Life at Bellerbys College

My Interview for Yale!

Posted by Jamie @ Bellerbys Brighton

Here comes the end of two of the biggest interviews of my teenage life.

Yale! 

This time last year, I had never even considered applying to Yale because its prestige intimidated me so. It was kind of like a toothbrush maker applying for a job in the New York stock exchange - I don't think I'd get accepted, but hey, I can make toothbrushes.

We met at a small cafe in an office block in Hammersmith. She told me that she was flexible with the time, but chose to set it at 3pm anyway. I admit I was feeling completely drained from the previous day in my interview with U of Hertfordshire. I was out walking in boots for 9 hours. 9 HOURS. I wished I had worn my blacktop sneakers instead but I'm guessing the mud stains would have not bode well with the interview.

Ms. Stephanie Manson introduced herself but briefly and we started almost instantaneously. She asked me where I was from and confessed that she had never suspected I was Malaysian due to my "very good accent" [I kind of like having that sense of ambiguity anyway].

I told her about the basics - how I moved to Brighton and how long I've been here. We talked about what I liked about this city and then she proceeded on to asking me about my art.

The good thing about this interview was that she knew what I was applying for [as opposed to Harvard] and that she clearly wanted to know more about it. In my commonapp I didn't get much chance to talk about Art so I thought it best to speak as much as I could. My nerves didn't affect me quite as much as the previous session, which I thank God for.

So the interview progressed with a few awkward pauses and sounds of her pen scratching on her clipboard [that's another thing - she wrote stuff down right in front of me but Harvard chose to type up the report right after our meeting]. We were talking about my current project on Child Abuse and I was explaining my ideas to her. Then she asked me,

"So describe the development of your art style from childhood to now."

and I could have sworn I heard a very subtle yet evident hint of nervous laughter escape my lips.

"Well when I was younger, my drawings were very comic book-like and kind of cartoony. And as I continued my art I started to develop a natural narrative style which led to my interest in animation. Now, my art is more... more.... uh. It's kind of. I don't know how to describe it.

HERELETMESHOWYOU" [*shoves little art sketchbook across the table*]

As a Yale applicant, you should seriously avoid using imaginary words like 'cartoony'. Seriously.

   

But anyway, I managed to get past that little momentary glitch and finish up by asking my own questions about the college. I'm glad that she didn't ask any hardcore things like, "Why Yale?" or "What would you bring to the college if we were to accept you? *gives look of reproach and utter seriousness*".

Overall, I think it went pretty well, though I am not expected any good news in April. In any case, I had applied for Fine Art so I don't even know if I'd hop on the bus if the opportunity came by.

That's my take on it. Guess I'll just have to wait and see.

Jamie is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College Brighton

The Harvard Interview!

Posted by Jamie Tan @ Bellerbys Brighton

I'm so relieved that it's over. So incredibly relieved. I have been anticipating this interview for the past two months and finally, it's done and dusted.

We rendezvoused at a quaint little cafe called the Birdcage Walk at Ditchling Road. It was a good 20 minute walk in the morning fog for me, and I was sweating by the time I had arrived at the doorstep. The shop owners were just opening up for the day and saw that I was nervously waiting outside in the cold, and thus invited me in. They even treated me to a complimentary cup of hot chocolate said to bring good luck for the interview.

I waited, fiddling with my hands, trying to soothe my nerves by sketching. My friend told me to expect the unexpected - an oxymoron that didn't seem to apply in my case.

The door opens and I look up to find a young man clutching two oversized leather satchels. He immediately knew who I was and introduced himself after casually running his hand through his floppy, chestnut brown hair. He told me that he was suffering from a winter cold and preferred not to shake my hand, which personally, I thought a bit prudent but not at all intimidating. We sat down and he ordered something to eat. He was very much a gentleman and even offered me some breakfast, which I politely declined. I had my energy booster two hours before and didn't need any food in my mouth to obscure my speech.

I have to say that it was very informal and nonchalant. He reminded me that he didn't like stiff conversations and that seemed to settle my anxiety a little. He asked me many questions about my art and my personal background to get a good taste of my character. Thank God I had slaved away all of yesterday trying to piece together a mini portfolio! It was the perfect thing to portray my sense of style and my artistic interests.

To my disappointment, my nerves had gotten the better of me and I struggled to vary my phrases. I kept repeating the words, "...a whole bunch of..." and it was not until the end of the interview that I had realised how limited my vocabulary must have sounded! However, I got the chance to ask him some questions about university life and altogether, the interview went well. He said that I shouldn't worry about anything and that he was going home to write the report this very afternoon.

Harvard dreamers, do not fear the interview. It could have been the most nerve-wrecking 45 minutes of my life, but I really didn't have anything to worry about. I can only hope for good news in the mail in April!

Jamie is studying A Levels at Bellerbys Brighton

Post Mid-term Break ☺☺

How was everyone’s mid term break? Well, mine was AWESOME!

Awesome for the fact that I went to Scotland for the first time and finally got to meet up with one of my closest college friend who is now studying in The University of Edinburgh – Neuroscience. When we finally met in Edinburgh Airport after so many months, she ran to me immediately and hugged me!  Oh I miss my friend so much too!

This is Lee and she is one cool girl from Taiwan! :P

She is an ex Bellerbys student~

During my trip in Scotland, I visited 2 cities – St. Andrews and Edinburgh.

St. Andrews:

After knowing that St. Andrews is renowned for golf, I instantly knew that I should definitely go visit St. Andrews, for my father who is an avid golfer.

And of course, we visited the famous Old Course golf course which happens to be the world’s oldest golf course.

And also being typical tourists, we took a photo with the Swilcan Bridge which is some sort of a icon for the golf course.

Well, our journey on finding the golf course wasn’t that exciting in reality.

The fact that there was literally a huge massive chunk of dark cloud, following us above our head for the entire day, was simply annoying enough.

I’m not sure if it’s us just being sensitive or plain unlucky because we noticed that the sky of whichever place we passed by would turn sunny immediately, right after we walked out of it and “bring” the dark cloud along with us.

As a result, I really got a taste of the Scottish weather up north of England.

Wet and freezing!

In St. Andrews, we also met up with one Bellerbys College senior who graduated last year.

She is currently studying Medicine in St. Andrews University.

This is Ogaga from Nigeria and she is one of the most ecstatic person I have known, for the fact that her mood is always so bubbly! HAHA 

So, Ogaga kindly gave us an insightful tour around the new school campus (especially the new medicine block) and her hostel life.

 
 

Ogaga and her dissecting kit!

In fact, we also managed to visit other parts of the old campus of St. Andrews University during the day and some other attractions too.

St. Andrews Cathedral

 

We even chanced upon an apple garden!

   

Halloween mania!

And not to forget sending postcards back to Singapore! :)

Edinburgh: 

Back in Edinburgh, Lee showed me around the city.

We visited Edinburgh Castle and the shopping district.

 

I’m definitely going back to Edinburgh once more because I have yet to visit all the attractions that I’m interested in!

Especially the highlands! I want to go see the Nessie, the Loch Ness Monster Lake!

I didn’t know that Nessie is from Scotland! HAHA 

They say all good things come to an end. Sometimes, an ending might not necessarily be a bad thing. It can be there to remind us that we once had fun; we once enjoyed ourselves; we once had the time of our lives. If there is no end to every memory we create and mould, how are we certain that they are memorable ones?

 

                         
 

 Belinda is studying A Levels at Bellerbys Brighton

A New Blogger for Bellerbys College Oxford Called Autumn - How Apt!

We are very pleased to welcome a new student blogger to represent Bellerbys College Oxford.

Say hello to Hoang Bich Thu, also known as Autumn, from Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam.

Autumn is in her first year studying A Levels at the fabulous new Bellerbys Oxford building which opened in September this year.

She is studying Maths, Economics, Politics and Accounting and hopes to go on to a degree in Economics & Management, Philosophy, Politics & Economics or International Relations. Autumn has set her sights high and would like to study at University of Oxford, City, UCL, LSE or York.

Outside of the classroom Autumn has many hobbies including, "reading and collecting books, playing the piano when I have time, Facebook-ing (whenever I can), listening to music (mostly Alternatives, Pop, and Classical Music), shopping (for shoes, purses, bracelets, earrings and more books :D), wandering around the city, drinking coffee (Latte or Frappuccino), and visiting the Library :D

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

This Is It!

Posted by David, studying Engineering Foundation at Bellerbys Brighton

Term 3. Final term. Last 2 months in Bellerbys. This is it. Downside of this term? We got to stay through the summer holidays, just after bidding farewell to our fellow mates from A Levels and graduates from the September intake Foundation Program. 

I sighed to myself, wondering how I could survive this last two months without the usual liveliness of Bellerbys. I was horrified to picture the place I usually sit in for breakfasts, with all my friends occupying the whole row of tables reduced to a pathetic measly few. OH boy! How different would things be?

I slugged down the residence area for my first breakfast in Term 3, with a much weaker punch of enthusiasm. Then startled to sight a mob of new students, queueing up for food. They were the new Embassy students; also known as my life-savers for Term 3. Finally, a glimmer of hope that this final term would not be as lonely as I’d thought it would be.

Mrs Chris immediately introduced me to my first Sweden friend, Dennis. He is genuinely charming, not to mention a natural clown! It was admirable that he has come here all by himself to study English and stayed very optimistic about everything, albeit suffering from partial blindness. Getting to know him has made me record his name in my personal ‘People I Respect’ list. Definitely learnt a lot from him. 

Not only have I met Dennis, I soon got to meet a few more new students, most being older than me, already with a degree!

Things just kept getting better as I went to pick up the weekly activities schedule and saw a plethora of activities prepared for us for this summer. Field trips, clubbing nights, beach parties, sports like volleyball and bowling and salsa dance classes! Yes, we can officially forget about what I wrote earlier! The college has definitely catered to our needs, being as considerate as always.

2010. June to August. How can I forget the epic FIFA World Cup? Just this could occupy quite some time in my daily routine. As we all know, Spain emerged victorious. Another occasion that brought back the vivacious ambience in Bellerbys. The flags of all qualified teams were hung all around our cafeteria to get us in the mood of the prestigious event. 

And did I mention that we happened to go to the Brighton Kite Festival? It was spectacular as I never knew that kites could actually ‘dance’ besides having a stellar yet innovative outlook.

There are so many things in store for us that I have forgotten to tell you the main aspect of this term: academics. I study FES III, Mechanics II and CIT. As teachers would have to leave for their summer break as well, we have two teachers for some modules, each teaching half the course. My teachers include: Mr Dominic Rhys (FES III), Dr Cameron and Dr Butcher (Mechanics II) and Ms Sarah Witherby and Mr Tim Hewson (CIT). They were kind enough to spend part of their summer with us!

A bit more about the modules? FES III is all about preparing ourselves for university life, teaching us how to do researches without plagiarising etc. In other words, to score in this module, plain hard work is needed as we are required to submit a ‘mini-thesis’ of 1500 words. Also, we would occasionally have debates, note-making practices from listening to lectures and presentations. 

Mechanics, on the other hand, is rather nasty in my opinion. It was slightly tougher than the former module. But I shall strive through it. CIT, I would say, is a subject that complements FES III as we learn to use basic Microsoft Office programs, conduct proper research and professional presentation as well as designing our own blog/webpage.

With our term exams lurking around the corner, the annual prize giving ceremony was organised to acknowledge outstanding students in their respective fields. I was fortunate enough to bag the ‘Best Engineering Foundation Student’ award. A few of my other friends also managed to receive awards! 

Bellerbys also presents awards to most improved students so as to motivate all the other students to work as hard to our own betterment. With this ceremony over, all that is left is the term exams. I am lolling now in my room that has grown to become my home, counting down the days before I officially spread my wings from this pleasant college to university life.

Indeed, how time flies! This is really it. My final chapter in Bellerbys. It has been a great journey so far and I hope that this last run would be as terrific.

Stay tuned!

2010 - A Whole New Era

Hello readers,

It's been a while.  First of all, HAPPY NEW YEAR!  2010 is a whole new year.  A whole new season.  A whole new era.  Are you prepared for it?  I definitely am.

Quick update... Over the last Christmas break, I went back to Malaysia to see my parents, relatives, friends and my dearest dog, Rainy.  During my stay, I finally obtained my driving license. It was a rather strange feeling.  I realized I'm actually an adult now, totally legitimate.  I can even vote in most countries! (not mine though, it's 21 in Malaysia)

Anyway, I tried to study everyday back home, but to no avail as friends kept calling me to go out.  Note to self: Possess more self-control in the future.  January results came out earlier this month.  I must say, they were not that desirable.  I only have one more chance in June now.  Those grades will determine which university I'll go to come fall.  I received an offer from UCL and they're asking for AAB.  I hope I'll get A's for both Economics and Psychology and at least a B for Maths.  Yes, I can do this.  Hey, I even created a studying schedule last week and I'm sticking to it!

So, back to my Christmas break, I celebrated New Year with my parents in our hotel room in Korea.  We stayed in Seoul for a few days after a 3-day skiing trip in another part of Korea.  Another note to self: Snow in Korea = crappy.  But I felt like a professional skiing instructor on that mountain as I taught my younger relatives how to ski, successfully!

In January, right before my exams, I returned to London and at last, I moved into G-block which is the over-18 block.  My room is located on the third floor and overlooks Canary Wharf.  I often sit in total darkness in my room, and just enjoy the sight of the tall, glistening buildings with jazz tunes coming out of my speakers in the background.

I also have a mini-kitchenette in my lovely G-block room.  Once, I accidentally set off the fire alarm because I forgot to turn on the ventilator.  On another occasion, I set my tea towel on fire.  Yes, good times.  But the Boyfriend can now attest to the vast improvement of my culinary skills.  Meanwhile, I now own a Nespresso machine, thanks to the Boyfriend.  Every morning, I just pop a tiny capsule into the machine and espresso leaks out of it.  Greatest invention ever?!  I overloaded myself with caffeine when I first got it, trying all types of flavors.  You can replenish your stocks at Harrods.  Definitely a recommended gadget!

 
 
Right, after a month of non-stop exams, I could finally breathe.  Half term break was fast approaching.  So the Boyfriend (forgot to mention he's German) and I decided to go to Germany for a couple of days.  First stop - Hamburg!

This port city is absolutely stunning.  It was quite cold when we were there on the third week of February. Fish are huge (I'm talking about the food culture, not the size) there.  It's a very fishy city, I must say.  I spotted the difference when we arrived in Stuttgart a few days later, which is in the south of Germany, bordering France.  People eat a lot more meat in southern Germany.  We took die Bahn (German trains) from Hamburg to Stuttgart and made many stops along the way like Frankfurt which is the financial capital of Germany.  In Stuttgart, the weather was super warm, even warmer than London.  (Oh London was like a freezer back in January!  Apparently the coldest since 1979 or something)

   
I had my fair share of sausages, I'll tell you that.  My favorite would probably be the ones from Bavaria. Instead of spreading the usual yellow mustard, you eat them with sweet mustard that looks brownish.  So delicious!  Another kind of wurst (German for sausage) that I like would be currywurst.  The story goes that an old lady back in the day accidentally poured some curry powder on her sausages and ate it.  Then she realized that they tasted amazing!  So now, it's a very common street snack in Germany and I fell in love with it. 

While we were in Hamburg, we also visited Ohlsdorf Cemetery. It is the biggest non-military cemetery in the world and the second-largest cemetery in the world after Calverton National Cemetery in eastern Long Island, New York.  You need to take different buses to get around in there!

   
 
 
Meanwhile, when in Stuttgart, the Boyfriend owns a Smart, so getting to places was a breeze!  The city centre itself reminded me of London and Paris.  There were art galleries, libraries, cafes and shops everywhere.  In short, it's my kind of city.

Anyway, that's just an outline of my trip to Germany.  We took Easyjet to Hamburg from London Gatwick and German Wings back to London Stansted.  In total, my airfares cost me less than 100 Euros.  Gotta love low-cost carriers! 

Prior to my Germany trip, I tried to learn the language on Youtube. There are numerous German language tutorials on the Web and they are so interactive that you pick up stuff really quickly!  But you learn even faster when you're in the Fatherland, which only shows me how important it is to be in a certain country to really master the language.  Otherwise, it's quite useless. (I forgot most words after watching those Youtube tutorials)  Before I move on though, I must commend on the quality of German food products.  They're almost on the same level as the French (and you know how much food means to the French!)

Now, back to reality, all the A2 (second year A-levels students) are working their behinds off now.  Because June exams are the ultimatum - a significant turning point in our lives.  So, I must leave you here now and go to class.  Easter holiday is coming up soon - so you'll hear from me after that!

Viel Dank (German for thanks so much) for reading my post and I'll catch up with you all soon!

Love,
Maggie

Maggie is studying A Levels at Bellerbys College London.

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!