Masterclasses at the Oxford Scholastica Academy
Our Masterclasses will broaden your horizons by introducing you to practical life skills which will help you succeed at University and beyond.What are Masterclasses?
Masterclasses are skills-based workshops. Normally, you will attend these with other people from your House, even people who are taking a different course to you. It’s a great way to hear other perspectives and get to know new people. They are led either by our very own Tutors with expertise on that topic, or by inspirational external speakers. They’re designed to bring out the best you and help you truly achieve your potential.
What Masterclasses will I experience?
Debating
Debating is a vitally important skill for many different careers. You’ll learn about the different styles of debating, including British Parliamentary Style debating, as well as experiencing a more light-hearted Balloon Debate. In a Balloon Debate, every participant plays the part of a fictional character trapped on a sinking hot air balloon. The balloon is too heavy, so each participant must defend their place on the balloon in order not to be thrown out! Past Balloon Debates have featured Marvel characters, with Iron Man eventually being thrown out, unable to persuade others that he was worth the weight of his iron armour!
Our Debating Masterclass takes place in the Oxford Union, which is an extremely prestigious – not to mention beautiful – venue. The Oxford Union is the home of Oxford University’s Debating Society, which has played host to everyone from Winston Churchill, to the Dalai Lama, to Kanye West. You’ll be able to step where they stepped and speak where they spoke, and who knows – one day the Oxford Union might even invite you back to speak in your own right!
Social Impact Conference
At our Social Impact Conference, you’ll have the opportunity to meet people from Oxford’s buzzing charity sector, as well as social entrepreneurs from the so-called ‘fourth sector’. You’ll hear from them about why they have chosen to work in the not-for-profit sector, how they are making a difference in their communities, and how you can too. They’ll also discuss some of the unique challenges they face, such as how to measure the impact of their work, and you will have the opportunity to help by working in teams to come up with solutions to their problems.
We’ll discuss the social issues that you are personally passionate about, whether that is global warming, child poverty, or the plight of the bees. Finally, you will be supported to create a plan for a social impact project that you would like to set up in order to help solve some of the issues you care about in the world.
In the past, groups of alumni have gone on to actually set up the projects they planned during the Social Impact Conference! We are very proud of them and we have been able to support them with advice, publicity and funding through our Foundation. You can read more about the Foundation, and about social impact projects set up by our alumni here.
UCAS and UK Universities Applications
If you’re thinking about applying to University in the UK, you’ll need to understand the UCAS system, as all undergraduate applications are made in this way. Learn how to put together a compelling application and personal statement, giving you the edge when it comes to admissions decisions at your dream University.
Careers Applications – Achieve your dream career!
Learn how to put together a CV and cover letter that will make you stand out from the crowd and give you an advantage when applying for internships and jobs. You’ll also learn about the new world of LinkedIn and how to use this platform to build a personal brand. Finally, we’ll discuss tactics for thriving at interview, so that you can feel confident in your abilities to successfully navigate the world of job applications.
Dialogue
In an increasingly connected – but polarised – world, it’s more important than ever to be able to communicate with empathy and understanding for other people’s points of view. However, the public debate only seems to be going in the opposite direction. At Oxford Scholastica, you have a unique opportunity to connect with people from all over the world, who may see things very differently to you. In the Dialogue Masterclass, you’ll practise the crucial skill of active listening and learn how to defuse tension in a conversation, so that both sides can truly be heard. You might practise having an interesting and constructive dialogue with somebody in the group that disagrees with your point of
view on a controversial topic, such as the death penalty. You could end up convincing them, or they might end up convincing you – unexpected things happen when people start listening to each other!
This is a life skill which can come in handy in careers in business, diplomacy, management, politics, law, medicine and many others – not to mention in day-to-day life.
