All the Best - Have a Good Summer

I would just like to say how pleased I was to hear that you really valued the Eton experience. I would ask you to do three things for me.

1. After a few weeks reflection, when the general euphoria of the summer school has worn off, write some thoughts on the long term impact that attending the Summer School has had on you.

2. Keep in touch, I will be getting you all back for a debrief session in September!

3. When you start your year-13 studies keep up the work ethic that you all showed during the summer school.

See you all in September!

The After-Life

WOW, Eton was beyond my expectations. Lets be honest the first few days weren't the best but boy did I fall in love with the place. Everything had a value to it, including the recreation time. Eton taught me how to be organised - fully! I also realised how I can manage a far better lifestyle without computers and other distractions. The lessons learnt will be valued highly in my memories. The experience gathered will aid me in the future. The acquaintances made will be cherished forever.

It has been two days now and the Eton afterlife still hasn't fully sunk in. Who would've thought getting used to a strict regime in 10 days would be so fulfilling. The speech delivered during the final dinner had a lasting effect on me. The final moments when everyone departed were very emotional.

I am uncertain about attending the reunion because of the busy schedule ahead. However one thing is definite; this experience has changed me and I acknowledge we only get these chances once in a lifetime.

Rafsan.
18/07/2010

Goodbye Eton!

The bus started its journey back to London at about 10, carrying a lot of nostalgia. 10 days passed so quickly as if everything was just yesterday. No rung bell at 8, no sessions, no tea with nice biscuits, no tutorials, no lectures. Oh , how many 'nos' I have to name:(
I miss Eton so much. I miss my classmates, my tutorial group, my room, my neighbour with her lovely singing voice. I miss every single thing in Eton.
These 10 days were so valuable to me. I learned so many new and useful things and I had such a good memories with good friends.
I would like to say thank you to Mr. Watts, Dr. Purshouse, Mr. Allen, Mr. Pratt, Mr. Thackeray and my tutor ( I will never forget our interesting tutorials and your champagne). Thank you very much.

Penultimate Day

Yesterday I went recreation because so far I have not attented any and I really wanted to do some physical activity hence not having the chance to blog. Nothing much happened yesterday, the lessons just went along as usual. During recreation I played table tennis, a bit of football and badminton. The sports facilities in Eton is diverse, nothing like my college. However, the best part was before going to sleep, we all went to a friend's room and lots of other boys came along and we just talked about the most pointless things in the world. I am definately going to miss these days; didn't realise how close everyone bonded in such a short period of time.

Today I had my last lesson with one of my physics teacher and we were introduced to a new teacher for maths. The maths teacher is hilarious but I did not understand a single thing he did so I can tell the homework tonight will be a real struggle. The 'Speeches' was tonight - this is when the students showcase their talents in front of everyone. The amount of talent is immense, the show was entertaining, but most importantly it made me feel worthless. =(
Kat performed a piece during the speeches; she was AMAZING!

I sneaked into blogger from the library computer so I must get back to my homework now. If I get the chance I will write tomorrow before I leave or maybe after I get back home.

Wish this experience could've lasted longer, I was really getting in the zest of things.
Going to miss these 10 days.
All we will be left with are memories.
=(

Rafsan
15/07/2010

Thursday

Hello all!

I cannot believe how quickly this week has passed - as far as I'm aware, I arrived yesterday! I've grown extremely attached to this summer school - I'll miss everyone when we have to say goodbye. I think it's quite surprising how close I've gotten to everyone in such a short space of time. I feel like I've known everyone for a long time already! I think a good deal of people will get quite emotional tomorrow at the farewell supper.

I modified bacteria in my biology class yesterday by inserting a gene (from a jellyfish) that made the bacteria glow! I made non glowing bacteria glow! Amazing. (Please don't judge me). We also spend chemistry lessons looking at complex ions and the different colours they can have - very colourful! :)

That's about all I have to say for now,
Blogger out.

I WAS ON FIRE!

This week, I had a different chemistry teacher from the previous week, he is amazing! He seperates the lesson into theory and practical, and he comes up with the most alluring practicals that i have come accross. Today, he showed us two:

1. There were three clear solutions, A, B, C. He added A to B - nothing happened - we were baffled. He remarked, 'chemistry is amazing, its like magic, I promise you alot is happening in the beaker', yet the beaker remained clear and ambient. He then added solution C, nothing happened - at first. Then all of a sudden the crystal clear solution changed from colourless to an opaque bright orange colour, after another two second delay, at an instant it then turned jet black! Magic.

2. This was even more impressive. The teacher set up a contraption using fairy liquid and methane gas that constantly produced methane bubbles. As the bubbles rose, he would light them and cause an ignition. He then accumalated some bubbles and asked some of us to run our hands under the tap and scoop some of these bubbles. He then inginted the bubbles on our hands, and it tourched up like an empowering pheonix.

Can't wait until tomorrows lesson!

WALL GAME

Yesterday we played the so called notorious 'Wall Game', prior to the start of the game, the build up was immesnse. No one knew what to expect. 3 hours until the start. Rumours started to build up, 'no ones scored in a hundred years', 'make sure you wear full sleeves', 'some was killed playing the game'. Obviously this game was not for the light-hearted.

However when it was gametime it was really enjoyable, confusing, but enjoyable. Essentially it was a scrum...against a wall. That is all I am going to say, if i try to explain anymore of the game not only will i confuse you, but also confuse myself.

Thank You!

3 days hiatus

Firstly, I would like to apologise for not writing during the previous three days. Because of the circumstances beyond my control we were not allowed in the main office hence not having any access to the internet.

So let me take you three days back...

On Saturday I had my last maths lesson with the teacher teaching differentiation. Afterwards, I had an interview with a biology teacher. Although he was not able to ask me challenging questions involving architecture or physics, I found the interview very helpful; and it was rewarding to hear he was impressed with my responses. Afterwards I had some free time - for once - and later we all went to an island for barbeque and disco. There were lots of mini games to keep us occupied until dinner; which suited my appetite. Towards the end of the night most people were in the disco, although none of us knew how to dance - everyone being there in the same place made it worthwhile.

Sunday was a much more relaxing day. In the morning I went to the Chapel for the sunday prayers; it was a nice experience to see the culture and religious views of Christianity while being inspired by the architecture behind the chapel itself. I had no lesson that day, however I was signed up for a photography/drawing/designing session. I drew the Eton badge replacing the 'lion' in the top right with my trademark R. =D
BUT when it came to designin the t-shirt, I was schocked and felt my masculinity slipping away slowly. I entered the room to find a plain white t-shirt laying in the table with lots of materials, beads, scissors and fabric felts for the decoration of the top. I did not know we had to tailor the top which -in my opinion- is very feminine! So instead the three of us (the boys) decided to go around doing more photography. This was one of the best times I had in the summer school, because it was the most relaxing and it involved something I really enjoy and looking forward to doing in the future.
O and before I forget to mention, Spain won! The match was watched by most of the boys and it was entertaining to watch with a crowd because of the mixed reactions and foul mouthed chants!

After the two days of light work, I had to adjust back to the hectic schedule of three lessons a day. We had a different teacher for maths and a whole new topic of integration. Yet again it was things I did not learn before, so these lessons are being very beneficial for me. Also, there was the "Wall Game" which I did not participate in. So I'll let Ibtesham and Nobith talk about it.
Monday night was really fun because after finishing all our work we went to a friend's room (about 7 of us) and everyone kept making jokes. It was the most laugh I had in ages, so that was a good break.

Off the topic, I learnt how to play pool and - even if i say so myself - I am gettin good at it. =)

I'll write about todays activites in the next blog.

Rafsan
13/07/2010

Interviews, discos, a chapel service, and the Wall Game.

This weekend was intense.

Saturday morning started of with mock interviews, lasting 25 minutes, for the course I want to study. I was slightly nervous as I wasn't sure of what to expect. My interviewer was Dr Owen, he is an expert in biology so I knew what to expect. He started of with the question: 'imagine this room was a human cell, how big is a glucose molecule.' This was a strange question and hardly one you would expect or prepare for. I kept calm and reasoned out the answer. He then switched to non-scientifical questions such as what are the qualities of a doctor, what's your view on private clinics and many more. He constantly alternated the types of questions. After 20 minutes the questioning came to an end and the last 5 minutes was spent reviewing. The feedback was that my scientific questioning (arguably the difficult section) was good but the non-scientific questions could be improved. The main reason was that i didn't talk about my work experience placement when i have the opportunity; I was waiting for a cue and didn't want to come across as a 'show-off'. This mock interview was a great as it reassured me that interviews are nothing to worry about, all I have to do is call back on my work experience roles and describe how that shows the qualities of a doctor.

In the evening we headed off to Thames Island to unwind and have fun. It was brilliant; something different that shows that you can have a balance of work and fun. Nearly everyone was dancing, it enhanced the spirit of the summer schools.

After a tiring night, a Chapel service followed. Everyone was invited regardless of you ethnicity or beliefs. I hadn't been to one before so it was nice to get the opportunity to go. Many hymns were sung, we prayed together, there was a recitation from the Quran. I particularly liked the part where the Reverend Paul Hess implemented Robert Green into the talk, it enabled everyone to easily engage and relate to what he and the parts of the Bible state.

Monday afternoon, the traditional Wall Game. At first i was told it was similar to squash and fives so I eagerly signed myself up; first on the list ^.^ As the days progressed I found out it was far different. Rumours have it that it was a game of a lot of kicking, shoving and even punching. Apparently people end up on crutches after the game. This worried me but not enough to stop me from playing, this opportunity doesn't come every day. After much trepidation the time had finally came. The rules were briefly mentioned and we were sorted out into teams in alternating order of height. It begins with the ball against a wall and a scrum. Both teams push each other in opposing directions with all their might trying to kick the ball to the other end. I joined, recklessly pushing everyone with me ( I'm glad I brought along my old glasses!). This sort of repeated, with the ball going in and out of the 5 metre boundary. It must have been rubbish to spectate but shockingly fun to play in. My team had two shots at goal, the first was a few centimetres away from making history, the last goal was scored 101 years ago. It was fantastic fun, I certainly helped me team out and were all worked as one.

Hello Internet

Saturday morning was a nerve racking one. The Science department were holding mock interviews for the subjects that we intend to study later on at university. However, once my interview slot rolled round I found that it was actually quite enjoyable. The teacher also gave feedback on how I performed, which I think was very useful.

I also had the opportunity to watch the 'Wall Game' being played during recreation time on Monday, which was a great experience that I highly doubt I would have been able to have if I was not here. I didn't really understand the concept of the game at first but once I did it was good fun to watch. Scrums against a wall, what could be better?

I spent about two hours last night coming up with a three minute presentation (because I didn't use the Internet as an aid) which I think was great. I kept getting distracted by odd pieces of knowledge dotted around in the book instead of focusing on what I needed specifically, which is something I tend not to do while on the Internet. I should use books more.

Second Half

I hope that you have all had a good weekend, however I am guessing about four of you since your post has dried up somewhat (particularly that from the boys). Please can we have more contributions from everyone!

I will also remind you that I will be coming to collect you on Friday. Since the end of Summer School dinner finishes quite late it is important to have all of your things packed and ready to go before dinner. We will arrive back at the PDC in Tower Hamlets quite late so make sure that you arrange for someone to pick you up from there.

Enjoy the rest of the week.

"We're going to an island...in the middle of the Thames!"

Eton owns an island!

Yes, I kid not. The whole day built up to a lovely BBQ and disco on their island which had plenty of yummy food and drink to go round and gave us a chance to relax and chat to people out of the learning mentality.

So, we concentrated hard on our lectures and tried to do work in our free time before all discussing what we would wear just before the Oxbridge academics came to answer our questions about Uni applications. So helpful getting past all the myths and getting relevant info - having expert people there who are just dedicating their time to answering anything you're unsure about. The Undergrads gave us a more...colourful view of Uni life and applications but it was refreshing to compare the institutions' take on applications to the students'.

A Day at Windsor

The pace hasn't slowed down, but we've learnt to speed up. This isn't school, it's far more independent and as peers, we pretty much all bounce off each other when the essays get set.
The library is probably one of the most energetic places at Eton after supper.

However, in the morning we prefer to discuss breakfast. They feed us well - all going to the mental focus -and the giant breakfast came in handy when we had a heated debate in English about the protagonist of Coetzee's Disgrace. Everyone had something to add, whether it be a point no one else had picked up on or having a difference of opinion with the lecturer. They encourage it - they prefer somewhat emotive discussion to only the sound of pens scribbling. The other lecture on Falstaff in Shakespeare's plays was more relaxed and built-up nicely to the afternoon.

English is the best as it gets the most trips. ;) We went to Windsor - just over the bridge, what a lovely view - and saw "Being Shakespeare", an engaging lecture-come-play about the life and times of the Bard, starring Simon Callows.
Only Eton could pull this off - amazed when we got a half hour chat with Callows afterwards, he answered all our questions and obliged us with photos and autographs. We got to ask him directly what he thought about Shakespeare's Falstaff - and by gosh did it help with the essay that night. :)

Tutor sessions - mine is held in some beautiful gardens - turns into a Philosophical debate about life most of the time, to include all our group, as we are all doing different subjects. Very interesting, much more relaxed than lectures and often involves weird and wonderful brainteasers too!

Lectures in the evening - this one on travelling to discover History - lead on to a discussion over dinner on my table about "Gap Yah"s and whether they were a good idea before applying to Uni - especially Oxbridge, in most cases.

We got to sign up for activities for Sunday - I chose Drama, but there was literally something for all the boys' and girls' interests; from Kayaking to Silversmithing and pretty much everything in between.

I've signed up for Speeches - a showcase of talents near the end of the course. Some people are dancing, doing drama or reading poems but I'll sing and play guitar. There are so many talents - it's pleasantly surprising to see Bio/Chem people reciting a poem or unusual things like that!

"What's your name and what are you doing?"

Day 1 and 2 of Eton were pretty much a blur of courteous introductions and small talk, instantly forgetting everything the other person said because of the info overload. However, everyone putting themselves out there really helped settling in. The girls in my house - Manor - are so lovely and friendly, as is everyone else - and it's not at all intimidating. The Undergrads are a step between your classmates and House Parent - and they are there to make sure you feel at home. And we do call it home now.
We're all in the same boat, and it's exciting to meet new people, having to break the ice and find out how they got to here and why they love what they're doing.

The towering historic buildings and winding streets of Eton are gorgeous and after slowly learning navigation ofthe town, I began to see the appeal of the quiet, studious, tea-drinking (a worthy passtime) atmoshpere.

The work can as a little jolt. A blind delirium of amazing discussions, lectures and jokes - yes, even jokes - and although I do English, it seems the other subjects are equally as engaging. The facilities are amazing - I mean, where else would you find 18th century first editions being passed around an English classroom?! - and the whole place encourages discussion. Everyone is so passionate - about discussing their subject, University and just living and learning. It's like we breathe it. It's so nice to be able to remember why we love what we do, and glimpse at the world beyond the exam board.

Best weekend ever!

Last weekend was absolutely fantastic!
The first thing was no homework. The second thing was the BBQ and disco party on Saturday. We went to a small island. It took us about 15, 20 minutes by coach and 5 minutes by boat! It is the second time I have travelled by boat and the first time I have gone to a disco party. The island was vey nice. There was a big house and a big garden on it.There were several games for us to play like bowling, connect four, football and croquet. I played a posh game!!! I danced a lot that night. The ambiance was wonderful. People danced and sang together. I can't remember how many songs were played by the DJ. By the way, he was so good. I don't think I can ever forget that night.
I went to the chapel on Sunday and then I participated in dance activity eventhough I haven't learned about dance before. In the first session, we did some street dancing routine. In the second session, we did cheer leading. My grandmother must be surprised if she knows I was the flyer (I was scared at the beginning, too). I stood up high on my team members's hand and then I was thrown up and catched by them. It was so much fun. We did our best and our performance was impressive. I love this weekend so much. I wish every weekend could be like that.
Today my legs are really hurting because I danced a lot. And I had to go up to 5th floor twice to go to my class:( I have 2 essays to write but luckily, they are due on Wednesday.
I am looking forward to my tutorial this afternoon and especially to the trip to London tomorrow. I can't wait.

Just Checking

Dear All

This is just to let you know that I am reading the blog and I am glad to see that you are all working hard and finding your lessons both challenging and enjoyable. At least I know that 5/6 of you are finding it so - I would like to hear from Katalina, so try to encourage her to make a contribution.

Have a good weekend!

Blog

Something unexpected has happened. Lessons are getting more interesting! I think now that we've generally covered the basics of what we need to know in all the subjects we can start exploring the interesting 'bits'. The set work is also getting more difficult :O but that's what I was expecting, so I'm not complaining.
The tutorials that we are having are also great, lots of disscussion. :)

Day four at Eton.

My second lesson today was very interesting. We learned about marginal utility. It is absolutely new and enjoyable. I received my homework sheets including some comments of Mr. Allen. I was quite happy about the comments. It gave me more incentive. I enjoyed my tutorial. We watched a bit of 'Matrix' yesterday and talked about subjectivity of books. The homework today is hard and long. I will try to manage it. I signed for Dance activity even though I haven't known anything about it. I hope it will be fun.

Fun-filled weekend!

I can't believe its Friday already - time seems to just fly by! All my lessons are fantastic. I get the opportunity to learn scientifically theories and their application to the real world; I seem to be able to predict the methods scientists use for genetic modification - with guidance from my biology teacher of course. At 5:15pm I will have to talk about a topic that in which i have great passion for and express it in a way to make my form group want to research into. My chosen topic is Global Warming, it's changing the world negatively at an alarming rate yet we don't take enough action, we have to start before it becomes too late.

Tomorrow I get the morning lessons off, they will be replaced by mock interviews. I will certainly prepare for these tonight, it will be a priceless experience and will allow me to identify my weakness. A disco and barbecue will follow, it should be good fun and a nice break from studies. On Sunday, there will be a chapel service, that welcomes people of all backgrounds regardless of ethnicity or religious beliefs. On top of that, there will a tennis tournament, which i have signed myself up for, on the following day. It would be my first ever game but I intend to have fun and learn although winning would be nice ( maybe another tournament though!)

Nobith

Quantum Physics spliiting the Brain in half.

So far today has been great. Woke up as usual, had breakfast as usual and went to lessons... as usual. The lessons have been beneficial; studying the C3 and C4 mathematics will give me an edge next year. The extrawork load is immense for double maths and maths + physics student. It was infuriating to hear the bio + chem students get less work than us AND they have tomorow off whereas I got two maths lessons!

-Life is unfair-

But thats not to say I don't like my lessons. Realistically (drifting away from the child-like thinking) it is better having extra lessons because at the end of the day the aim is to gain more knowledge and having a broader understanding of the subjects I chose. Also, seeing as I have been given this great opportunity; it is satisfying for me to make the most of it.

Tomorrow there will be a mock interview -Oxbridge style- for which I am preparing for. Throughout this 'trip' I have gained a lot of knowledge on the do's and don'ts of an interview. My tutorial "Beak" (the Etonian name for a teacher) is very helpful and recommended two books for us to read - which I will definately take a look at.

We are missing our recreation time by doing this blog, therefore I can not make any comments on the type of sports carried out by the rest of the students - however from the sound of things it seems enjoyable.

Tomorrow there will also be a barbeque party so I doubt we will get a chance to write a blog, but I will definately give it a go.

Lets hope I can finish the extra works tonight.

=(

Rafsan
09/07/2010

I'm Back!

My Blog got messed up i dont know what happened :-(

First Thoughts

Looking to the left and right, the buildings seems to be human-like, having personalities and stories to tell. The aging pillars with engraved names of the notorious father figures of great britain. Every walk spools a feeling of 'am i really here?', 'is this really were he ate, slept, worked?'. Standing in awe as I come to realise that my aspirations aren't as wild as I first thought.

Ibtesham

[I forgot my username and password :-( ]

Simply AMAZING.

Eton College is great! It exceeds my expectations of it and so far has no downsides. The students are very welcoming not mention intelligent (they all have around 10 A*'s!) The teaching method is terrific. I particularly enjoy my biology lessons taught by Mr Frearson; his objective is to stretch us but not to the point of snapping and prove to us that the most biological theories are inter-connected. He starts off by testing out how much we know and then he builds from there in a sequential fashion. This makes difficult conepts easier to understand and by linking it with other topics we are expanding on those fields as well. Oh and he also asks questions making us work towards the answers/explanations instead of 'telling' us which avoids making biology into a subject of pure memorisation. By challenging us to find the explanations behind theories makes the subject itself far more enjoyable and interesting.

We also started our tutorial sessions. My tutor discusses scientifical philosphy: 'Is science the gateway to the truth?' This is one of many quesions I had to find a reasonable answer to. First of all what is truth and secondly what does science aim to achieve? This question has taxed philosphers for centuries there is no 'correct' answer but many different answers that suits individuals. Afterwards, the first lecture began, to be honest I though it wasn't going to be interesting but I was in for a pleasant surprise. He explained to us the propositions of science stated by many famous scientists: he raised them only to knock them down; he stated one proposition, found its flaws until moving onto a better model. It ended in optical illusions which definitely engaged the entire audience.

On Monday I will get the opportunity to play the famous Wall Game. Can't wait!

Nobith

O My God

The summer school is totally not what I expected! The amount of work is immense. Every night I end up pulling more hair out because of the pressure... at this rate I'm going to go bald very soon.

But I am enjoying the boarding experience even though my worst fear of sharing a public toilet has come true!

The food are good (surprisingly) and today's lunch was specially delicious.

Yesterday was not a good day for me as I was jet lagged because of my trip to America. However it is starting to get better now. I actually slept last night for a change and so today I was able to focus more and participate more in class.

About 10 minutes ago I had my last lesson of the day, and it was horrible because I coudn't keep up with the class as the topic covered was totally new to me, as opposed to the rest of the students who had previous lessons in that field.

I am (not) looking forward to the homework set tonight... foreboding more hair pulling...

Rafsan
08/07/2010

Here comes Eton!

We arrived Eton at about 2pm on Tuesday. After registration, we went to our own rooms. My room is quite good. It is on the first floor so it is quite convenient. On the first day, I visited some places in Eton like the Chapel and the museum. I have met a lot of new friends. They are all nice, friendly and very intelligent. The lessons and the lecture are very interesting. I have learned so many new things. The food is nice. I did some activities yesterday. It was fun. Today is the third day at Eton. I hope more interesting things are still ahead.

Chain Blogging

I'll have to make up for my lack of blogging today. Prepare yourself.

Eton is amazingly beautifully spectacularly great - and surprisingly relaxed. I managed to settle in easily due to the fact that everyone here is lovely and completely supportive of of everyone else. We really are like minded and ambitious. The teachers have a magic touch and seem to put a sparkle on everything that they teach me - nothing so far has been boring. AND (my parents will be happy to know) I have never gone hungry.

The set work is difficult but completely manageable - everyone in the house gathers around after supper and helps each other with any problems. Boarding experience = thumbs up.

I also have to mention the lecture that everyone attended last night (Wed). It blew my mind and has inspired me to look into the philosophy of science. Thank you Mr Fussey :)

14 more hours to go!

I can't wait. I finished packing yesterday. From the beginning of July, I haven't been stopping thinking about Eton. I counted everyday and now I am counting every hour. It is gonna be sunny tomorrow. That's so cool. I think it is gonna be a summery summer school, too :) .
See you all tomorrow!

The wait is over…(Nearly!)

At long last the time for Eton College Summer School to begin has finally arrived! Only a few hours to go for us to experience first class education at the most prestigious school in the country.

I can’t wait to get started!

I’ll make lots of notes; not only on the syllabus being taught but also how education differs from the way I know it. I’ll also take lots of pictures to freeze this experience for eternity.

Be seeing you all soon,

Nobith

It is now 3.55 pm on Monday, I would hope that all six participants are eagerly anticipating the start of the summer school tomorrow. It would be great if you could all put in something about how you are feeling, and what your expectations are for the summer school at this time.

Also I would like to remind you that the minibus will be leaving promptly at 12.00 noon from Tower Hamlets PDC, English Street, London E3 4TA. You should have been sent a map of where this is (5 mins from Mile End Tube). I will arrange to meet you at PDC reception.

Packing now may be sensible

Not long until Tuesday!
The weather looks promising enough for a summery summer school (I hope I'm not jinxing it) and great fun is waiting to be had.

I'm very excited right now and that really is all that I can think to write of now - kudos to the bloggers who do this regularly.

Looking forward to seeing everyone - Aminah