My recent experience on the 2024 Summer Oxford Royale program at Oxford was incredibly disappointing, and a source of much regret. I attended as part of a school group, and had heard great things about the program both at school information webinars and from my own research. It was advertised as a fantastic balance of both educational and social rigor, but my personal experience was anything but that.
Firstly, the program was shockingly disorganised. From a manually 'registering' over a hundred students for campus exits/entries and curfews, to relying on a whiteboard for timetable changes/announcements and submission/returns of assignments. The lack of communication between the staff themselves was obvious and caused much confusion on a daily basis.
Secondly, the academic side wasn't at all like what is advertised. The quality of teaching was appalling, partly due to the lack of certifications and experience the teachers had. My business teacher was not an 'expert tutor', simply a business start-up with very little teaching experience. Many periods of class time were spent with both the teacher and students aimlessly on their phones to pass time. The content prepared often didn't take up the entire lesson, even though the lack of enrolment screening meant some students were not proficient in English to the point where their inability to understand the content resulted in slowing down the classes. The Law & Politics course I switched to also had no lectures, guest speakers or masterclasses.
Thirdly, the social activities were beyond unsatisfactory. The lack of variety between whatever last-minute activities the poor staff could produce with their limited resources (which they themselves admitted) and the miscommunication that occurred during this process swiftly eliminated any enjoyment during this 'entertaining extracurricular calendar' (as the website calls it). The glamorous graduation shown on the Oxford Royale website was also incredibly misleading; the final event that most students were looking forward to turned out to be hosted on campus in the very same foyer we arrived and registered in, which was really a mundane room/classroom except with the addition of a DJ stand and food table. The students that couldn't fit into the room had the charming option of spending their time outside in the field.
Safety was also another huge concern, mainly on our weekend trip to London, where we wandered around unsupervised for 4 hours before being trusted with making our way back to where the bus had dropped us off. A lot of students at my campus also fell unwell, and the protocols for caring for them were below par. The nurse was not always on campus and only available for a few hours a day. One of my friends was scolded for exiting the campus to get some lunch and was told she should've stayed in her room, despite no communication on how she would receive food. Although it wasn't a huge concern for me, it's worth mentioning that many students also felt unwell after eating some dinners and opted for eating out instead.
I'm sure this review sounds overwhelmingly negative, but I really did expect more from a course that cost me $17k (in my home currency) and one that was advertised to be so much more. I did meet and make many new friends from all across the world, and the campus itself was truly gorgeous, but the experience Oxford Royale seems to promise was lacking. The staff on my campus seemed to share these opinions themselves, and were often extremely stressed and overworked. It appeared that they were lacking the experience and organisation befitting a company that has supposedly run for over 20 years with great success. It might also be of use to mention that many aspects I mentioned in my experience were vastly different from that of my peers on other campuses, and that it itself is inexcusable in light of the fact we all paid the same amount.
In short, my experience with Oxford Royale was not only underwhelming, but also incredibly disheartening. I regret the time and enormous amount of money my family spend on it, and wish I didn't go. I could only wish it was an experience like the one many others describe it as.
