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On graduation day, there’s so much to look forward to – getting dressed up, celebrating with all of your peers, receiving awards, and the most important part of all, holding your diploma in your hands for the first time. And with the experience, you get the added joy of a carefully-crafted commencement speech full of lovely wisdom from someone who learned an important lesson along the way.
So we thought we’d share some of our favorite pieces of advice from commencement speeches. Whether you’re watching this during graduation season or another time in the year, take this as an opportunity to kick back and be inspired.
<h3>1. Ellen DeGeneres, Tulane University 2009</h3>
<center><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/0e8ToRVOtRo" width="560"></iframe></center>Ellen is known today as a comedy icon, but in this commencement speech to Tulane’s first graduating class in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina, she spoke about her harrowing road to get there. In her speech, she discussed feeling directionless as well as difficult loses in her life and how they guided her to find success in who she is.
“It was important for me to lose everything because I found out what the most important thing is – to be true to yourself. And ultimately that’s what’s gotten me to this place. I don’t live in fear, I’m free, I have no secrets, and I know I’ll always be okay because no matter what, I know who I am… Be true to yourself and everything will be fine.”
– Ellen DeGeneres, 
Comedian, writer, activist
<h3>2. Conan O’Brien, Dartmouth College 2011</h3>
<center><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ELC_e2QBQMk" width="560"></iframe></center>Conan is known for his hilarious and thought-provoking comedy sets. The longtime late-night host addressed Dartmouth’s graduating class with the same laugh-a-minute deadpan humor he’s famous for. But the talk took a turn as he discussed the very public difficulty in his career when, after 17 years on the air, he was forced off of the network that made him a household name.
“Whether you fear it or not, disappointment will come. The beauty is that through disappointment you can gain clarity, and with clarity comes conviction and true originality. Many of you here today are getting your diploma at this Ivy League school because you have committed yourself to a dream and worked hard to achieve it. And there is no greater cliché in a commencement address than ‘follow your dream.’ Well, I am here to tell you that whatever you think your dream is now, it will probably change. And that’s okay.”
– Conan O’Brien, 
Writer, host, comedian
<h3>3. Glenn Close, The College of William and Mary 2019</h3>
<center><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EVD_T5iBOuU" width="560"></iframe></center>Glenn Close is a beloved American actress, playing prominent characters in many beloved films and plays. She herself is a graduate of The College of William and Mary, where she was privileged this year to address the graduating class of 2019. Her speech takes listeners on her journey through her education, the days of her early career as a fledgling actress, and her evolution into a strong, empowered woman. She speaks of empathy as the cornerstone of the human species, and encourages graduates to nurture their relationships and connections; to look up from the screens once in a while and into the eyes of another human being.
“Your perspective is unique. It’s important and it counts. Try not to compare it to anyone else. Accept it. Believe in it. Nurture it. Stay fiercely, joyously connected to the friends you have made here, to those you love and trust. You will have each other’s backs for the rest of your lives.
– Glenn Close, 
Actress, singer, producer
<h3>4. Madeleine Albright, Wellesley College 2007</h3>
<center><iframe allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen" frameborder="0" height="315" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/UeOEfiMQQC4" width="560"></iframe></center>Madeleine Albright is the former US Secretary of State and a former US Ambassador to the United Nations. She received her BA from Wellesley College and went on to become one of the most respected political figures of her time. During her tenure as Secretary of State, she faced many difficult decisions, some of which she references in her speech. Despite the challenge of her job (and being a woman in power in such a strongly male-dominated field), Albright continues to shower people all over the world with her wisdom, encouraging listeners to be crusaders of peace and goodness in a broken world.
“I do hope that when you accept your diplomas, you will be so determined to live life boldly, with largeness of spirit and generosity of heart. . . I hope you will each embrace the faith that every challenge surmounted by your energy; every problem solved by your wisdom; every soul awakened by your passion; and every barrier to justice brought down by your determination will ennoble your own lives, inspire others, and explode outward the boundaries of what is achievable on this earth.”
– Madeleine Albright 
Politician, diplomat
<h3>Some other favorite speeches</h3>
<ol>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RcehZ3CjedU" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie</a>, Wellesley College 2015</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UF8uR6Z6KLc" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Steve Jobs</a>, Stanford University 2005</li>
<li><a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J7Jh31p9RME" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank"> Kid President</a>, 2015</li>
</ol>

On graduation day, there’s so much to look forward to – getting dressed up, celebrating with all of your peers, receiving awards, and the most important part of all, holding your diploma in your hands for the first time. And with the experience, you get the added joy of a carefully-crafted commencement speech full of …

Advice we love from graduation speeches - EF Academy Blog

Advice we love from graduation speeches ‹ EF Academy Blog

Advice we love from graduation speeches

Advice love graduation speeches

For many students, summer vacation is all about spending time in the sun, hanging out with friends and family, or traveling to new countries. And for others, it’s a time to focus on their future. At EF Academy, students are encouraged to take on internship roles during the breaks between terms, and the summer holiday is the ideal time to engage in a 4-week work experience opportunity.
While an internship means sacrificing precious days of relaxation, the benefits are long-term and have a positive impact on job prospects in the future. Additionally, getting real-life work experience as you collaborate with professionals allows you to develop a network and try out a field to see if it’s something you would like to pursue at university.
Benefits:
<ul>
<li> personal and professional development</li>
<li>prepare for working in the real world</li>
<li>demonstrate your proactivity to college admissions officers and show them that you are dedicated to creating a bright future for yourself</li>
<li>build your network and get a great reference letter</li>
<li>gain new experiences: work with professionals, live in a new city or country, put what you learned in school to use and take your new knowledge with you when you go back</li>
<li>refine your career goals</li>
</ul>
High school students are often selected for short-term internships because companies value the fresh ideas they bring to the table, especially if teenagers are an important part of the company’s audience. Organizations also value young interns’ curiosity and their eagerness – they appreciate that these interns ask themselves, “How can I benefit the company?” rather than, “What can this company do for me?”
“The marketing team welcomes an intern for a few weeks every summer. It’s a great opportunity for us to get a real user’s perspective,” Aline Gachelin, EF Academy’s Global Head of Marketing said. “Our interns have always shown enthusiasm, curiosity and perceptiveness. They enjoy seeing the behind-the-scenes activities of the business just as much as we enjoy being challenged by their view on marketing.”
This summer, a number of our students applied and were selected for internships at EF Academy admissions offices, and one student even worked with EF Academy’s marketing team in Lucerne, Switzerland.
Germany’s Jana Michalke, an IB student at EF Academy Oxford, spent four weeks in EF Academy’s headquarters where she had her own apartment and worked closely with the team’s digital marketing manager, alumni and ambassador manager, copywriter and the Global Head of Marketing. For her, the internship was a true learning experience.
“Working in marketing was different than I thought it would be,” she said. “The internship gave me a glimpse of the career world and gave me real-life work experience that allowed me to see what is waiting for me after I leave the academic settings of high school and university.”
Eric Park is from South Korea and is enrolled in the IB program at EF Academy New York. He spent two weeks in Hong Kong where he worked with EF’s video team, which was very valuable for him as he would like to pursue a career in film.
In his testimonial, he wrote, “The internship program helped me become more prepared for a future as a filmmaker and an open-minded coworker.”
“Personally, the experience helped me understand how professional videography works and allowed me to feel more prepared as a future cinematography student,” he added.
Learning how to make the most of situations and create your own opportunities is also an important part of an internship, as Xinrong Chen learned during her internship in China.
“As an intern, it is crucial to have the humility to accept criticism and the willingness to learn, to seek opportunities and to prove your worth. During this time, I learned that the most important value and experience gained out of the internship is not what kind of work the employer gives you; instead, it is the attitude and effort you put into the internship,” she wrote.
Working as a high school intern isn’t only about learning new things. Students also build on the skills they have already begun developing at school – teamwork, for example. In school, teamwork is key to successful group projects and studying for exams.
“What I witnessed is that punctuality and organization are really important, especially when you’re working on a global scale,” Jana said. “You have to network and work as a team, which is important to success.”
During her internship, Jana saw how teamwork was used in a professional setting – coworkers collaborating to achieve a common goal that benefits the company, without any grading system.
Today’s students live during a time when the university and job application processes are very competitive, and having an experience such as a high school internship gives those students an edge. Through an internship, they have gathered “marketable experience” that will help them shine, or at the very least, help them determine what they like and what they don’t so that they can start making their way down the path that is right for them.

At EF Academy, students are encouraged to take on internship roles to engage in a 4-week work experience opportunity.

Summer internships: Gaining a competitive edge - EF Academy Blog

Summer internships: Gaining a competitive edge ‹ EF Academy Blog

Summer internships: Gaining a competitive edge

Summer internships gaining competitive edge

At the EF Academy Oxford graduation ceremony on Friday April 22nd, EF Academy President Jenny Hepworth presented the Hult Business Student of the Year award to IB Year 1 student Roxana Marocho Marin.
Roxana was awarded this prestigious prize because of her genuine interest in business, which she demonstrated through her participation in the 2015 Hult Global Business Challenge and her IB Extended Essay on software pricing, in addition to her excellent academic ability and her engagement in the school community.
Roxana wasn’t present at the ceremony but she said that her classmates called her immediately after to tell her the exciting news.
“At first I couldn’t believe it and I was really surprised because it was so unexpected,” she said. “I felt really proud of myself and of what I had achieved.”
She added: “It always feels great to be recognized for the hard work that you’ve put into something. I was already really proud of what my great team and I had accomplished in the Hult Global Business Challenge, but being recognized in this way is incredible and really satisfying.”
As part of her prize, Roxana will receive a full scholarship to Hult’s two-week pre-university program in London, a $100 Amazon gift card (which she plans to use to purchase an external hard drive for her laptop) and a Future Business Leader Scholarship worth $5,000 per year if she chooses to apply and is successfully admitted to Hult International Business School.
Roxana knows that she’d like to pursue business in the future, both at university and as a career, but she is still undecided about what she’d like to specialize in. What she does know is that she is looking forward to the summer program in London and she does plan on applying to Hult International Business School.
“I think Hult is a really good option and suitable for what I’m looking for. I like their way of teaching, as well as the option they offer of spending one year in London and another one in San Francisco,” she said.
But no matter what path Roxana decides to follow after EF Academy, she’ll take with her the experience she’s gained by participating in the academic competition organized by Hult and being recognized for her innovative ideas and promising abilities.
“This award has inspired me to keep going and made me see that anything is possible if you work hard and put effort into it,” she said.

EF Academy President Jenny Hepworth presented the Hult Business Student of the Year award to IB Year 1 student Roxana Marocho Marin.

Student is recognized as Hult Business Student of the Year - EF Academy Blog

Student is recognized as Hult Business Student of the Year ‹ EF Academy Blog

Student is recognized as Hult Business Student of the Year

Student recognized hult business student year

Students from Torbay traveled across the ‘pond’ to visit the New York school to take part in our annual Intercampus Sports competition, or EF Academy Olympics ‘which this year involved Torbay against New York.
This is the second intercampus sports competition that we have held with last year’s hosting Oxfords students here in Torbay and we plan to make it bigger and better next year. This trip has been a very long time in the planning and has not been without difficulties including embassy visits in London and a lot of time filling in online forms but thanks to the time and effort of both staff and students we were ready to go. All the planning did was build up the anticipation!
Everyone met at school after falling into taxis at 3 am in the morning with our bags ready to make the journey to London and the airport. Heathrow can be an experience in its self as the size can be overwhelming but after a bit of a wait we boarded our flight. We had an amazing welcome from Emily and some of the students from New York who helped with our bags and onto the transfer to the school. After settling in we had our opening ceremony and welcome dinner which was really nice including a very inspirational speech by New York’s Head Master Brian Mahoney. Obviously the students from the UK were a little exhausted but before bed we had a bit of time to get to know and mingle with the New York guys.
The next day it was time to get down to business and start the competition. The point system worked by awarding 3 points for a match or game win so at the end of each event the scores changed which caused a great deal of excitement. We met in the main gymnasium for some warm ups and then started out first competition which was team physical team challenges. It was close, but New York managed to win this first event which put them three points up. After lunch we had the cross country run which is an event Torbay have done well in back in the UK having been selected to run in the Independent Schools Association national finals so we had high hopes. Our amazing runner Diego didn’t disappoint either and won it for Torbay making it neck and neck at the end of day one.
To inspire us we went to watch Westchester Knicks play basketball which was a great experience and felt very ‘American’. This was a great end to the first day and with the scores equal it was all to play for on day two. Day two was all about a clash of cultures, starting with football and then basketball with the end result being perhaps a little predictable. Torbay won the football 6 goals to 2 while New York won the basketball 62 to 18. This of course meant that again at the end of day two it was all level and still all to play for.
Day three was going to be the decider one way or another. And despite a great performance from Alex Poki Peng who won the badminton for Torbay New York managed to win the volley ball and therefore the tournament. Torbay put in a great performance and it was so close throughout the event that it’s a credit to both schools and all the students involved. What’s more important is the great bond that students forged and the extent that this event has made the EF Academy world a little smaller by bringing the schools together.
If the Torbay students felt a little sad about the defeat it didn’t last long because the next day was all about the big apple. We had a great day in New York city taking in all the essential sights starting with a ferry trip around the statue of Liberty with amazing views across the city. This was followed by a tour and views from the ‘Rock’ or Rockefeller building which was amazing. We then had free time in Times Square and dinner in the hard rock café. What an amazing way to finish off a fantastic trip.

Students from Torbay traveled across the ‘pond’ to visit the New York school to take part in our annual Intercampus Sports competition.

EF Academy Intercampus Olympics: Torbay against New York in the Big Apple - EF Academy Blog

EF Academy Intercampus Olympics: Torbay against New York in the Big Apple ‹ EF Academy Blog

EF Academy Intercampus Olympics: Torbay against New York in the Big Apple

Ef academy intercampus olympics torbay new york big apple

EF Academy grads from our campuses in New York, Oxford and Torbay have bright futures ahead of them as they head to some of the world’s top universities after receiving outstanding results on their IB and A-Level exams. We’re proud of each of our students and we wish them the best of luck as they continue their success at higher education institutions in the U.S., UK, Canada and Australia.
EF Academy New York
IB results
Julia Palkowska from Norway earned an impressive 43 points on her IB exams and has her sights set on studying Management at the London School of Economics, one of the UK’s top-ranked universities. Soeun Lee from South Korea received 39 points and will be attending the University of Wisconsin, Madison this fall. China’s Yuling Liao was awarded 38 points and will make her way to western Canada where she will attend the University of British Columbia.
EF Academy Oxford
IB results
EF Academy Oxford students performed exceptionally well, with an 87% pass rate – nearly 10% above the national average. One third of our Oxford IB students scored 35 points or more – the equivalent of A*AAA at A-Level, and five points higher than the world average score.
The areas where our students excelled the most were languages, science and business/economics. Eighty-five per cent earned the equivalent of A/A* in English; 50% earned the equivalent of A*/A in physics, biology and chemistry; and more than a third received the equivalent of A/A* in business and economics.
EF Academy Oxford’s top-scoring students are Julia Graef from Germany with 41 points, Mexico’s Luis Hernandez-Margro Quiroz with 40 points, Spain’s Ana Maria Santiago Riera with 40 points, and Julie Hoerland Gallis with 38 points.
In the fall, Julia will study medicine at Imperial College London, Luis will study Economics at the University of Pennsylvania, Ana Maria plans to attend Murdoch University in Australia, and Julie will attend University of Chicago.
Other university destinations for EF Academy Oxford IB students include York, Exeter and King’s College London in the UK, and Haverford in the U.S.
A-Level results
EF Academy Oxford is delighted to announce its first Cambridge success! Yexia Lin achieved a remarkably impressive A*A*A*A* in his A-Levels and has been formally accepted at Cambridge University to read Engineering. Other outstanding results from our A-Level cohort include Xinyi Lu who achieved A*A*A*A* and will read Economics at UCL; Ekaterina Chernykh who attained A*A*A* and will read Economics at Bristol University; and Xinyu Xiong who also achieved A*A*A* and will read Mathematics at Edinburgh University.
EF Academy Torbay
IB results
Ngoc Anh Nguyen from Vietnam received 41 points on her IB exams and plans on studying Accounting and Finance at the University of Durham, ranked fifth in the UK according to the 2016 Complete University Guide. Indonesia’s Adrian Wisaksana earned 39 points and will attend University College London where he will pursue Information Management for Business. Gagik Arutyunyan from Russia received 37 points and will study Psychology at Bristol this fall.
A-Level results
Thi Phuong Anh Pham from Vietnam achieved an impressive A*A*A*A and will head to Australia to study Sociology at the University of Melbourne.  China’s Yuze Pan attained A*A*A and plans on studying Mathematics at Imperial College London, ranked fourth in the UK according to the 2016 Complete University Guide. Seo Yeong Heo, who scored AAA, will follow her interest in art to Lancaster University where she will study Design Interactions. Three of our EF Academy Torbay grads will continue their education at University College London – Hong Kong’s ManLin Cui (A*A*A*B), and China’s Huiwen Ma (A*AAAB) and Wenlin Tu (AA*A) will study Mathematics, Mathematics with Economics, and Engineering respectively. Han Ying Wan from Hong Kong will pursue studies in Law at Queen Mary, University of London after achieving an AAAAA.

We are proud to announce our top scores at our three schools from EF Academy for the IB and A-Level programs.

Announcing EF Academy’s top-scoring IB and A-Level students - EF Academy Blog

Announcing EF Academy’s top-scoring IB and A-Level students ‹ EF Academy Blog

Announcing EF Academy’s top-scoring IB and A-Level students

Announcing ef academys top scoring ib level students

On July 7th-9th 2017, EF Academy Ambassadors from three campuses: New York, Oxford, and Torbay, had a chance to be a representative of EF Academy in the Global Leadership Summit in Milan, Italy. The topic for this summit was the Future of Food.
On Day 1: We met Stephen Ritz who is the writer of The Power of a Plant: A Teacher’s Odyssey to Grow Healthy Minds and Schools and founder of Green Bronx Machine. He talked about how he turned an empty and dirty area in the Bronx to an amazing green garden. He got inspiration from seeing children who were born and raised in that area and ate unhealthy food. The story was inspiring and heart-touching to all of us. At the end of the day, we had dinner in the tent alongside challenges with peers  from all over the world. My group mates were from Texas, Missouri, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and more!
Day 2: This was a big day for everyone. The innovation started and of course, we had brainstorming. Sharing and hearing stories from others really gave me a better view of the world. Open-mindedness was key for the days’ activities. We also learned the difference between sympathy and empathy. To be able to find a solution for people in need; sympathy is needed. Throughout the day, we worked on innovation and did workshops.
Day 3: This day went by fast, believe me. It was the final day which included:  showing the final prototype, announcing the winning team, bidding farewell, and dancing away at the GLS party. All this took place on the last day. In the morning, we finalized the team project and in the afternoon – one team was selected from each team color. In the evening, the selected team went up on stage to present their amazing idea that solves a problem for people in need. The winning team was called ‘Hydrone’.
Since my role during the summit was to updating our Instagram @efacademylife – the moments I captured still run through my mind over and over agan. The summit was really memorable and valuable experience that I could never get anywhere else.

EF Academy Ambassadors from three campuses had a chance to be a representative of EF Academy in the Global Leadership Summit in Milan, Italy.

A day-to-day recap of the Global Leadership Summit in Italy - EF Academy Blog

A day-to-day recap of the Global Leadership Summit in Italy ‹ EF Academy Blog

A day-to-day recap of the Global Leadership Summit in Italy

Day day recap global leadership summit italy

Nigeria’s Asma’u Gogo Aremu, a school Ambassador, will start her second year of the IB program at EF Academy Oxford in September. Read more to learn about what she thought of her first year at EF Academy and why she’s looking forward to what’s to come:
I was cold and nervous, my first day had come and it was time for me to begin a new life. On the 7th of September, 2015, my cousin woke me up in the morning to get ready to walk to school. I had never walked to school so early before so on that first morning I was already experiencing new things. It was a 30-minute walk and we weren’t too sure of what part of the school we needed to enter. We asked around and we found our way to the reception desk of Cotuit Hall. We couldn’t have received a better welcome that day. My cousin left and it was just me. I was introduced to my guidance counselor, Philip Randall, and he showed me around the school and handed me over to my tutor for the year, Ray Mavenga. On that same day, I also went on my first school trip – we went to Blenheim Palace. The trip was set up for the new students to get to know each other better. It was a great new experience for me, I made new friends that day and after the trip I didn’t feel so nervous anymore.
Two weeks into school, I had selected the subjects that I would take for the next two years at EF Academy Oxford. I am currently following the IB Diploma program and I take biology, chemistry, English literature, economics, mathematics and Spanish. All of the subjects are familiar to me but every topic we went through in my first year was more in depth than what I had experienced in the past. Over time, school became a place that I was looking forward to being at every day. It wasn’t just about the classes we took, but also the activities we did. IB students are required to complete a CAS (Creativity, Action and Service) component and the activities, I look forward to most, are part of this class. I enjoy the assemblies students were asked to hold. I held one or two as well and they helped me develop confidence.
I appreciate the teachers as well. They are really patient and open-minded. This makes it easy for me to get my work done and understand whatever I learn in class. There were times when I had disagreements with some teachers, but who hasn’t? The most important thing is that the teachers are willing to learn from their students and they never regard anyone as a failure. They support each of us in class and that’s one thing I will forever carry with me in life: all fingers are not equal yet our hands carry them all.
My experience outside the walls of EF Academy Oxford must be mentioned as well. Before I go too far into describing what I do beyond Pullens Lane, I have to admit that I’m not very good at having fun and I had to learn from my friends. I spent a lot of my time shopping and going to the movies. I loved shopping so much that I had to limit how often I went to the city center. I helped friends celebrate their birthdays and they celebrated mine when it came around. My favorite outings are when I go to watch a play in the evening and end the night eating ice cream with my friends. I wish I could tell you about London but I rarely go there, it is too busy for me. Like I said, I’m not usually good at having fun and I’m not the best person to ask about the fun activities around school, but as part of such a great international school I know many people who I could refer you too.
I had a great year and I would be able to write pages and pages about my first year at EF Academy Oxford, but I have a word count limit for this post. I was sad when it was time to leave and I was going to miss my friends. You know how it is when you’re just getting to know people, you want to spend much more time with them. Well, I will be back again in September and though I am honestly not looking forward to the weather (that’s something I can never stop complaining about – it’s just so different from the weather in Nigeria!), I am looking forward to serving as an Ambassador of EF Academy Oxford. I’ll be back soon – with lots of coats in my suitcase – to make new friends, to try and make new students comfortable, to refer them to someone else to have fun and, of course, to leave a positive mark on EF Academy Oxford. I’m happy to be going back.
 
<hr>
 
Students at our international boarding schools make life-long friends, experience the culture of their host country and find their passion in the sports, clubs and activities that inspire them most. Our student life program is powered by their engagement and school spirit.

Read more to learn about what she thought of her first year at EF Academy and why she’s looking forward to what’s to come.

“So sad to leave, but glad to be coming back” - EF Academy Blog

“So sad to leave, but glad to be coming back” ‹ EF Academy Blog

“So sad to leave, but glad to be coming back”

Sad leave glad coming back

The Big Apple was the site of EF Academy’s first annual alumni reunion, which took place on April 9th and brought together students from Korea, Germany and Colombia for a weekend of nostalgia and networking in New York City.
The group of alumni met for brunch on Saturday morning before heading to EF Academy New York’s Thornwood campus where they were warmly welcomed by Oscar Jimenez, Chairman of the school’s World Languages Department, and Ginny Borton, the school’s Chair of the Arts Department. After a tour of the campus, the group took part in a workshop about kick-starting their careers which was moderated by EF Academy’s Online Marketing Manager, Martinique Jobin.
“The scent of memories was still there and it was wonderful to come and smell it again,” said South Korea’s HeeTak Jung, Class of 2012.
Following a tour of Tarrytown, the evening ended with delicious dinner and, in typical NYC tradition, a show. The group attended the Broadway musical “Chicago.”
The alumni reunion in New York was the perfect opportunity for EF Academy graduates to get together to connect, share what they had experienced since their graduation from high school and interact with one another, strengthening their international network of contacts.
As they looked back on their time as high school students at EF Academy, Colombia’s Michelle Garzon, Class of 2014, said: “EF Academy taught me thousands of things but the most important lesson I learned was how to be alive. I know it sounds cliché, but when I think about my time studying there I don’t remember having any bad times; the only times that I cried were when I had to say goodbye to the people who I lived with and the people who taught me new things, the people who made each day beautiful and full of surprises, and the people who I chose to call ‘my family.’”

The Big Apple was the site of EF Academy’s first annual alumni reunion, which took place on April 9th.

EF Academy grads meet up in New York City for an alumni reunion - EF Academy Blog

EF Academy grads meet up in New York City for an alumni reunion ‹ EF Academy Blog

EF Academy grads meet up in New York City for an alumni reunion

Ef academy grads meet new york city annual alumni reunion

Hannah Saskya Bingei from Indonesia graduated from EF Academy Oxford in 2015 with an A-Level diploma. Since she always had a passion for horses, she went on to study Equestrian Sports Science at University of West England Hartpury. Read more about our alumna below:
How did you hear about EF Academy and what made you decide to attend?
I saw the advertisement for an EF Academy lesson when my parents and I were out driving. I ended up going to the Oxford campus and there I met Ted McGraw, the former Head of School at of EF Academy Torbay and Cy Webber, the university Guidance Counselor. Since my parents are very focused on balancing academics with extra-curricular activities, we were all very interested in EF Academy Oxford when Ted was speaking about all the things students could do in Oxford in addition to studying A-Levels. I was homeschooled before so it was very important to me to do sports and play music on a daily basis.
What university did you attend after graduating from EF Academy? What did you study and why?
Horses have been a childhood obsession of mine, so when choosing what to study I knew I wanted to work with horses. That is why I chose to study Equestrian Sports Science at University of West England Hartpury. I really like the school a lot because of the amazing facilities and the many possibilities to gain work experience. Actually, Hartpury Equine is one of the largest equestrian centers in the world, so many top riders and horses come in from all over the world.
What tips do you have for current students who want to study what you study?
Learn to manage your time well and try to do as much as possible in high school, like gaining relevant work experience.
Do you keep in touch with your EF Academy classmates?
I definitely keep in touch with EF Academy classmates. For example, my best friend is from Austria and we actually speak every day. I am also a part of a larger group of students that communicate on a daily basis.
What’s your favorite memory at EF Academy?
When me and my friends would go down to the city of Oxford and spend time together.  Just experiencing the nice vibe of the city with such a close-knit of group of friends were really great!
What do you miss the most?
I have to say it is simply the routine of going to school everyday. It was such a caring environment, which is very different from university.
What is one thing that you learned at EF Academy that you found valuable for university or your personal life?
Being independent. My experience at EF Academy taught me to take care of myself and turn in my assignments on time. In other words, EF Academy makes you start taking responsibility early on and it prepares you well for your time at university.
What final tips would you give to current students?
Study hard to get what you need, don’t waste your time and follow your gut even when it points you toward something that isn’t obvious.
Short questions:
Name: Hannah Saskya Bingei 
Age: 20
Nationality: Indonesia
How many languages do you speak? English, Indonesian, Mandarin
EF Academy campus: Oxford
Graduation years: 2015
Program: A-Level (Biology, Chemistry, Psychology, Mathematics)
Residence or host family: Residence
Favorite subject: Biology
Favorite teacher: Jon Whitlow
Favorite club / society: Tennis
Who to interview next:
Daniel Membere Otaji
Shouts outs to:
Shout-out to Steffi, Egor, Keenan, and our little whole “group” for making my  2 years at Oxford super memorable

Hannah Saskya Bingei from Indonesia graduated from EF Academy Oxford in 2015 and is studying at University of West England Hartpury.

Alumni advice: Hannah Saskya Bingei - EF Academy Blog

Alumni advice: Hannah Saskya Bingei ‹ EF Academy Blog

Alumni advice: Hannah Saskya Bingei

Alumni advice hannah saskya bingei

Raka Akmal from Indoneisa graduated from EF Acaemy New York in 2015. The Varsity Basketball star was interested in studying Petrol Engineering at university but an internship in his home country changed his mind and he decided to pursue Chemical Engineering instead. Interested in taking on a new challenge, Raka now attends the University of Groningen in the Netherlands:
 
Why did you decide to attend EF Academy?
It was actually very spontaneous. I talked to my friend <a href="https://efacademyblog.ef.com/blog/2016/11/25/future-friday-meet-our-alumni-featuring-billy-sudiarto/" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Billy Sudiarto</a>and he told me that he was planning on going to EF Academy for high school. I thought that was interesting and he encouraged me to check it out. At that point, I was already thinking of studying abroad in the U.S. so I checked it out and talked to my parents. My parents said that if that’s what I wanted, they wanted it for me too.
What did you find exciting and challenging about the IB program?
I really liked the teachers and how they taught. My physics teacher, for example, made the subject really interesting for me. The most challenging was the homework and the core requirements because it was a lot.
How did you balance playing on the varsity basketball team with completing your IB assignments?
It was challenging, I found ways to split up time between school work and sport. Participating in sports made me feel better so that helped me a lot in school.
How did you choose your university and your program?
When I first started at EF Academy, I was thinking about attending university in the U.S. but my interests changed after I did an internship at Patra Teknik in Indonesia. The senior staff at the company gave me advice about what I wanted to study – Petrol Engineering. They suggested I study Chemical Engineering instead because it’s a broader major. I checked out some of the Chemical Engineering programs in other countries because I wanted to keep my options open and I also wanted to try out a different environment. First I applied to a school in London and then after I discovered Groningen, I applied and got in. I also was accepted to Penn State in the U.S. but I picked Groningen because it has one of the best Chemical Engineering programs in Europe. One of the professors in my faculty, Ben Feringa, won a Nobel Prize in chemistry this year.
Tell us a little more about your internship at Patra Teknik…
I did the one-month internship after my first year of the IB program. I worked with the senior staff so that I could learn about what they did and what projects they were working on. I asked them a lot of questions about their jobs and they gave me a lot of advice about what I should study. They brought me into meetings so that I could learn more about the petroleum company. I learned how to make good presentations and I helped with PowerPoints and administrative work.
What is one thing you learned at EF Academy that prepared you for university? For your personal life?
The experience at EF Academy prepared me for university by helping me learn how to write reports, and there are a lot of those for chemical engineering experiments.
For life, being a student at EF Academy has helped me be more open-minded. Before I came to the U.S., I wasn’t this open-minded about the world. But there were so many different cultures and people at EF Academy and so now I like being around international people. My university experience would be different if I wasn’t studying in an international environment since that’s what I’m used to now.
What is the accomplishment you are proudest of?
I’ve never really thought about that. I’m proud that I have been surviving in another country on my own for four years; and that I got into university and I’m still surviving; and not thinking about going home even though it hasn’t always been an upward journey. I still keep my head up so I’m pretty proud of myself for taking care of everything on my own. I’m proud of how far I’ve come.
What is your dream for your future?
I can do a lot with a degree in Chemical Engineering. I’d like to work for a company where they make things out of waste. I’d really love to live in South Africa. For now, I don’t have a desire to move back to Indonesia but maybe I will in the future.
 
Full name: Raka Akmal
Age: 20
Home country: Indonesia
Languages: English and Indonesia, and learning Dutch
EF Academy campus: New York
Program: IB
Grad year: 2015
Favorite club: Varsity Basketball
Favorite subject: Physics
University: Studying Chemical Engineering at University of Groningen

Raka Akmal from Indoneisa graduated from EF Acaemy New York in 2015. Raka now attends the University of Groningen in the Netherlands:

Advice from alumni: Raka Akmal - EF Academy Blog

Advice from alumni: Raka Akmal ‹ EF Academy Blog

Advice from alumni: Raka Akmal

Advice alumni raka akmal

David Knabe Gitnacht from Switzerland graduated from EF Academy Torbay in 2013 and after earning a degree in Law and International Relations from the University of Sussex, he moved to the Netherlands where he is currently earning a Master’s Degree in International Trade and Investment Law from the University of Amsterdam. Read on to find out how an internship in Arizona and Brexit had an impact on his studies and career path:
Why did you decide to attend EF Academy?
My story is a bit special. I graduated from my home school in Geneva before coming to EF Academy. I already had done the IB program but I didn’t have enough points to get into the University of Geneva (they appreciate the Swiss system more than IB). What my mom did for me is that she looked at programs that would allow me to go out and have other opportunities to take the IB. It was also about seeking another experience in my education. I wasn’t fluent enough in English when I finished high school even though I passed the exams. That’s why it was important for me to improve my English skills and because of that I went to Torbay. I’m very thankful that she gave me that opportunity to study abroad.
Why did you pick Torbay instead of Oxford or NY?
The admissions consultant recommended Torbay and I think she was right. Torbay is smaller and there is a close link between the students since it’s a small city. There is also a strong sense of community and you feel comfortable when you go to school because it’s in a nice area.
What is your favorite EF Academy memory?
I met Reham [featured in <a href="https://efacademyblog.ef.com/blog/2016/10/21/future-friday-meet-our-alumni-featuring-reham-fouad/">this</a> Future Friday] because she was in the residence with me. The residence is part of all my favorite memories. We went to dinner in the city, and we did activities together like bowling and going to the cinema. I really enjoyed my time at Torbay.
What was the difference between the IB program at your high school in Geneva and the one at EF Academy Torbay?
When I did the IB program in Geneva, we were more than 100 students, while in Torbay we were few students. As a result, the teachers could focus more on each one of us. Also, the teachers encouraged us to seek our potential and helped us reach it. More than that, Torbay gave me the ability to improve my critical thinking which is a  key academic skill that you need to have for university education.
Also, I was less mature and motivated in Geneva than when I was in Torbay, so when I went abroad and decided to retake the IB, I took things more seriously and took them into my own hands.
What did you find challenging about the IB program?
What is challenging is that there’s a lot to do – it’s a lot of assignments and studying for exams, so the most important thing is time management. That’s the most important thing you need to know to do well in the IB program.
What advice do you have for current students?
I would advise them to figure out what they want to do in the future before starting the IB program. They need to have a sense of what they would like to do at university or in their career because that’s where it always starts. Once you know what you want to do, it’s easier to enjoy and choose the subjects. If you do math HL, physics HL and chemistry HL but you study Law, it’s not going to help you at university. I know it’s early, but it’s important that you start thinking about it.
What is one thing you learned at EF Academy that prepared you for university? For your career? For your personal life?
As I said above, Torbay helped to develop my critical thinking and independence. Chris Nicholls my history teacher had a key role in that. He’s a great teacher. Chris teaches TOK, history, and he is involved in a lot of activities at the school. Most importantly, he taught us how to be critical in the sense that you don’t have to accept what people say, but you have to build your own perspective based on the credibility of the sources. You have to make yourself stand out from the rest and that’s an important skill in history but also in law. The arguments that you make have to come from critical thinking – so, that, and the ability to think on my own.  That was the most important skill that I have learned while I was at EF Academy.
How did you choose your universities for undergrad and grad school?
For Sussex, I applied to four universities and a lot of my friends were in London so Sussex was a good choice. The academic advisor at EF Academy Torbay gave me a list of universities in the UK where Law is very highly regarded. I applied to these universities and decided to go to Sussex. It wasn’t easy at the beginning. This is when you really start your adult life. You have a lot of liberty but also important responsibilities. I am happy that I chose Sussex for my Bachelor’s Degree in Law.
My choice to study at the University of Amsterdam is sort of a funny story. When I was doing my studies at Sussex, I wanted to do something with international economic law and I was more interested in European competition law. But after what happened with Brexit, I switched to international trade law. The education in Amsterdam is more affordable than in the UK. It’s a very good university and widely recognized, the quality of life is high and I love the city. The people here are very nice and my classmates are all very nice as well. It’s a great university.
What got you interested in law and international relations?
What I like about law is that it’s a subject that touches everything – it’s not something that is on its own. I’m more interested in the international relations aspect of law, the relations between the states and how they cooperate with each other and how they follow rules in order to determine if they should use force or engage in diplomatic or economic relations. I’m very interested in human relations and cultural differences. I consider myself to be an international person, and I like places where people have broad perspectives. That’s what I like about the field: it brings people together to make a decision and follow the law.
What internships have you taken on since graduating from EF Academy, and which has been the most important to you?
After I graduated from EF Academy, I did an internship with an NGO called Centre Europe-Tiers Monde (CETIM). It was my first time doing an internship. My role consisted of managing administrative tasks and contacting other NGOs for potential collaboration in common projects. What the CETIM does is to bring claims to the UN in Geneva from people who are struggling with corporations or governments. It was interesting because I learned how NGOs operate and how they use contacts.
Then I did another internship in Arizona that was more related to the legal world. I assisted an attorney who is involved in immigration and criminal law. I went to courts, prisons, detention centers and I worked on real cases. It was an amazing experience and it helped build my awareness of immigration issues in the U.S. It was a very valuable experience for life and also in terms of my career.
What is the accomplishment you are proudest of?
That’s a difficult question – I think my greatest achievement is making all these friends that I still keep in touch with, friends from EF Academy, Geneva, and university. Once you finish your education, you sometimes don’t talk to the people you studied with and you fall apart for years. But what I’ve done is that I’ve kept a good network of people and I try to keep in touch with some of them. Sometimes it’s difficult because you have studies and other, new friends, but I’ve done it and I think that’s a great accomplishment.
What is your dream for your future?
I have many goals, but I would like to become a mediator. I want to be an independent professional but also to work in an international institution such as the United Nations. Resolving conflicts between parties and finding a compromise is a satisfactory feeling in the sense that you support progress in a relationship. It’s about human relations and bringing people together to find a solution. That’s the reason why I want to have a career in mediation.
Age: 23
Home country: Switzerland
Languages: French, English and Spanish
EF Academy campus: Torbay
Program: IB
Grad year: 2013
Favorite clubs: Football and French Club
Favorite subject: History
University: University of Sussex for Law and International Relations (LLB), University of Amsterdam for Master’s Degree in International Trade and Investment Law (LLM)

David Knabe Gitnacht from Switzerland graduated from EF Academy Torbay in 2013 and did Law and International Relations from the University of Sussex.

Advice from alumni: David Gitnacht - EF Academy Blog

Advice from alumni: David Gitnacht ‹ EF Academy Blog

Advice from alumni: David Gitnacht

Advice alumni david gitnacht

Anthony Wijaya is a medical student at Cardiff University – ranked 3rd in the UK for medicine in 2016. In his spare time he tutors A-Level students, works as a graphic designer for a medical journal, plays basketball and is a committee member of the “Surgeon Society.” For tips on how to find an internship and succeed at EF Academy, check out his Q&A:
 
Full name: Anthony Wijaya
Age: 19
Home country: Indonesia
Languages: English and Bahasa Indonesia
EF Academy campus: Torbay
Program: A-Level
Grad year: 2015
Favorite clubs: Basketball, Student Council and Salsa
Favorite subjects: For me it was always a tie between Biology and Chemistry because my teachers for both were great. Chemistry, however, isn’t just memorizing facts but also applying what you know, which I think is more challenging.
University: Studying Medicine at Cardiff University
 
How did you decide that EF Academy Torbay was the right school for you?
When I was in high school in Indonesia, I started to look at different options for a career in Medicine. I attended several conferences and I found that everywhere else, the UK, the USA and Australia, all have their own pathways into Medicine. I find that it is difficult for Indonesians to get accepted into Medicine in a different country because we have a different curriculum in high school.
I found out about EF Academy at an education conference. I looked at the programs that they offered and I found out that after one year it would be appropriate for me to apply as I had just started Year 10 in Indonesia. I was happy about that and we thought it would be a good opportunity to pursue. Later, I found out that EF Academy offered the Founder’s Scholarship aimed at ambitious, well-rounded students with exceptional academic achievements and English proficiency, to study A-Level in the UK. I decided that if I could get the scholarship, I could go and do A-Levels there. I went through the process, wrote an essay and had an interview: I was very grateful that I was offered the scholarship to continue in Torbay. Although, initially, I was thinking of attending EF Academy Oxford, because it’s in an academic city, I was a little too young for that! After talking to some A-Level students at Torbay, I felt that it was an attractive area with the seafront and plenty of areas to relax in – and it was much quieter than London. I had some friends who had done A-Levels in Oxford, and I realized that Torbay was the right choice for me because it was quiet and I could maintain my focus there really well. At the same time there are different activities around Torbay in which to participate, because it’s in the picturesque southwest of England and for example, you can go to Dartmoor to hike. After I had arrived and started the courses I was certain that I made the right choice!
What is your favorite memory from EF Academy?
There are so many, it’s difficult to pick one! I think my first good memory was from 2013 after Induction Week. We had a party to meet all of the students and teachers. It was on a ferry that went from Torquay to Brixham and we got to know each other and danced and enjoyed ourselves after what had been a long week with lots of tests and trying different classes.
Another good memory is of the Student Council meetings.  I was fortunate enough to be Head Boy of EF Academy Torbay when I was there and led the monthly meeting where we sat with the prefects and tutor group representatives, talking about the different things that could be improved at the school. I really enjoyed that because I had my first experience of leadership at Torbay. Before I came to the UK, I was a fairly introverted person but after getting to Torbay I began to make new friends. Some teachers suggested I apply for the Head Student election and that was when I found that I had a flair for speaking for others and I could show that I cared about all the activities that were happening. Having students from so many different nationalities and talking about how to improve a school (wonderfully situated on top of a cliff!) was really enjoyable.
And graduation was also really memorable. We took lots of pictures and I had the privilege to give speeches to the lower school and my graduating class of 2015. I will never forget all the different balls when everyone dressed up and we took pictures together. It was so fancy and classy!
What is Head Boy?
You represent the school whenever there are external guests that come, for example when we had visitors from the Torbay Council or parents. The Head Boy greets important people and has monthly meetings with the teachers and head teachers in which he gives them feedback on, for instance, what the rest of the school would like improved. I enjoyed being a bridge between the students and the staff. Another part of the role is representing the students. During the election, I remember we had different people running for positions and we had different speeches and posters.  The school was looking for people who embodied the essential EF Academy values – punctuality, doing well in academic activities, balancing schoolwork and after-school activities and taking time to listen to peers’ suggestions and concerns. This bridge between students, teachers and staff is important so that no matter what happens in any activity, the students can talk to the prefects and Head Boy who will then talk to the school administrators.
Why did you want to study medicine?
When I came to the UK, I knew I wanted to go into medicine but I didn’t have the reasons completely worked out. But by the end of the first year, they expect you to have your reasons formulated so you can add them to your personal statement. Over time, I would say that I realized that medicine is a combination of really informative science and social skills. Although I’m not a particularly science-focused person, I like the human interaction in medicine. I can see that as I go through the medical course itself that it’s a very competitive field but I feel I have the talent for it.
From when I did my science classes and A-Levels, I knew that I have the talent to become a good doctor and I would like to improve that talent (and any other talents which I’ve been given from God) to help other people. Not just help, but also share what I know and do what I can do for society, for the greater good. When I was in high school, I was good at social sciences and I thought about studying Law or Computer Science at university, but in the end I found that Medicine covers all of these topics: it involves science, problem-solving, communication and technical skills – all things I enjoyed in my different subjects.
Medicine itself is a very vast branch of science and there are so many possibilities to specialize, At the moment, I feel drawn to cardiothoracic surgery. Since starting university, I’ve become involved in tutoring A-Level students and first-year students. I’ve realized that I enjoy teaching so a career in clinical or academic medicine might be another option.
Did you do any internships that have benefitted your studies or your career plan?
My first internship was in Torquay – Shirley, one of the volunteer organizers, managed to help me get a six-month internship at a hospice for critically ill patients. I volunteered to go there for six months and ended up visiting once or twice a month. I brought the patients tea and coffee and shadowed one of the doctors when they examined their patients. At university, I’ve encountered other patients with dementia or mental health problems. In the future, we will need to find ways to help this older generation. Now, in Europe mostly, we’re shifting our attention towards the elderly generation and it’s important for youngsters not to forget them. My shadowing experience at Rowcroft Hospice in Torquay gave me an empathetic experience and just by bringing them beverages or maybe helping them into the garden, gave me a sense of caring and it helped me realize that medicine was the right choice for me.
I also had a week shadowing a doctor at a general practitioner surgery in London. I spent a week there and followed him and the other doctors around. I got to see what a daily life of a GP is like – it’s a fast-paced job! My biology teacher, Wendy Daniels, helped me with this opportunity, her brother being the doctor I shadowed.
Medicine is a competitive field, but it’s a worthwhile job and as I develop further at university, I am beginning to notice that the professions of GPs, physicians and surgeons all offer different opportunities and benefits. My shadowing experience in London gave me insight into how hard medicine can be but it also reinforced by decision to go into it.
How did you find these internships?
I showed initiative about doing these internships. In our tutor groups at EF Academy Torbay, we had to introduce ourselves at the beginning and say something about what we’re studying and what we hope to do in the future. I made it clear to the teachers that I wanted to do Medicine and they told me it was competitive and that if I really wanted to go through with it I would need to get myself into different experiences. I was the one who said to them that I wanted to do it and asked if they could help me. I was very fortunate that at the right time, Wendy offered me the chance to shadow her brother over the summer and Shirley was keen on helping students volunteer so she was looking for students who are able to communicate well and who wanted to volunteer at the hospice.
What is your favorite part about university?
I had always been interested in attending a traditional medical school such as Oxford and Cambridge. But when I got into Cardiff, which has a very modern, integrated course, I changed my mind. Normally, medical students would study science in years one and two. But at Cardiff, we use case-based and practical learning, which means that students in their first year already have opportunities for patient interaction. The thing I enjoy is the clinical exposure, where we had hospital placements and spoke with real patients, performed examinations and practiced clinical skills, such as drawing blood and basic life support. Not only that, we did a full body dissection on a cadaver right from the first week of the course during our first year. In the second year, we go to a nearby hospital and we practice clinical skills in the morning and in the afternoon, we meet with patients where we introduce ourselves and perform these examination ourselves under some supervision. As someone who is quite practical, I really enjoy learning by doing. At the end of the day, you get feedback from the doctors on your clinical skills. I find it really enjoyable learning this way as opposed to learning hard-science for two years and only then meeting patients in the clinical years.
In addition to that is the case-based learning in Cardiff. For example, we have just had a case on lower back pain. We dedicated a two-week block in which we were given a scenario and had to study every single factor that play an impact on the scenario, to finally come to a diagnosis. As we went along, we had time to research the information on our own and there were specific lectures where we are given “the science” that will guide us so we had a scientific base for our judgments. I like the balance of the courses at university right now.
What activities, clubs, societies or jobs are you involved in?  
Last year, I started working as an A-Level tutor.  Last year I was looking for a job, and university-type jobs at the post office or at restaurants were everywhere. I tried some of them but they were all quite far from where I lived. So I tried tutoring since I still had all the knowledge in my head and it would be an opportunity to help other people. To be a tutor, you need to be able to explain things well ­– simplifying complicated stuff into really basic principles – and understand what you’re talking about. We were taught so well at EF Academy and had to review things over and over again: the course material from those days was really ingrained on my brain!
I’m also part of the Healthcare Basketball team. The actual Cardiff basketball team practice every now and then in the main building of the campus, but we medical students have our own basketball team and we are based in the University Hospital of Wales.
At the end of last year, we also formed a musical group where we sang and played musical instruments to patients and their families in the University Hospital of Wales and in the Children’s Hospital. It is basically doing something that we enjoy while making other people feel better and cheering them up with our presence.
This year, I’m also involved in some graphic design, which I enjoyed during high school. I work on a newly published medical journal (called The Student Doctor – www.sdj.org.uk) where medical students and doctors can publish the results of their research. We created this new journal:  a publication of Cardiff University Press led by Cardiff medical students. I am one of the design editors and do things like typesetting, checking alignment and designing the cover. That is something I got involved in this year.
I’m also involved in the Surgery Society as a committee member (Website and Public Relations Lead). We get in touch with surgeons working at the hospital and organize sessions for medical students. The surgeons show us how to do suturing or endoscopies – it’s great support for us and we can borrow the equipment and practice on models of human bodies.
Another thing I did last year was to volunteer at a nearby Catholic church – on most Saturday mornings during the winter we prepared breakfast and cleaned the bedding of the homeless who spent the night in the church hall. Currently, I am an altar server at my local church. I’ve been serving at church since I was at EF Academy Torbay and I’m actually still in touch with some of the people I met at the church in Torquay.
What advice do you have for current EF Academy students?
> Use your time wisely: I bet so many other alumni have said that but it’s so important! We all have only 24 hours, and whatever you choose to do with them it is up to you. We are all very lucky to have attended or currently attend EF Academy, we had all the facilities and teachers we needed, we lived with a lovely host family or in the residence. There are activities and all the support you need. All of the doors are open and it’s up to you to choose what you want to do. The one who will lead you to success is yourself. You’re the one who will say I want to do this today and not tomorrow.
> Make sure you have something or someone you can depend on. For me, it’s my religion, my family and my close friends. Don’t take on everything on your own. Whenever you have problems or when something is difficult, don’t beat yourself up. When I used to go to my church in Torquay, I had such a strong support from people who ended up becoming my good friends. Having a strong support system will definitely help solve many problems. My host family (Toni and Simon) was another example – I still visit them sometimes and get in touch on the Facebook because they were very friendly and we broke the barrier between host and guest, reaching the point where we felt like a family.
> Make friends – At the beginning, it’s easy to doubt your command of English and to think that people won’t like you. The key is to be yourself and try it out. Sometimes opportunities only come once!
What is the accomplishment you are proudest of?
Getting into medical school the first time around. I see so many people who really wanted to do medicine but who weren’t fortunate enough to get it on the first attempt. I was very lucky that I got into Cardiff (ranked 3rd in the UK in 2016) as I didn’t expect to get into medical school. My journey here was very tough and long. Normally, students would need to get straight As, but after A-Level Year 1 I only had one A and three B’s. Everybody suggested I try something different but my teachers didn’t give up on me and they thought I could push my score up. I have to admit that initially I had received rejections from all the medical schools. I had an interview with Cardiff and they said they couldn’t offer me a place and they put me on the waiting list saying that if I could meet the grades I could get in.
I’m proud that I didn’t give up even when I saw all my friends getting their offers to their dream universities. At that particular moment, I didn’t have any offers except from Leicester, and they said that although I couldn’t be accepted to the medicine course, I could choose any other path at the university. While I was waiting to hear from Cardiff, I canceled my offer from Leicester. Eventually, I got the grades I needed (even higher than expected!) and I had an offer from Cardiff.

Anthony Wijaya is a medical student at Cardiff University – ranked 3rd in the UK for medicine in 2016.

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