Winchester College 2019

Overview:

This past summer, Dominic Allocco and I were fortunate enough to go on exchange to Winchester College in England. We were also lucky enough to have a direct flight to London, which substantially lowered our travel time. After being driven to the town of Winchester, we started our stay by being introduced to our houses and housemasters. The houses were massive, holding on average 60 kids, about 12 per grade. In addition to the large houses, the campus itself was also extensive and was filled with wonderful architecture. We both met some great people and loved the opportunity to experience a new culture.

Academics: 

The approach to academics at Winchester was very different from what we were used to at MBA. At MBA (and in America in general) high school academics take a broad approach in that students are required to take classes in a vast range of subjects, whereas in England the students had much more freedom to choose which classes they were most interested in. Students typically take only three classes and had only one guaranteed class, however, these classes are much more focused than those in America. Dan and I both took Design, Physics, Maths, and the required class known as “Div”. Div was a general studies class in which the teacher had the freedom to educate students however he preferred, typically being British history, literature, or politics. Classes at Winchester also differed greatly from American classes in that teachers did not assign homework often, at most once weekly, or have many tests or quizzes. Instead, classes took an approach which allowed the teacher to spend most of the class time teaching and helping the students fully understand the topic.

Athletics: 

While we were at Winchester, they were in the heart of cricket season. Unfortunately, Dan and I did not have the opportunity to play, but we did get to watch the games and learn how the sport itself works. We also were allowed to take part in the school-wide athletic competition known as Athla, which is similar to our field day. Each boarding house formed a team to compete by grade in a variety of track and field events. We had the opportunity to compete in multiple events, such as the 4 x 100 relay, the 800, and the Javelin throw. Unfortunately, both mine and Dan’s house finished in last place and second to last respectively, but we still had a great time competing against all our friends from the school.

Town of Winchester:

The town of Winchester, like the school, is a pretty old town. The center still had cobblestone roads, and there was an open-air market there every Sunday. Besides the school, Winchester is centered around its cathedral, built-in 926, that towers over the town. After half days and from 9 to 10 pm on all days, students could go into town and enjoy all it had to offer. If a student wanted to leave the town, during an exeat or a break, there was a train station there too, which was the main way students would leave town.

Exeat:

About once every one or two months, there was a free weekend, where students could leave and visit places outside of Winchester. This weekend is called exeat, and on mine, I traveled to London to meet Freddie, the exchange student I hosted earlier in the year. I was able to see all the famous sites and really explore England during that time. It was also my first time riding an above-ground train, which really completed my English experience. Exeat overall was excellent and allowed a great break from what was otherwise a pretty rigorous academic experience.