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On Thursday 23^rd April a small group of specially selected students were taken to one of the most esteemed educational institutions in the world; Oxford University.  Our first stop was the beautiful Victorian hall of Mansfield college, where we were welcomed by the friendly college staff and Harris Experience administrative team. We then had the opportunity to meet and catch-up with our friends from other academies, who are also lucky enough to be taking part in the Harris Experience Programme. 

Our first lecture of the day was given by the Head of the University’s new Oncology Department.  The lecture was fascinating, we were told about Cancer and its formation in the body. We learnt about the body’s natural prevention strategies and looked into the disease itself and how it is researched here at the University. After a tour of the beautiful grounds at Mansfield, we were split into academy groups and led around another prestigious college St. Anne’s. We were lucky enough to get a behind-the-scenes look and learnt about its interesting history as a women’s college and the ramifications of that on the size of their library….

The second part of our day was less formal, we walked through Oxford town centre and arrived at one of the central colleges; Balliol. We got to have a look around the beautiful buildings, meet students in the JCR and even buy ice creams from the pantry. We then went on a city walk and got to see the covered-in market, the Radcliffe Camera, All Souls College, the University Church and many more stunning sights. By chance we walked into the newly build Bodleian building and were able to look at the university’s first folio of Shakespeare’s work, on none other than the Bard’s birthday! It was amazing. Our final stop was the Norrington Room at Blackwell’s bookstore – a treasure trove. We all walked away with a small book about subjects we might want to study at university - we can’t wait to get back for another visit, it was a truly fantastic day.