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The Stopfordian 2011–2012
website could have done. Everyone on the trip had the
opportunity to talk to members of staff and students and I
came away with a better idea of whether Oxford was for me
or not. It is of course a beautiful city and I thoroughly enjoyed
having time to explore it. Although the university was clearly
the focus of this visit, I also enjoyed being able to go to
Blackwell’s and nearby museums, as this revealed what a
wonderful city it is and the large number of opportunities
available there.
Although we were responsible for planning the programme for
our days, the staff organised entertainment during the evening.
On our first night there we went punting in little groups and
Zoë, in my group, kindly said she would punt first. As she had
done so before we all thought this was a good idea; we
couldn’t have been more wrong. All of a sudden there was a
splash and I spun round to see the punting pole floating off
down the river away from us and, a half second later, Zoë
appeared up out of the water grabbing for the boat. Her
determination to keep hold of the pole had caused her to fall
head first into the water; although she was not hurt fortunately
and was already laughing as she tried to climb back into the
boat. After such a shock however, it was of course necessary
for us to go out for crepes and hot drinks, despite the hot meal
we’d had at the college not an hour before.
Throughout our trip we were lucky enough to stay at one of
Oxford’s colleges, St Hugh’s, which gave us a real flavour as to
what kind of accommodation we might enjoy as a student. It
was very helpful to go round the colleges as, although we
were assured everyone grows to love the college they go to,
there was a significant difference in the size and ethos of the
colleges which I had not fully appreciated before. We also
had the opportunity to talk with a member of staff who was
part of the admissions process and it was invaluable to hear,
from her perspective, what the university was looking for.
Although this was somewhat daunting, everyone on the trip
came away with refreshed determination to apply and work
hard enough to make this successful.
The trip helped me appreciate what a wonderful place to
study Oxford would be, not least because of the private
tutorials which are unique to Oxford and Cambridge. The
atmosphere there was wonderful and everyone was incredibly
friendly and helpful throughout our stay. It was clear the
university had done their best to ensure any queries we might
have would be answered throughout the Open Days. There
were talks on all subjects, tours available at the colleges,
lectures on student life, drop in areas where you could chat to
students and innumerable members of staff around to answer
any questions. All this, along with the combination of the
responsibility and advice offered by staff was brilliant and
made for a thoroughly enjoyable trip.
Joanna Boon (L4)
SPANISH WORK EXPERIENCE
During the Easter holidays, through the Halsbury Work
Experience scheme, we were given the opportunity to spend
a week in Spain. Salamanca, just two hours west of Madrid,
was a fantastic destination with its beautiful buildings; it is also
the most important university city in Spain generating a
diverse, multicultural environment.
The journey began by meeting twenty other students from
across the UK at Stansted airport along with our two Halsbury
leaders, Maria and Alex. Prior to our placements, the
weekend gave us the chance to make friends and explore the
city. Heather aspires to a career in chemistry and therefore
the opportunity to work in a pharmacy was perfect. Along
with practical tasks, communicating with the customers was a
challenge, but also a great way to gain confidence. Hester
wants to study Spanish at university and her placement in the
nursery ‘Colorin Colorado’ provided an ideal learning
environment to communicate on different levels with the
children, parents and staff.
The trip also further introduced us to Spanish culture as we
adjusted to the different lifestyle; our typical working hours
were broken up by the siesta. The demands and challenges
faced throughout were highly beneficial especially before our
AS examination in May. Halsbury run language trips across
Europe and it is an excellent and enjoyable experience for any
linguist.
Hester Martin (L9) and Heather Tallents (L7)
62 Trips