8: TWELVE DAYS OF REACH – Eight Student Perspectives

It’s Day Eight of our Twelve Days of Reach countdown. So far we’ve brought you our ‘Sounds of Twelve Summers’ playlist, 11 fun facts about Cambridge, 10 favourite photos, and a photo gallery focusing on the 9 courses available during our Spring program. Today, you’ll hear directly from students who have joined us over the years, reflecting on some of their best bits. Without further ado, here are eight highlights from past Reach students… Twelve Days of Reach: From 3rd – 15th December 2017, save an extra £120 off your Reach Cambridge application! This can be used alongside other discounts to make for a huge discount. Quote discount code ‘TWELVE’. 

Welcoming

Each year, students come from all over the world to join us in Cambridge. Naomi was one of them, travelling from Australia all the way to England, and she really appreciated the friendly faces waiting to greet her: “Right from being picked up at the airport by the supervisors, I was made to feel at home. The staff were so welcoming and took the time to get to know the students.”

Promoting a love of learning

Our programs gather together a bunch of academically curious individuals who choose to spend their vacations learning; we always aim to provide them with an educationally enriching, personally rewarding, fundamentally fun experience! Shini’s recollections, therefore, made us very happy:

“Reach Cambridge is one of those programs that makes you want to study… I came to Reach during my month long winter break, and was asked various times before arriving, whether I was sure I wanted to spend my holiday studying. I can tell you, hand on heart, that it is the most fun you’ll ever have while learning.”

Work hard, play hard

All of our programs feature a packed schedule of activities and excursions. For Kiara, “the amazing daytrips” are “undoubtedly one of the most fun parts of the program”, mentioning her visits to “the sunny coast of Brighton, the birthplace of Shakespeare in Stratford-upon-Avon and the Big Smoke itself, London”. Whereas for student Hadiya, the sport on offer was a highlight of the Spring program:

“One of the unforgettable moments was the spree of football games during our free time. During that time, no matter what our skill level was (because it did vary from people who have never played before to people that were captains of their high school teams!), we all just embraced the moment and enjoyed the game. I particularly relished the fact that the sport was not just for the students, but for the supervisors too! This added fun to our games and made us feel closer to people that were helping us throughout the program. Though the games were competitive, we did get a lot of good laughs out of them! It brought us all together – as sports usually do – and made us a very close-knit family.”

Preparation for university

For Reach alumna Allie, one of the most important parts of the program was the opportunity for personal growth, and how that shaped her future:

“Without a doubt, Reach taught me a lot about myself… I came away a different person, one that is more globally aware; after coming home I liked the person I saw in myself and I wanted to keep that going. Reach taught me a lot about being open-minded which I think in today’s global world is a skill that everyone needs to have… At the moment I am preparing to graduate high school and to attend American University in the fall. I am majoring in Journalism and International Studies, which is something Reach really opened my eyes to. Ever since I have come back from Reach I have had this desire to learn more about the world.”

Similarly, past student Kristy really valued the sense of independence she gained while in Cambridge: “For me, the best thing about Reach was the freedom we had. Parents, don’t get me wrong – supervisors always oversaw us and safety always came first. What I mean by freedom is that you can explore the city with your friends, choosing how to spend your free time. Reach will make you feel like a college student – it’s the closest experience to uni you can get!”

Personal growth & independence

Sara liked getting a taste of what university would be like too, crediting Reach with helping her to decide what she wants to study and offering her practical life lessons that will come in handy once she gets there…. “From my point of view Reach was very useful preparation for me and my future as I learnt many things, including how to use a washing machine – which was actually quite a struggle! – and other relevant skills, such as how to live on my own and organise my time wisely.”

Without a doubt, though, the best thing about Reach is… You!

In her blog, Sabrina summed up something that all of the past students said – that it’s the community that makes Reach such a special experience: “Making international friends from all around the world was my favourite part of Reach. I now have lasting relationships with people I never would have known without this program.” Twelve Days of Reach: From 3rd – 15th December 2017, save an extra £120 off your Reach Cambridge application! This can be used alongside other discounts to make for a huge discount. Quote discount code ‘TWELVE’.