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Local students come to Oxford for academic Olympics events

21 June 2012

For one night next week students from Wolverhampton, Dudley and Stourbridge will get their very own academic event thanks to Oriel College, Oxford – with an Olympic twist.

Local state school students will be taking part in an Olympics-themed overnight visit to Oxford University’s Oriel College as part of an outreach event aimed at attracting more students from the greater Birmingham area.

The students from Wednesfield High School, Bishop Milner High School, Pedmore Technology College, Redhill School, and Ridgewood High School are among 50 students attending the ‘Orielympics.’

The Orielympics will take place over two days at Oxford’s Oriel College for students in Years 9 and 10, where they will take part in sessions delivered by Oxford academics. These include looking at controversial events in the Olympics’ history, investigating the various factors potentially influencing a nation’s medal tally, the physiology of sporting performance and the scientific testing of performance-enhancing drugs.

Students will also be examining some of the live insects in the Oxford Museum of Natural History’s collection as part of an investigation into the competitive spirit in nature.

Across the two days, the pupils will work on group projects in a subject of their choice related to the academic sessions, assisted by Oxford students and tutors. The visit will culminate in a presentation to a panel of academic judges and a prize-giving ceremony.

Francesca Slattery, Outreach Officer for the college says: “The Orielympics is all about working with bright young students who love their subjects and introducing them to what life is like living and studying at Oxford, while challenging them intellectually.

“With the UK hosting the Olympics this year it’s a great chance to show students how their academic skills and interests can be relevant to a real-life event that everyone will be watching and following around the world. The theme of sport and the Olympics is also aimed at inspiring them about the pay-offs of hard-work, motivation and dedication, and teamwork.

“We also hope that their visit to Oxford will leave them with the message that they should begin working hard now and thinking about the subjects that inspire them so that as many doors as possible will be open to them in the future.”

Throughout the day and overnight activities, the visiting pupils will be working with current Oxford students giving them a behind-the-scenes look at life in an Oxford college, answering questions about applying and studying at the university and assisting them with the research for their projects.

Mark Johnson is a first-year student studying medicine at Oriel and is a Student Ambassador volunteer, taking part in the event. He says: “As a Student Ambassador I work with a variety of groups of students, and they will often arrive at Oxford with huge misperceptions and why wouldn't they? Until you’ve been here, it’s hard to know what to expect.

“It’s really important to address these and to show the pupils the reality. Students here are committed to learning, and most of them did very well at school– that’s why Oxford is so competitive to get into. Although that means that students here may be up ‘til 2am writing an essay, they're just as likely to be up at 2am socialising with their friends. Oxford is a university that wants to attract people from a wide variety of backgrounds and with lots of different interests – as long as they’re really bright and committed to their subject. You will be able to find someone from every community, background and culture at this university, from across the whole of the UK and the world. It's a fabulous place to get to know so many different people!

“I have no doubt that some students are put off applying here due to misconceptions that they may have about our university. But I also have no doubt that those misconceptions are shed completely by students who come on an open day or outreach event. I came to Oxford on my first open day not knowing what to expect. I'm finishing my first year knowing exactly what students should expect: To get an amazing education, surrounded by great people, in a great location with a great social life too.”

For more information and photos of the Orielympics residential, please contact Julia Paolitto in the Press Office, Oxford University on 01865 280 531 or press.office@admin.ox.ac.uk

For more information about Oriel College Outreach Programme, please contact Francesca Slattery, Outreach Officer on 07825174903 or outreach@oriel.ox.ac.uk

Notes for Editors:

‘The Orielympics: Thinking about sport, learning about university’ is a one-night residential programme of activities for pupils in Years 9 and 10, from the non-selective state schools in the six regions of the country where Oriel college has outreach links. 50 students and 13 teachers in total will attend the two-day overnight visit.

The days’ events and activities are primarily designed to offer academic enrichment and encourage pupils to start thinking about university, and the possibility of applying to Oxford, early on. The importance of subject choice will be a particular focus, as a student’s choice of A level subjects can be a deciding factor in whether and where they attend university.

The academic components will feature lectures by Oxford academics:

  • One session on ‘Scientific approaches to sport’ will be led by biomedical sciences academic Kristine Krug, and will include discussion of physiology in sport and performance-enhancing drugs. Postgraduate student Lauren Fletcher will also discuss the science behind advances in technology in Paralympic competition. 
  • Another session on ‘The politics and economics of Olympic success’ will be led by tutors in History and Economics Ian Forrest and Chris Bowdler, and will include discussion of how to measure Olympic success in medals, plus some of the factors that influence a country’s Olympic medal tally. It will also look at controversial events in the Olympics’ history.

The students will also take part in an activity at Oxford’s Museum of Natural History involving the handling of live insects – the theme of the activity is ‘Survival of the fittest: Nature’s competitive spirit.’

Students will then get to work on their own sport-themed investigative projects in the subjects they are interested in. They will then do a group presentation to a panel of academic judges and the event will culminate in an Olympic prize-giving ceremony. They will get a taste of university life and valuable take-home skills thanks to a session on presentation techniques as part of the project.

As part of the University of Oxford’s on-going commitment to engage with schools, each Oxford college is linked to a Local Authority to ensure that each school has a first point of contact within the University. The ‘Orielympics’ is targeted at schools in the local authorities linked to Oriel college. These are: Dudley, Kensington & Chelsea, Richmond-Upon-Thames, Walsall, Wolverhampton and Worcestershire. For more information on the regional contacts between local authorities and colleges see: www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/regionalisation

All the schools in attendance at the Orielympics are non-selective state schools from Oriel College’s outreach regions.

The event has Student Ambassador volunteers, post-graduate helpers and academics delivering sessions and offering support. Oriel has an official Student Ambassador volunteering programme where students who are passionate about widening access to Oxford University and keen to promote their college get involved in outreach events with schools.