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Juliette is from a small town in eastern France and enjoys foreign languages, geography, history and social sciences. Read more about her experience of the UCL Pre-University Summer School.
Why did you choose to study the UCL Pre-University Summer School?
This is not my first summer course experience; I had another one last year and really enjoyed it, so I wanted to try a new one. When I saw the course was about global citizenship, I was really interested; I think it’s important to learn about new cultures and get a better understanding of the world.
Also because UCL is located in the heart of London, the atmosphere is quite unique and vibrant, so I really wanted to experience that. UCL promotes international students to come and study here, so I thought it would be interesting to get an insight into university life.
What have been the highlights of the course and why?
Academic
The George Orwell lecture was really enthralling! I knew a little bit about him; his work is very influential and changed the way people see the world today, but I learnt so many things in the lecture. I really enjoyed investigating and looking at some archives to see whether he had been in prison or not. It was really interesting and amusing; I discovered a completely different character!
It was also my first time in a real lecture; I enjoyed taking notes and it felt like I was really at university. That experience is going to help me when I go to university. Now I know how to take notes, I’ll be able to work faster.
Social
I really enjoyed the musical, Aladdin. I was impressed by the special effects and the costumes were so lavish. The singers and dancers were excellent, I was enraptured by the show!
The day trip to Brighton was really funny, we experienced real English weather! It was so rainy and windy as we walked along the seaside, we laughed a lot that day.
London
The best bit about London has been chilling out in the parks and relaxing. You don’t realise you’re in a city anymore, the parks are so nice, especially the ones around UCL.
What skills have you developed on the UCL Pre-University Summer School?
I’ve improved my writing skills and speaking skills. We had to make a presentation, practise speaking to an audience and trigger people’s interest.
It was interesting to know about the university process – experience the seminars and lectures, learning the rules and what it’s like to be a student. For example, we became familiar with how to express ourselves in a very formal way in seminars; we can’t interrupt our classmates while they’re speaking.
What do you want to do once you’ve finished high school?
I’d like to apply to Sciences Po, it offers a double diploma in the UK, so I could study 2 years in France and 2 years in the UK as well.
I’d like to graduate in international relations or environmental policies. I’m a strong advocate of policies that want to protect and preserve nature.
What advice would you give to a student who wants to do the UCL Pre-University Summer School next year?
Fully enjoy your experience here at UCL – make the most of it. Be open, try to make new friends. It’s nice to meet people from all over the world with different backgrounds and learn about new ways of life.
Everyone on the course played a role, everyone got involved in activities. And we learnt from each other, about languages and culture; it was a really rewarding experience.