"It was a really great experience. I highly recommend it," declared Chloe Brookes of her month at Pembroke College, Oxford this summer.

The 16-year-old IB student was enrolled in the Oxbridge Academic Programmes which had been recommended by her college co-ordinator at Bermuda High School for Girls, Greta O'Kelly-Lynch. These are academic programmes for students held during the summer months in Oxford and Cambridge in England, Barcelona in Spain, and Paris and Montpellier in France.

Following "The Oxford Tradition", Chloe took a major in Photography and a minor in Classical Civilisation while getting a taste of college life.

Initially the programme had not appealed to her – it seemed too much like summer school – but on a whim she took a closer look online and saw that there were lots of interesting classes to choose from. A further attraction was that she would be studying under actual college lecturers, alumni and esteemed practitioners in her chosen fields of study.

The four weeks were intensive: six days a week she spent 9 a.m. to noon studying her major, while three times a week there were an additional two hours in the afternoon devoted to the minor subject.

"It's a really amazing experience," Chloe enthused, "because you really get to know what it feels like to be studying at Oxford. You eat in the dining hall surrounded by 15th and 16th architecture and beautiful stained glass. You stay in dorms that are also quite old" – though the facilities were not medieval she noted.

And of course you attend classes and lectures. Though there were approximately 400 young people enrolled in the programme held at Pembroke and Oriel Colleges, the classes themselves were small –- about 10 students in each – so there was lots of one-on-one time with the teachers.

There were some quite interesting lectures by some of the most renowned speakers in their field. One lecture stood out in particular because a general who had led battles in the Middle East gave an insight into that conflict which had such a significant impact on the world.

The photography course gave Chloe the opportunity to handle state-of-the-art equipment, normally beyond the reach of a high school student. She experimented with film as well as the manipulation of digital images, playing with lighting, backdrops and composition and developing her own film.

Beyond the classroom there was a definite global atmosphere, with students from 35 different countries, many with an international background like her own. Her roommate, for example, was born in Texas, USA, of Greek parents and was currently living in Libya.

"I came thinking it would be an academic experience," Chloe admitted, "but really, it was a cultural experience as well. Outside the classroom there were opportunities to learn Scottish dancing, attend Shakespeare plays for free and try all kinds of new food. It was a really great experience."