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Win a Scholarship – spend two years in a boarding school in the UK
For the first time in its history the British Alumni Society is proud to announce a scholarship opportunity. The scholarship is addressed to secondary school girls. Adcote School for Girls, an excellent boarding school featured in the Good Schools Guide wishes to invite applications for two full Sixth Form scholarships, starting in September 2010 and leading to A-level examinations in 2012. The scholarships will cover the cost of tuition and boarding.
On 24th April 2010 Adcote Scholarships Winners have been nominated. Two candidates with the highest scores were:
Klaudia Rzeczkowska – 184/200
Katarzyna Zielińska – 165/200
Enjoy the first-hand impressions from the selection process provided by the nominees.
Klaudia Rzeczkowska:
The BAS scholarship selection process was a truly inspiring experience. I felt honored to be selected but I was not expecting to meet so many amazing people. However nervous we were, none of us felt lonely throughout the day. We sat together, sang songs whilst one girl was playing the guitar. Time flew by and we managed to forget what was ahead of us. Whilst waiting for the interview, we had a chance to listen to a student, who graduated from all-boys high school in England. This was a unique opportunity to ask questions about the British educational system as well as practical aspects of living in a boarding house. I really enjoyed my interview despite being tested. The Selection Committee was really considerate and I learned a great deal from this experience. I have to admit the memories of that day will stay with me for a long time. All girls were fantastic and I am still in touch with some of them.
Katarzyna Zielińska:
Before arriving at PAN in Warsaw, I was a little bit nervous and scared. I expected that girls would be unfriendly and aloof. My friend had also told me something about interviews for another scholarship scheme which had made me even more confused. I didn’t really know what I should have expected. But when I finally arrived at PAN, everything changed. Girls turned out to be very kind and outgoing. We sat in a circle and were talking about ourselves, school, how we had heard about that scheme. The tense atmosphere disappeared, we felt calm and relaxed. It was very nice to get to know people with whom I might spend two years in a boarding school. Writing task given was quite interesting. But the topic (my ideal holiday), which seemed to be very easy at first, turned out to be a little bit more difficult. I didn’t know what to write about as I have been to so many beautiful places and there were still many holiday destinations that I would like to visit. During writing the atmosphere was still ok and we didn’t feel any pressure. Except the pressure of time which went by inevitably.
But what I was the most afraid of was interview. As it was the first time I participated in such an event, I was wondering what questions I would be asked, what people asking me would expect. However, there was really nothing to be scared of. Some questions were quite surprising (e.g. if I consider Ryszard Kapuściński to have been a good journalist) but they were related to myself so I didn’t have any difficulties in answering. The important thing was that people who were asking me were also very nice, smiling and radiated good energy. Sandwiches served in a lunch time were delicious. Chatting with a man who has studied in British boarding school gave me more information about the UK, its education system and life far away from home in another country. I regretted that I had to leave PAN, because, although I spent there only a few hours, I really liked the girls, talking with them, the atmosphere around us. I think that it was a good experience to participate in such scheme. Now I know more about interviews and what interviewers may expect from me. |
