Oxford Royale gave me the chance to explore various areas of interest and allowed me to narrow down my options. In the New Perspectives course, I was able to choose three subjects. This gave me larger exposure to potential career alternatives and helped me develop skills like independence and confidence. I chose this program to understand how my life will be when I go to college and help understand the areas that I wish to pursue.
Alumni Spotlight: Maya Sadarangani
Maya is a 15-year old girl who lives in India. She is passionate about Photography and Writing. She aspires to be a journalist someday.
Why did you choose this program?
What did your program provider assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?
Oxford Royale Academy made the experience extremely smooth and hassle free. I was provided with all course materials along with a welcome pack that was posted to my address, covering everything I needed to bring with me. They assisted in the travel as well. Stationery, clothes, and essentials were compiled into a list also contained in the welcome pack. Generally, I did not have to do anything on my own. The staff was reachable at any point in time and had round-the-clock assistance.
What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?
You must be very responsible. You will be given independence, and it depends on how you manage it. The work for classes must be done, and rules must be adhered to. The staff makes the consequences very clear. The program will run smoothly if one abides by these. Be ready to work, and understand the responsibilities that are paired with freedom.
What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?
One will have classes in the morning all the way until either lunch, or on alternate days classes, until 3:00 PM. However, through this period, there are half an hour breaks between classes and one hour for lunch. You usually are allowed free time where people choose to finish homework or go and explore the town. The evening consists of dinner and activities. On odd days, you have excursions. One is always busy at this course!
Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?
My biggest fear was not having the ability to connect with people from so many different parts of the world. However, the moment I reached the campus, I found everybody chattering and enjoying themselves. It was a very inclusive space. Instead of having to weave myself into conversations, people came up to me. I’ve now made a bunch of diverse lifelong friends and cannot imagine my life without them.
How does this course academically assist you?
Besides the fun element of the course, Oxford Royale helped me greatly with time management. Usually, I’d spend hours on end writing a paper. Over here, however, one would have limited time to complete a task at hand. We were taught a series of techniques and tricks that would help us in the future, not only in the area we’ve chosen to pursue, but across all subjects.