Oxford International Study Centre Juniors (Ages 12-19)

“I met the principal of the Oxford International Study Centre, Ben Llewellen, recently in Rome. In talking to him, I was able to appreciate immediately that his was not the sort of mass market language school owned by a large corporation, of which a city like Oxford is full. The school was founded in 2006 by his parents, and he took over as the head of school in 2014. I was enthusastic about including it in my offerings for several reasons. To begin with, for younger students, the school welcomes a wide range of ages (12-19) and in some cases, even younger. It also offers a wide range of accommodation offerings for them; I have some parents interested in booking host families for their children aged 12 and 13, and at the moment, this is the only school I have been able to find in the UK who allows that option. Then, starting in mid-July, there is also the option of the St. Ebbes student residence just a short walk from the school offering single, ensuite rooms with half board, also throughout August and early September (which is unusual because most junior programs end in early to mid August.) However, the option I like best is the possibility of staying in the traditional and historic Lady Margaret Hall of Oxford University, from the beginning of July, all the way through August and mid-September. Anyone who is familiar with the accommodation in the traditional Oxford and Cambridge University Colleges will know that while the the history and architecture are usually impressive, the quality of the accommodation leaves something to be desired. The bedrooms are often old and spartan and the bathrooms are in the hallway. Not so with Lady Margaret Hall–the rooms are single ensuite, and the college is not far from OISC. I also very much like the fact that at times, I have requests for 16-and 17- year old students who would like to do a semi-intensive or intensive English course, have some organized activities, but who don’t want to be locked into a typical, highly structured teen program in which they have very little free time to explore the city on their own. Usually that request can be satisfied by enrolling them in an adult language school for students aged 16+, but in that case, as minors, the only option for them is to stay with a host family as most student residences will not allow students under aged 18 to stay in them if they are not participating in an official teen program (and when they do, it’s usually on a self-catering basis–students will have to shop and cook for themselves in the residence’s kitchens). In the case of the OISC, however, students can stay in the St. Ebbes residence already at age 14, and in Lady Margaret Hall at age 16, and both residences offer breakfast and dinner. I should also mention that the prices for all of the school’s packages are very reasonable for the Oxford location, quality of the school, and the type and convenience of the student residences.
Finally, anyone who knows me personally knows that I have a particular affinity for schools that are “academic,” which place a high value on the quality of instruction and aren’t only looking at their bottom line. Even a quick look through the OISC brochure will demonstrate this fact, but best of all, the principal Ben himself is a graduate of Oxford University (in English Language and Literature, my own major at Columbia back in the day). It is also for that reason that he was able to arrange the accommodation in Lady Margaret Hall, his own college at Oxford. This is the only language school of this type that I have seen that offers specific assistance in applying to Oxford and/or Cambridge (“Oxbridge”). Students at the school may want to take advantage of this course in summer or during the year, or if nothing else, just have a chat with Ben about how he himself got in and about his time studying there. He is young, friendly and dynamic, and I’m sure would be happy to oblige!”