Michael Milam: Eton College 2014

Exchange at Eton College (January 6, 2014 - March 19, 2014)

On Monday January 6th, as all other MBA students returned to school from Winter Break, I found myself driving to the Airport to leave for almost three months. I departed from Nashville knowing not a single person in England, and I was ready for the experience of a lifetime.

Arrival:

My uniform for the term (with Chapel in back)

Upon arrival at Heathrow I was greeted by Mr. Oliphant-Callum, or RDO-C as the Etonians called him, and he drove me to the school. The school was utterly fantastic. It surprised me how a road passed directly through the heart of the campus - except they never referred to it as a campus, as it was not secluded from the public in any way. One could walk from the school buildings to Windsor along the High Street. I spent the first night in RDO-C's house, Durnford, and the next day moved to my permanent residence in Mr. Nolan's (TEJN) house, Manor House. I went down to Eton Tailors to get my school uniform which was comprised of the following: Black tailcoat, white collar-less shirt, stiff collar, studs, white collar slip, waistcoat, pin-striped pants, dress socks, and dress shoes. I would wear this uniform seven days a week for my entire time at Eton, so I became very well acquainted with it.

Eton College:

College Chapel, built ca. 1440 

View of Chapel from High Street

Before I go speak any further, I would like to take a moment to explain the way the school works, some of the terms used at Eton, and some of the strange customs as well. The school is divided into two parts, the Collegers, and the Oppidans. College is a house of seventy students specially selected who get to wear different uniforms with billowing cloaks and whose names are followed with the suffix for KS (for King's Scholar). The year is split into three terms, and I was to be present for almost all of the middle or "Lenten" Term. The students there refer to their teachers by their initials, hence TEJN for Mr. Nolan. They also refer to the houses not by their names, but by the initials of their housemasters, so I lived in TEJN, as they would say. They were on something of a block schedule, as each day was different, but periods, or Divs, were only 40 minutes with some doubles thrown in to keep things interesting. They had 1st Schools, 2nd Schools, 3rd Schools, then Chambers; 4th Schools, 5th Schools, Lunch, then Sport. On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays, they would have classes from 4:30 to 6:10 which were termed "After 4," and "After 5," but on Tuesdays and Thursdays school would end after Lunch. On Saturdays 5th Schools was an open period.

Average Day:

New Schools, the Math(s) building

Students before the first "Legit" in years

In my average day at Eton I would wake up around 6:50, and would have to be down to breakfast by around 7:05. Manor House had its own kitchen and dining room, so we would eat all meals in the house. We would have Chapel or Assembly on all days except Thursday, and that would be at 7:35. If late to chapel, one would be put in the "Tardy Book" and would have to report to chapel at 7:00 am for three mornings in a row. After Chapel, classes would start at 8:00 a.m. From then until around 10:20 a.m., I would have classes. At 10:30, we would have Chambers, something akin to break in which the houses would provide free food (Kit Kats, Bagels, Scones, Muffins, etc.). We would resume classes from around 10:45 until 1:30 and then would eat lunch. After lunch there would be a large free block for athletics, and then around four o'clock the kitchens would be open for "Messing" or Tea Time as Americans call it. Anyone in the younger years was able to make food in the kitchens during this hour, though those in the older years had access to the kitchen at all hours. Afterwards, on Mondays, there would be classes until after 6 p.m., and then there would be a tutorial session. The tutorial groups would meet every Monday night after classes with a Tutor who was very similar to an MBA advisor. My tutor, CMJ, or Mr. Jones would usually provide food, and we discussed many things from current events to cultures and beyond. After Tutorial, we would have dinner and then Societies from 8:45 to 10. Unlike some of the exchange programs that MBA offers, since I was completely enrolled at Eton and was there for 11 weeks, I did all of the work at Eton just as a normal Etonian. I had to keep up with the EW (Extra Work) for Eton while juggling my AP curricula back in the US.

Academics: 

Upper floor of the radial library at Eton

During my time at Eton I took four main classes and one "Option." My A-Levels were Latin, Physics, Math(s), and European History. In Latin they split the class into two sections: a grammar class and a literature class. In Grammar we had the opportunity to read some very interesting passages such as Catullus 64, an epyllion about Ariadne and Theseus. We also had sight passages that I enjoyed translating on Friday evenings (in the last div of the day). One feature I was not prepared for was English to Latin translation, and it was a skill that I developed in my work there, as Latin Composition is a valued skill in the UK. In Literature we focused on selected poems from Ovid's Amores, and I really enjoyed getting to know my teacher, Mr. Shorrock, who is the editor of the Penguin Latin Dictionary. In European History I think the largest discrepancy arose between US and UK teaching styles. We spent 11 weeks on less than 50 years and on one single issue - Martin Luther and the German Reformation. Not the Protestant Reformation as a whole - just the German Reformation. We spent very much time focusing on the minutiae of the conflict and in analyzing firsthand the primary sources. I got much practice with writing essays analyzing information and bias, and this practice helped me greatly on the AP exam for Modern European History, even if we had already covered the Reformation earlier in the year. I found it interesting to see just how focused their history programs are, and in some ways it was intriguing to delve so in-depth into one topic. In Math (or Maths), I was challenged greatly. I was initially put into a lower Div, then into the high C Block (11th Grade) Div, and eventually into the upper B Block Div (12th Grade). I greatly enjoyed my time with the older boys, as I really found myself challenged in new ways mathematically. While we did not cover anything that I was missing back in the US, we learned how to do very complex integrations using substitution and other methods, how to utilize matrices and vectors in higher level math, as well as the uses for Eigen Vectors, and we studied the hyperbolic functions, which I had never been exposed to. In Physics, I similarly jumped around some from the middle Div to the top Div, and once there, I was challenged. I learned a great deal about circuitry, about materials science, and even about gravity and astronomical physics. I enjoyed doing Cambridge interview practice problems, as it was interesting to see the kind of topics tested in Cambridge interviews. My option for the term was Classical History - something I greatly enjoyed while at Eton. We studied the history of Greece and Rome, and I found the Greek history especially interesting, as I had never really studied it before that point. The Academics as a whole were different in that marking scales were strange - a 75 was a good score on a paper, whereas in the US, only things above 90 are considered exceptional. The marks were not nearly as important as grades in the US; the exam grades were much more significant for college admissions. EW nightly was not as much as at MBA, I do not think, but when coupled with MBA work, along with less time to do the work, it was quite the course-load for me. It was also interesting to see how much more specialized people in C and B Blocks are - they only take 4 classes, as opposed to MBA's 5 or 6, and they stay in these classes for two years, not just one.

Societies:

College Yard featured in Chariots of Fire

Societies are like clubs at MBA, but they meet in the evening after classes and last for over an hour. In my time at Eton, I had the opportunity to attend several societies and hear very intriguing people speak on a range of topics. I thoroughly enjoyed hearing from a Cambridge professor about Aeneas and his relationship with Dido. He made a compelling case in defense of Aeneas, and I found it fascinating to hear someone defend him. I also enjoyed hearing a man talk about forming businesses around scientific discoveries and a prominent British philosopher speak on the existence of a God in the universe. Eton is able to procure intriguing speakers because of its prominent status in society, and I even heard the Economic secretary speak, the adopted son of George Orwell speak, and the former head of the National Arts Board speak on Television broadcasting and the continued funding of art forms like the opera in England. One speaker talked on our perception of the Crusades in the West and the bias brought about by our selective viewing of ancient texts.

Arts:

Rehearsal for Thark

While at Eton I was able to participate in the Arts in several capacities. I acted in the House Play directed by Mr. Nolan entitled Thark, though we only did Act 1. I played the American boy Lionel, and the play tells the story of a distinguished Londoner and how his mistress, client, and wife all show up to his house at the same time when he runs into scheduling problems. I was also able to participate in the singing programs at Eton. I was part of the ECMS Chorus, a very large chorus open to all, and we worked all term on the Carmina Burana as well as another piece, though I left just before they performed it. I also was able to be a part of the inter-House a Cappella competition, and I sang Bass on the Beatles song She's Leaving Home. Though we did not win, I really enjoyed singing in a small 5 person a Cappella group. The really exciting opportunity I received, however, was to sing with the Eton College Chapel Choir for the last two weeks of my time there. They met to rehearse very often. Wednesday and Friday Evenings and some morning as well were reserved for these rehearsals, and they were tough but rewarding. All the people in the chorus were exceptional - they could sight-read music exceedingly well, and the people of various voice parts were not even arranged together, but were interspersed. Basses would never sing next to each other, as they all knew how to sing it alone without needing support from others. My time with the choir allowed me to practice my sight-reading and also allowed me to sing some extremely interesting songs in Latin and even German including Allegri's Miserere, mei Deus. It was also through the choir that I was able to experience an Anglican confirmation ceremony (two in a row in fact), and as a Presbyterian, it was very revealing about other forms of Christianity.

Traveling and Outings:

I had the opportunity to leave campus many times, and the next few sections will focus on my adventures while away from the school.

Short Leave I:

On my first break from school, I went with Paddy back to his home in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire. I traveled from school on what was my train ride ever, and I passed through King's Cross Station and saw the placard saying "Platform 9 3/4." While in Cambridge I got to see the quaint town, visit with Paddy's family, and visit the marketplace. I loved seeing the arcade (shopping center) in the town, and I was enthralled not only by the architecture of the area but also by the atmosphere of such an influential place. I enjoyed the time for relaxation, and I was only able to stay briefly, but I thoroughly enjoyed my home-stay and enjoyed experiencing an English household.

Entrance to King's College, Cambridge

Long Leave:

Great Hall of Parham Manor

Holdens' Castellated Manor

Nighttime view of National Gallery in Trafalgar Square

Long Leave was much longer, and I found myself going across the country to many different places. At first I went with Sam Robson to his house in London. That first night he took me around London to Piccadilly Square, Trafalgar Square, and even to Westminster Abbey. The next morning he took me on a much longer walking tour of the city from Parliament to the Tower of London and Tower Bridge to London Bridge and the Globe Theatre.  Later in the evening we went to the Museum of Natural History and the Victoria and Albert Museum. That night upon arriving back at the flat, the Robsons drove out to their house in Gloucestershire. I got to spend the next couple of days in the countryside and I even got to visit the Roman Baths of Aquae Sulis (in Bath). Next I returned to Cambridge to visit Paddy, and I got to go to an Open Day for one of the colleges at Cambridge. I was interested to see in to a college at Cambridge and to visit, as I was considering applying at the time. After Cambridge I returned to London for a half-day to see art at the National Gallery and Courtauld with Hubert Holden. Afterwards he took me back to his "castellated manor" in Shropshire on the Welsh border. The Holdens were extremely hospitable, and I loved hearing about their manor form Mr. Holden, a very prominent art broker in Europe. The next day they took me to Ludlow Castle, a very old castle, and I got to explore it a bit. The final day Mr. Holden fired a small canon for us, and I was off to West Sussex to visit Benjamin Barnard. Ben lives in an Elizabethan Manor House entitled Parham Manor, and I spent several days here. The Barnards showed me their house and gave me a tour of the grounds. I was even given a tour of the old part of their house and saw their Great Hall with authentic narwhal horn. After a couple of days at their home, I returned to Eton - I had gone from one side of England to the other.


Short Leave II:

View of Duomo in Florence

My final break while at Eton was the second short leave in which I went with Mr. Nolan's History of Art class to Florence, Italy to study early Renaissance art. I was able to visit the Duomo, a church outside of the city with a fantastic view, the Uffizi Museum, and the House de Medici, among other monasteries, churches, and museums. I found this trip truly inspiring, and I was given a general overview of Renaissance art which I found extremely helpful and interesting. The trip was an unbelievable opportunity for me to visit a part of Italy I had never visited and one in which I was and still am very interested.


Windsor: On my last day before departure I was able to visit Windsor Castle down High Street and then to see a show in London. The Castle was beautiful and one of the largest in England. I really enjoyed seeing the various rooms and portraits, as well as the large doll house kept in the castle. Later that evening my tutor group took me to see Emile and the Detective in the National Theatre, and seeing a show in London was a brilliant experience.

Garter Throne Room

Interior Courtyard of Windsor Castle

People:

During my time abroad I made many great friends. I really enjoyed getting to know Patrick Orme, and my relationship with him was one of the highlights for me. He helped me grow in my views and beliefs and challenged me to think outside of my own personal beliefs and paradigms. I enjoyed getting to know my housemates Theo Hayes, Sam Robson, Hubert Holden, Ed Fenwick, and Jack Eastwood, among others, as well as the people in my Divs, such as Benjamin Barnard. One of my favorite parts of this exchange was getting to meet new people and teach them about the US, and I was ecstatic when Paddy was able to return to the US with me and stay at my house for 2 weeks.

History Div with Benjamin

Paddy (Left) and Theo (Right) at Lunch

Thanks:

I would like to thank Mr. Gioia and Dr. Seay along with others at MBA who helped make this trip possible. I would also like to thank Mr. Nolan, Mr. Oliphant-Callum, and Mr. Little for helping organize the program on the Eton side and for welcoming me into their community. I would like to thank the Ormes, Robsons, Barnards, and Holdens for housing me at various points in my trip, and most importantly I would like to thank Mrs. Beth and Mr. Dudley Warner for funding my experience and organizing it as well. This experience has been one of my most formative and one that has been extremely influential for me; I will always remember this time away as a time that I learned more about who I am and what I love. I enjoyed making relationships and journeying into a foreign land with no connections. I cannot express fully my complete gratitude, and I hope to use this experience to benefit MBA, as well as encourage others in the younger years to consider applying for this exchange specifically.