For the price of $5,000, plus airfare, five seniors at THS studied abroad, traveling to Oxford in the United Kingdom, studying at St. Hugh’s College, an umbrella college for the prestigious University of Oxford.
“I think it’s one of those opportunity-of-a-lifetime type things,” said THS International Baccalaureate coordinator Derek Parsons, who chaperoned one of the trips, which took place in early August.
“To be able to go to England and study at one of the most renowned universities in the world is an opportunity that is irreplaceable,” Parsons said.
The college offered a rigorous three-week program that introduced students to both the city of Oxford and the core of the Oxford education, the tutorial, which strongly favors intellectual discussions over lectures. The focus of the program is intellectual freedom, allowing the THS students the opportunity to study with a tutor from the university’s staff, many of whom are leaders in their fields.
Kara Kasberg, 17, decided to study opera and vocals, and was tutored by Chris Watson, whom she described as a “popular tenor” in England.
“It was really neat,” she said. “I didn’t have to do much reading, compared to the other students. I was able to listen to a large variety of music.
“It was something I wanted to do badly,” said Ms. Kasberg, who participates in the THS Choir, for which she has received awards. “I mean, I got to work with one of the most famous tenors (in England).”
Scott Ray, 18, wanted to research Soviet propaganda.
“I did a lot of reading,” said Ray, who said he was able to pay for the trip with the help of his grandparents. “I was reading a few books a night. It was pretty vigorous work.
Each week, the students researched and wrote papers on the subjects of their choosing, which were heavily critiqued by their tutors.
“I think it’s something I will take a lot out of,” said Sarah Keyser, 17, who studied novelist Jane Austen. “I can for sure say now that I can write a college-level paper with only two or three days of preparation.”
Kendra Barnett, 17, studied the history and influences behind the design of Central Park in New York City. Barnett said an architect, who was influenced heavily after visiting Oxford, designed the park.
“The parks in Oxford and other areas of Britain are heavily green,” Ms. Barnett said. “There’s not a lot of construction on them. They’re built to have spacious events. When we visited, there were a number things going on at the parks, like soccer games, and things that used the green.”
Sarah Jo White, 17, said she studied the analysis and psychoanalysis of fairy tales.
“I wanted to study the psychological reasons why children like fairy tales, and the psychological impact that they have on people,” she said. “To a number of people, fairy tales have much deeper undertones than people think.”
