Opportunities to Study Abroad
Every year, a significant number of Scots boys matriculate to the great universities of the world. Most, it is true, are self-directed towards the University of Sydney, which has been the alma mater (particularly through St Paul's and St Andrew's Colleges) for generations of Scots students. This is reflected in the College’s Academic Honour Society, named the ‘Ashburner Society’, after the College’s first Rhodes Scholar, Judge Richard Ashburner, the first NSW Rhodes Scholar chosen without a strong sporting background. The aim, of course, is for the Scots Boys of today to follow Ashburner’s steps to excel in both the academics (University Medal in History) and the professions (Law), and to study in the great intellectual centres of the world (in his case, Balliol College). The Scots College reinforces these expectations across the range of its offerings, through the Honours programs which run from Year 5 through Year 12, acceleration options in the College’s well-known STEM programs, and intensive student extension and personalized development programs. For many students, the most concrete realization of this is through the College’s international study options, which in the past have included longer Summer Schools at Stanford and Harvard, and (in the longest running continuous case) with Oxford Royale Academy in the Oxford University Colleges (Balliol, St Peters, Lady Margaret Hall, St Catherine’s, and St Hugh’s Colleges) This two week program (with an optional Pre-Tour of significant European educational sites) has been a powerful spur to Year 10-11 boys who may have the aspiration to walk among the ‘dreaming spires’ of Oxford and Cambridge.
1. Summer Schools
Every year, Scots organizes a group booking to a number of leading international Summer Schools. Students find the ability to engage with some of the world's best students and staff, in the great academic centres of the world, to be incredibly formative and challenging. Many later claim this to be a definitive moment in their academic lives.
2. Summer School Pre-Tours
In some years, the College organizes a 'Pre-Tour' which focuses on expanding students' engagement with the world in ways which deepen and enrich understanding. While this element is not a requirement of the Summer Schools themselves, it is timed to deliver students to their universities just in time for commencement.
3. Overseas Universities
The Scots College is in regular contact with many universities around the world. A great number of our alumni have studied in many of the great universities. The college continues to build a network of preferred institutions, with which it has long-standing and cordial relationships. These include:
UK: The University of St Andrews, Scotland
USA: Yale University
1. Summer Schools
Every year, Scots organizes a group booking to a number of leading international Summer Schools. Students find the ability to engage with some of the world's best students and staff, in the great academic centres of the world, to be incredibly formative and challenging. Many later claim this to be a definitive moment in their academic lives.
- The longest standing of these has been with Oxford Royale Academy at, of course, the University of Oxford. Boys have the choice of a range of courses, which are listed here. https://www.oxford-royale.co.uk/. Places are limited, and so early application is advised.
- In addition, boys have attended the University of St Andrews, Scotland's oldest university and one of the top Universities in the world. https://www.st-andrews.ac.uk/study/non-degree/summer/.
2. Summer School Pre-Tours
In some years, the College organizes a 'Pre-Tour' which focuses on expanding students' engagement with the world in ways which deepen and enrich understanding. While this element is not a requirement of the Summer Schools themselves, it is timed to deliver students to their universities just in time for commencement.
- In 2015, the 'Pre-Tour' followed the footsteps of Ernest Hemingway, whose book Fiesta has been used as a stylistic guide in the Department of English. Students visited key locations in Madrid, Burgos, San Sebastian, Pamplona, Bilbao, Zaragosa, and Barcelona, learning about the ancient history of Rome and Carthage, the Visigoths, the Spanish Empire and the Riconquista, the Spanish Civil War and life in one of the new Europe's key cities.
3. Overseas Universities
The Scots College is in regular contact with many universities around the world. A great number of our alumni have studied in many of the great universities. The college continues to build a network of preferred institutions, with which it has long-standing and cordial relationships. These include:
UK: The University of St Andrews, Scotland
USA: Yale University