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For all potential Oxbridge Classicists, go to Bryanston!!
Hey hey,
I thought that the word about the greatest summer camp in the world should be spread! The JACT Ancient Greek summer school, which is held at Bryanston school in Dorset every year, is an absolute must for all those who either are about to apply to Oxbridge to read Classics, or for those who have already been offered a place, to start in October. This year, there were 310 pupils/students taking part in the two week course. Anyway, here are the unequivocal reasons to go.
1) My Ancient Greek improved so incredibly during the two weeks. There are three types of class - beginner, intermediate and advanced, clearly ranging from those who only know the alphabet (a pre-requisite) to Advanced 9, made of pupils who are about to embark upon Classics at Oxbridge, having completed an A-Level in ancient greek. I was in an Advanced 8 group, made otherwise of students who had completed AS Greek and were all about to start A2 and apply to Uni. During the two weeks, with 30 hours of actual teaching, we read book 24 of the Iliad and Euripides' Medea in their entirities, and some of Dio Chrysostom's Orations. My ablility to translate is now indisputeably more fluent, as is my knowledge of the Hellenistic world: almost every night, there were incompulsary lectures on different aspects of the Greek world, as well as four additional afternoon seminars throughout the two week period. While there is alot of independent work to do - the average amount is about 3 additional hours a day - the results really are astonishing.
2) There is so much else to do. I was part of the course choir, orchestra, and acted in one of the course plays - Aristophanes' Clouds, which was performed at the end of the first week in English. At the end of the second week, there was also a performance of Euripides' Hiketides in the original Greek at Bryanston's very own greek theatre - an incredible experience! On top of all of this, there are, I believe, 45 tennis courts, squash courts, football pitches and a swimming pool to use at any time, and the location is so beautiful that it's perfectly easy just to relax, sitting on you favourite window-sill overlooking the breath-taking dorset countryside (memories...) with your...
3) Friends... and, gosh, you make SO many!! Everyone just seems to click, given that there are so many common interests. And here's the clincher (as if you needed one!) - there were 59 of us who were all going to be on the same year at Oxford, reading Classics in some form, as well as 57 who were, similarly, starting at Cambridge this October. It was like like an extended Oxbridge Classics Fresher's week - and definitely as intense!! I am now incredibly good friends with two of the six other New College Classicists, as well as getting on extremely well with the third. I had two quasi-romances during the two weeks, with one of them off to Christ Church and the other off to Magdalen, and there's potential with a third, who's heading off to Corpus Christi, all Oxford, all this October! I definitely feel I even know some of the people from Greek camp better than some of my friends, whom I've known for seven years at boarding school - now try and tell me it wasn't worth it!! There were at least 120 who were just about to enter their Upper Sixth year and put in their applications who, as well as almost all being incredibly cool, were really encouraged to be with so many successful applicants from the year above! Additionally, I know for a fact that when Oxbridge's Fresher's weeks actually starts, all the Classicists who didn't go to Bryanston really feel like they've missed out!!
The course isn't cheap, at £520 all in, though there are loads of bursaries available to help with finances, but you just have to go! There was even one girl there who's starting at Cambridge reading NatSci in October, but came to Bryanston anyway as a beginner because she had heard the course was so good! So go, because you know you won't have a better two weeks next summer...
I thought that the word about the greatest summer camp in the world should be spread! The JACT Ancient Greek summer school, which is held at Bryanston school in Dorset every year, is an absolute must for all those who either are about to apply to Oxbridge to read Classics, or for those who have already been offered a place, to start in October. This year, there were 310 pupils/students taking part in the two week course. Anyway, here are the unequivocal reasons to go.
1) My Ancient Greek improved so incredibly during the two weeks. There are three types of class - beginner, intermediate and advanced, clearly ranging from those who only know the alphabet (a pre-requisite) to Advanced 9, made of pupils who are about to embark upon Classics at Oxbridge, having completed an A-Level in ancient greek. I was in an Advanced 8 group, made otherwise of students who had completed AS Greek and were all about to start A2 and apply to Uni. During the two weeks, with 30 hours of actual teaching, we read book 24 of the Iliad and Euripides' Medea in their entirities, and some of Dio Chrysostom's Orations. My ablility to translate is now indisputeably more fluent, as is my knowledge of the Hellenistic world: almost every night, there were incompulsary lectures on different aspects of the Greek world, as well as four additional afternoon seminars throughout the two week period. While there is alot of independent work to do - the average amount is about 3 additional hours a day - the results really are astonishing.
2) There is so much else to do. I was part of the course choir, orchestra, and acted in one of the course plays - Aristophanes' Clouds, which was performed at the end of the first week in English. At the end of the second week, there was also a performance of Euripides' Hiketides in the original Greek at Bryanston's very own greek theatre - an incredible experience! On top of all of this, there are, I believe, 45 tennis courts, squash courts, football pitches and a swimming pool to use at any time, and the location is so beautiful that it's perfectly easy just to relax, sitting on you favourite window-sill overlooking the breath-taking dorset countryside (memories...) with your...
3) Friends... and, gosh, you make SO many!! Everyone just seems to click, given that there are so many common interests. And here's the clincher (as if you needed one!) - there were 59 of us who were all going to be on the same year at Oxford, reading Classics in some form, as well as 57 who were, similarly, starting at Cambridge this October. It was like like an extended Oxbridge Classics Fresher's week - and definitely as intense!! I am now incredibly good friends with two of the six other New College Classicists, as well as getting on extremely well with the third. I had two quasi-romances during the two weeks, with one of them off to Christ Church and the other off to Magdalen, and there's potential with a third, who's heading off to Corpus Christi, all Oxford, all this October! I definitely feel I even know some of the people from Greek camp better than some of my friends, whom I've known for seven years at boarding school - now try and tell me it wasn't worth it!! There were at least 120 who were just about to enter their Upper Sixth year and put in their applications who, as well as almost all being incredibly cool, were really encouraged to be with so many successful applicants from the year above! Additionally, I know for a fact that when Oxbridge's Fresher's weeks actually starts, all the Classicists who didn't go to Bryanston really feel like they've missed out!!
The course isn't cheap, at £520 all in, though there are loads of bursaries available to help with finances, but you just have to go! There was even one girl there who's starting at Cambridge reading NatSci in October, but came to Bryanston anyway as a beginner because she had heard the course was so good! So go, because you know you won't have a better two weeks next summer...
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My boyfriend and a load of people from my school went to Bryanston this year and seem to have had a fantastic time... did you meet anyone from Westminster, seeing as they would have been in similar standard groups to you?
bigjcoool
Yeah, I met loads of people from Westminster, though not entirely sye on names: Alex Asher, Adam Grant (Is that right?), Dim (?), Andrew (he's greek)... Any of them ring a bell?
Yep, Adam Grant and Andrew I know, and Alex Asher I know less well. Dim?!
Ok, I couldn't resist giving my own impression of Bryanston, which sadly was nowhere near as positive as that of others here. I do, however, suspect that the fact that I've already been at Cambridge for a year and had a gap year before that influenced my opinion. The place seemed full of public school kids who really were a breed apart - I felt 'common' for the first time in my life, despite having gone to private school from the age of 10. The social composition put me in mind of how state school kids fear Oxbridge will be, but which it actually isn't. I was totallly unimpressed with the 11pm curfew and the banning of members of the oposite sex from even the communal areas of the Houses. The food was uninspiring to say the least (someone should really have told the kitchen staff that chicken is not the only meat). I was in the Beginners' class, and whilst my teacher, Antony Bowen, was fantastic, the Reading Greek Course leaves much to be desired. I could scarcely conceive of a more random method of teaching Greek if I tried, with grammar being introduced in a haphazard fashion rather than being presented in its entirety in neat, comprehensive tables. It seems that the experience is more enjoyable if you are studying proper Greek literature. The course was certainly not worth over £500, and I wouldn't chose to go again next year.
Michelle2
. The place seemed full of public school kids who really were a breed apart - I felt 'common' for the first time in my life, despite having gone to private school from the age of 10. The social composition put me in mind of how state school kids fear Oxbridge will be, but which it actually isn't.
Do tell..how did you feel "common" amongst public school kids? And what exactly do you mean? Do they carry canes and wear suits?
I don't know what to say to that... I agree, there was definiely a large public school majority, but a good number of my best friends on the course were from two east London state grammars, who had the times of their lives... But, obviously, each to their own... Disagree about the food I must, however, especially after the discovery of both the cold meat and made-to-order omlette bars, granted it doesn't really compare to college food. And, though undeniably frustrating, the 11 o'clock curfew does make sense, given that I'm sure (I know I would have) loads of people would just have burnt out from doing so much if i had been any later, particulary since the average age was about 17, maybe even slightly less! 
Agreeing with you though, I don't know why they have to use Reading Greek - there are far better teaching methods - stupidly, Oxford uses it as well (Does Cambridge for beginners?) - that must be why Bryanston choose it as well !!
Agreeing with you though, I don't know why they have to use Reading Greek - there are far better teaching methods - stupidly, Oxford uses it as well (Does Cambridge for beginners?) - that must be why Bryanston choose it as well !!
bigjcoool
Agreeing with you though, I don't know why they have to use Reading Greek - there are far better teaching methods - stupidly, Oxford uses it as well (Does Cambridge for beginners?) - that must be why Bryanston choose it as well !!
Agreeing with you though, I don't know why they have to use Reading Greek - there are far better teaching methods - stupidly, Oxford uses it as well (Does Cambridge for beginners?) - that must be why Bryanston choose it as well !!
The school is run by the Joint Association of Classical Teachers, the same people who devised and wrote 'Reading Greek'. It would be odd of them to use anything else.
I thought the food was foul, even the salad bar (making rubbish a different colour does nothing to affect the taste).
Curfew: It makes sense for children, but not for those over eighteen; at the Latin camp at Wells they managed to put older people into houses together (they didn't have the absurd segregation by sex), and there was no curfew, and somehow we still managed to learn Latin.
Hmm, interesting. If there were 1000 people at a concert, and you say, "There were like 5 people there!", is that under-exaggerating?
H&E, add 'Discuss.' to the bottom of your post!
H&E, add 'Discuss.' to the bottom of your post!
bigjcoool
Let's not over-exaggerate - no canes, and no suits either this year at Bryanston, to my recollection!
I saw both; I can think of at least five people who wore suits either constantly or regularly. They were commoner in the evenings, especially in the bar or around the main building.
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