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JACT Greek Summer School 2012?

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Reply 20
Oh good! Have you been before?
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 21
Original post by -becca-
Oh good! Have you been before?


Yes, I went last year, it was great! Have you?
Reply 22
Nope, so I'm a bit nervous about what to expect really! Although everybody says that it's amazing :biggrin:
Reply 23
Oh, I got my letter of acceptance today! :smile: Guess I had no need to worry, quite excited now.
Reply 24
I'm going this year - I've never been before, but I'm looking forward to it. :smile:
Reply 25
I'm going for the first time too...

Anyone know what the atmos of the place is? I've heard one person on another thread, who seemed to enjoy some sort of weird, Woodstock experience, saying that they had 3 summer romances, but I think that might have just been boarding- school sexual frustration talking, especially considering the 11pm curfew and separate housing.

I'll be on the beginner course. Will I have 'fun', not Woodstock style, but generally? XD All opinions welcome. At the mo the place is giving me a daunting Downton Abbey vibe with its 500 tennis courts...
Reply 26
Original post by Gabeybaby
I'm going for the first time too...

Anyone know what the atmos of the place is? I've heard one person on another thread, who seemed to enjoy some sort of weird, Woodstock experience, saying that they had 3 summer romances, but I think that might have just been boarding- school sexual frustration talking, especially considering the 11pm curfew and separate housing.

I'll be on the beginner course. Will I have 'fun', not Woodstock style, but generally? XD All opinions welcome. At the mo the place is giving me a daunting Downton Abbey vibe with its 500 tennis courts...



Heya :smile: I’m Rosa, I went to Bryanston last year at the end of year 12, and I have to tell you (baring in mind everyone’s experiences are different) I had possibly the best time of my life :smile: I’m not the overly keen type, I was on the beginner course too and although the 3 hours of greek lessons (I think) per day plus probably about 2/3 hours of work each day on top of that were really enriching and exciting, it was really getting involved in everything else that did it for me; honestly, besides the obvious learning aspect there is SO MUCH to do. They put on 2 plays, one in Ancient Greek itself (a tragedy) and one in English (a comedy), (last year was Euripides The Bacchae and Aristophanes’ The Wasps, and I think this year they’re doing Oedipus Rex for the tragedy!) Being a beginner in Greek I naturally went for the comedy, I was in the chorus and it was utterly fantastic, there was singing and I met so many people with whom I just clicked! They also put on a concert which I took part in, fancy dress parties and every night there’s a lecture from a different classicist renowned in their own particular field. Both Bettany Hughes and Natalie Haynes were there last year, and being that they are both in my top ten favourite authors I was sooo happy :smile:
Now I suppose there were a few people who spent the majority of their time working in the library, but I took the foolish but decidedly more awesome route of socialising in the day and working in the evenings, and trying to get all my work done asap. I made so many friends and went for amazing walks in the amazing grounds, and every night there was for sure a group of people out the near the tennis courts and Greek amphitheatre getting wasted. I did indeed join in on many an occasion. (Particularly the last night. Wow.) Also, two words, ‘rave cave.’ You will soon find out what this means.
In terms of romance I know there were a few people who (despite the rules) were a bit naughty... i’m not sure about your friends credibility but i’ll say it’s not impossible he had three romances :smile: I was in a relationship at the time so I don’t really know about that.

WOW THAT WAS LONG. I apologise, however I hope I gave you a good summary of my experience :smile: (nota bene: i’m not sure if it’s just me but I found Bryanston the least intimidating place ever. Honestly I don’t know where they fit all those tennis courts. It’s grand, but it’s like Hogwarts. Awesome. (I go to a state school.))
Reply 27
Wow haha, that was helpful and very thorough ta. Good to hear the perspective of 'not overly keen type' a state school pupil. That's reassuring XD

Are you doing it again this year? I'm in year 12 atm and am almost definitely going to apply for Classics after AS results. Did you find it helpful? Me being presumptuous, did you apply for Oxbridge afterwards? Did most beginners seem to be already accepted by Oxbridge or was there a mix?

I'm looking forward to it more now :smile: I don't know if I fancy acting so much, but the rave cave and group drinking might be more my thing...

Thanks very much! :biggrin:
Reply 28
Original post by Gabeybaby
Wow haha, that was helpful and very thorough ta. Good to hear the perspective of 'not overly keen type' a state school pupil. That's reassuring XD

Are you doing it again this year? I'm in year 12 atm and am almost definitely going to apply for Classics after AS results. Did you find it helpful? Me being presumptuous, did you apply for Oxbridge afterwards? Did most beginners seem to be already accepted by Oxbridge or was there a mix?

I'm looking forward to it more now :smile: I don't know if I fancy acting so much, but the rave cave and group drinking might be more my thing...

Thanks very much! :biggrin:


You’re very welcome :smile: I am indeed doing it again this year! I have an offer from Cambridge and it’s specified within the conditions (as i’ve applied to the 3 year course meaning i’ll have A Level Latin, but won't have an A Level or equivalent qualification for Greek. Or any qualification in Greek, for that matter.) :smile: And Bryanston was exceedingly helpful for me, not only in that it was the final deal-maker in terms of my applying to classics, but also I now have a basic grounding in Greek such that I can come to the summer school this year as an intermediate, and hopefully be ahead of a few of the others in my position later :smile: I would recommend organising a Greek tutor for your time in year 13 after the Bryanston course, I have one whom I see once a fortnight for two hours, and whilst there’s no pressure of having to take an exam it also means I haven’t forgotten any of the beginner greek from last summer, and I know I would have forgotten everything i’d learnt at Bryanston by now without my tutor.
And i’m not sure about the general status in terms of university applications/offer of the beginners from last year. You’ll be placed in a small tutor group of 5-7 people in the same position as you, so in the same year at school and with similar Latin experience. If I was to guess though i’d say that the beginners mostly comprised people in year 11 and 12 rather than those who had university offers already, as those with (especially Oxbridge) offers were keen enough to have gone the year before and been bumped up to intermediate (or advanced) :smile: xx
(edited 11 years ago)
Reply 29
The camp is literally a haven:
You can be whoever you like,
you can make it what you want it to be,
you can drink / smoke / party,
whilst learning one of the most fascinating subject to exist / being in a play / hearing awesome lectures,
if you're a guy you will most likely form a very guyish bond and enjoy what it's like to be in a group like that,
It's literally 7am-12am (2+ if you have translations:P) for two weeks of amazing experiences.

And a sub-note: people have such amazing manners and are so friendly whilst you're there, leaving (for me at least, up in the north) you'll be sad at how people aren't usually like this. The teaching staff are usually banterous and generally awesome, too. I can't go this year but it is something that you should do for the greek itself and the extra-life itself. But you get both. It's seriously awesome.
I'll be going too!
Probably in the intermediate group, will any of you be aswell?

sent a join request for the facebook thing too:smile:

I'm still a little apprehensive about what it will be like, which is ridiculous as I've seen so many good comments about it, mainly here! :biggrin:
Reply 31
Original post by youspyrosa
Both Bettany Hughes and Natalie Haynes were there last year...


Whoa...really?! I swear I went to the lectures every night and seem to have somehow missed her. X( Heart broken...

Incase anyone else wants the benefit of another's experience, I went last year in Year 12 having had two years of on-and-off lunchtime Greek lessons (but I went into an Advanced Class), and I came home with Greek knowledge which far outstripped my 4 years of proper Latin lessons :tongue: Three sessions a day doesn't sound like a lot, but it's intense, considering the amount of homework you get set and the daily grammar tests.

I agree that it's really one of the most enjoyable and mad weeks that I've ever had, and that I met some really amazing people there with whom I'm still in contact and go and visit every now and then. :smile: I also tried to do loads of stuff as well, like being in the Greek play, playing in the orchestra, going on the organised walk and going to as many seminars as possible...it will fly by, but go and have the best fortnight of your life - and make someone like me who can't afford a second year exceedingly jealous!! :P
wow, can't wait now! :biggrin:

can gcses just hurry the hell up and the summer start so i can go have banterous times at greek school?!
Reply 33
daily grammar tests? *trembles in fear*
My teacher put me in for advanced, and I'm only doing my Greek GCSE this summer, so I'm going to be right at the bottom of that group then?
Also, what are the rooms like? Big dorm rooms or in twos?
Reply 34
Original post by darkducki
daily grammar tests? *trembles in fear*
My teacher put me in for advanced, and I'm only doing my Greek GCSE this summer, so I'm going to be right at the bottom of that group then?
Also, what are the rooms like? Big dorm rooms or in twos?


Don't worry about the grammar tests - more scary than they sound. Mine was something like only principle parts of five irregular verbs each day, and some prose comp stuff. The director of studies takes everyone's different stages in Greek very seriously, so you'll probably be put with people in a very similar situation to you, no need to worry :smile:

And it depends really - I was sharing with one other guy but some people were in rooms of up to 4/5
ahh so happy to have found this thread! internet community strikes again... i'm in the same position as *darkducki* - am in the "advanced" group, having just sat gcses and am a bit worried - okay, more than a bit - possibly even petrified - that it'll be two weeks surrounded by Greek Einsteins fresh out of oxbridge... is it true that people come all the way from america? also - how many people are usually there? just read the letter again, fairly confused by the labyrinth of rooms, studies, olympic sports facilities etc :/
Reply 36
ParanoidAnrdoid (YAY Douglas Adams!) thank god there's someone else in the same position as me! Don't worry, I'm equally confused by the letter, and well, everything. I'm sure it will be fine, from what I've seen of the facebook group, everyone sounds lovely and not intimidating at all :biggrin:
Reply 37
Don't worry guys, you'll love it! See you on Sunday! :woo:
Reply 38
Original post by Sappho
Don't worry guys, you'll love it! See you on Sunday! :woo:


So soon! :dance:

...I haven't even started packing yet...
I have the horrific feeling this may be too late, but how is it for people who are um...bad at socialising? /very shy/quiet/bad at meeting people

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