As more than a month has passed since I said goodbye to Cambridge and my friends from Reach Cambridge, I am now in a better shape to calmly reflect on my experience. I am so grateful to have been selected as a scholarship recipient to the program, which gave me the unique opportunity to experience what it means to live and study in one of the top ranking universities in the world.
As expected, Cambridge was wonderful! The whole city was the university. Everywhere one would breathe and live the shaping of new concepts and ideas all based on the legacy of superb, brilliant minds. This did not, however, mean that youngsters would be all day cooped up in their studies. They knew how to have fun and relax, enjoying the extraordinary weather we were blessed to have. I must say, the weather was so much better than expected.
The courses were varied and diversified, offering opportunities to explore all sorts of Physics related topics and subjects. The program was challenging enough for me to feel I was at university level, and relaxed enough for me to enjoy summer. And the professors were eager to discuss and elaborate if asked from the students, making me feel both comfortable and knowledgeable about the topics covered.
This is not to say all we did is work. We had some impressive visits to some beautiful sites. We visited Birmingham, London, Stratford-upon-Avon and Warwick castle. For me it was the first time to visit the United Kingdom, and I wanted to explore as much as possible. These outings helped me create a better image of such a superb country, and left me wanting to visit it much more in depth. Even though the groups were quite large, the supervisors made sure that we were safe and that we were enjoying the visits at all time.
While in Cambridge, we had different activities almost every day, whether with our own class or with staircase friends. We got to know each other better, and became friends in the process. I had the opportunity to learn about different and varied cultures from Hong Kong to Chile. It is true that the world is shrinking. We had so much more in common than things that separated us. And thanks to the virtual communication, we can continue to keep in touch. The activities were varied and appealing to all tastes and ages. Picnics, sports, punting on the River Cam, exploring of talents, scavenger hunt, were but some of the activities well planned and carried out by the very professional team of Reach Cambridge.
As I am preparing to embark on the exciting journey of University studies in Switzerland, I feel that I am more prepared to face the different challenges ahead of me thanks to the generous scholarship of Reach Cambridge, from more mundane issues, such as living in a dorm to more demanding ones, such as succeeding in the academic issues. I will always cherish the wonderful days that I spent in Cambridge.
Hope to see you soon, UK!
Written by Gerald, Reach Cambridge Scholarship recipient
Residential study programs for 14-18 year olds in Cambridge, UK.
