want to say to all of you guys that: HEY YOU!  TRY YOUR BEST OK?  ‘CAUSE THERE ARE SOME PEOPLE SPENDING THEIR WHOLE LIFE FOR YOUR FUTURE, WAITING FOR YOU TO COME BACK!

Lol!!!  Sorry if you feel this post annoying!  Anyway, wish you guys best luck in the incoming exams!