10 tips for studying in Torbay
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Living and studying in Torbay can be really wonderful! Since you’re only going to be studying here for a short while, it’s important to make the most out of your time here.
Here are a couple of things that will make your experience more valuable.
1. Join clubs
We have a variety of clubs for students available and it is a wonderful opportunity to learn new things and getting to know your peers in a more relaxed environment. For example in the Japanese cooking and culture club or the Taek-wan-do club, you get to know more people that you maybe didn’t know before who share the same interests.
2. Budget well
It is really important for students to learn how to use their money and how to budget it. You could easily spend all your money in just a week so it is important for students to know how much money they have to spend and for how long that will have to be sufficient.
3. Organize your life
Living here we have no one nagging at us to do our homework, clean our room etc. that means we have to all those things out of our own accord and organizing our time in a way that we get everything done.
4. Connect with others
Staying away from home may be stressful for some students but they don’t have to feel ashamed. The school has Pathway managers that will help you trying to overcome homesickness and the like. Also, all of our staff are always happy to lend an open ear to students and try to help them where were they can.
5. Be on time
Make sure to be on time – this is especially important when you live in residence, being late leaving for school or coming back can lead to grounding on the weekends and no one wants to spend them not being able to go out and enjoying time with friends.
6. Talk about what stresses you out
Being teenagers, being students there is a lot to worry and stress about. Things like university applications, studying for important exams, or deciding your courses based on your future job interests is quite hard and puts us under a lot of pressure.
When you’re stressed about school, you don’t always want to talk to a teacher or peer about those things. That’s why we have independent people to talk to. We have a local priest who works with teenagers and is always happy to listen. We also have a trained and certified counselor that comes to the school to talk with students who might be dealing with something they don’t want to discuss with people on campus.
7. Find your study space
Throughout the school, there are plenty of spaces for students to sit down and study. One that’s frequently used is the library. Students like to gather there and study or work together on projects. We also have a designated classroom during lunchtime where students can go to study if they’d like a quiet environment.
8. …and somewhere to take it easy
While studying is important, you also need places to take it easy. It’s like when you’re at home, you can’t think about your studies all the time. There are a lot of cool places off campus to meet up with friends and classmates. There are several nice cafes in Torbay. There are also two cafes open exclusively for EF Academy students on Friday nights – Starbucks and Cafe Vinyl.
9. Go exploring
A lot of our students come from cities way bigger than the Torquay area. That can make it hard to adapt but luckily, you can go exploring the area. Exeter is just about an hour away by train and you can go there to shop and explore on Saturdays.
10. Take a trip
Another great way to explore, keep busy, and get to know other students is by taking a trip. There are many cool trips you can sign up to. Almost every Saturday, there’s at least one thing you can do – from sailing to kayaking. We also take a lot of interesting trips to cities further away or landmark places like Stonehenge. There’s always something fun to do here!