Fine Art Students' Fine Afternoon Out!

The International Study Centre GCSE Art class went to visit the Oxford University Natural History Museum on Wednesday 28^th of September to investigate forms in nature as part of their GCSE coursework.

It was a beautiful afternoon with clear blue skies and a low autumnal sun making it perfect for drawing and sketching both inside and outside the museum.

The students were able to use a whole range of materials as inspiration, from dinosaur skeletons to tree roots, fossils, shells and even a living bee hive! Helen Wilson, one of our Art teachers, who lead the group said, "it was a great success and the students all produced some excellent work".

Wendy Rawding, Head of Art

A Trip to London

ISC students Yuyang Zhang and Jackie Zhang describe a recent visit to London.

"On 25th September, we went on a trip to London - The capital of England! We met each other at the Swan building, which is where the Sixth Form usually study. We saw everyone was really excited: people in colourful clothes, carrying big bags...

We spent almost two hours to get to London on the coach, so the traffic was quite bad.  The first thing we saw was the well-known river: the Thames! It is a long, wide river and there were many boats floating on it. Then we got out of the coach and began walking. We passed the Big Ben which was huge and spectacular. After that, on our way to the Buckingham Palace, there was a soldier sitting on a horse, this was the first time for many of us to see a real soldier, so we all took some photos of it.

Finally, we were standing in front of the Buckingham Palace where the Queen lives. Also, the landscape in it was great as there were grass and trees and different kinds of animals everywhere!  One of our teachers, David, took a school photo of us there.

After a long time of walking, we felt tired and hungry.  Our teachers led us to the Chinatown which had many Chinese restaurants and shops.  Some of us were so excited, because we miss Chinese food a lot.  We went to one of the restaurants and had some noodles, rice and chasubao. Haha, the Chinese students feel like they are the guides to help their new international friends to choose which dishes are tastiest.  David also showed us some fruit from Thailand which is very smelly!

In the afternoon, students got really excited because we had free time for shopping! Some of us went to a big market in Covent Garden which sold different kinds of lovely things. We bought some souvenirs in there as presents for our friends back home.  We had a really good time!

By the way, there were some people who pretended to be statues were in some silver and gold clothes, they worked really hard and we took pictures of them, too.

We had fun in London and liked it very much!"

The City of Oxford and d'Overbroeck's College

ISC student Maria Constantinescu shares her thoughts on Oxford and d'Overbroeck's College:

"Oxford is the city to be! Not only does it have a long and interesting history, but its beauty is simply breath taking. I will not bore you with its history, as you can find it written down on Wikipedia. I will, however, relate my personal feelings about this place.

Why Oxford? People might often wonder. My response is, why not? Oxford has everything to offer! From one of the best universities in the world to the smallest convenience store, it has anything your heart might desire. Oxford is a city of life, a city in which students feel at home, where people can get the education they truly deserve and still keep things fun.

I am an international student and I have to say, joining d’Overbroeck’s is the best choice I have ever made. It has a wonderful feeling to it, it’s warm and friendly, but it is also the best environment in which a person can achieve a high level of education. The timetable is created so that you are able to work hard and get good results in your GCSE exams, but it also gives students the opportunity to discover new hobbies or interests.

One of the most important things you have to remember is that the teachers are always there for you. Beginning a new life in a different country with a different language can be rather difficult, but the teachers, as well as the other students, can be of huge help. So don’t worry about anything. All you are expected to do is your job as a student, meaning that you have to study. The rest will come naturally. My only advice: leave your fears behind and smile to the future. Beginning a new life won’t be that difficult if you start it with a smile on your face."

My First Week

ISC student Libing Wan (Amy) writes about her first week here at The International Study Centre.

"In the first week of September, I arrived in the UK  after a long trip and began my life here in Oxford. This is my first time being in England and away from my family. I felt a little nervous about the totally different environment, but my host family was very kind. My host-mother made me feel at home and explained every detail about the life here. I realised that the culture here is very different from my own country, including the table manner and kinds of food people eat - there's so much for me to learn.

On Monday of the first week, my host-mother helped me to get to school. I was still nervous, but I found the teachers were all very kind and enthusiastic. I was taken to my tutor group. Our Form Tutor is a very passionate and funny teacher! I met many schoolmates from different countries and I enjoy talking with them very much.

The lessons in the first week is mainly trial lessons, all of the subjects are very attractive to me, the teachers told us lots of advice about how to choose our courses, such as if you are really interested in the subject or what you want to do in the future; which was very helpful to me. After considering carefully, I have chosen Geography, Biology and History as my extra options.

During the first week, the teachers took us to walk around Oxford, and told us which shops to go to if we need anything, for example a scientific calculator or folders.  I really love my new school, it has changed my concept of 'school'. d'Overbroeck’s College makes me feel more like a big family instead of a school. The first week here impressed me and I hope I can do well throughout the year!"