Students Study Abroad at Oxford

This semester, seven students from The King’s College have the distinct honor of studying abroad at The Summit Oxford Study Centre. Sarah Hutchison, Chris Svendsen, Samuel Tran, Catherine Ratcliffe, Anna Matthews, Corinne DuBois, and Claire Cook began the semester on September 3 and will complete the program on December 22, just in time for Christmas.The Summit Oxford Study Centre is an educational program combining the unique worldview approach of Summit Ministries with the academic strengths of Oxford, England.

At Summit, Oxford Kingsians will study with Oxford tutors. These are not just lectures, but concentrated and personalized tutorials with world-class scholars. Students may study facets of literature or law, politics or philosophy, theology, the arts or sciences.Included in Summit Oxford’s unique study abroad program is a four-week worldview course taught by Kevin James Bywater. Under Bywater, close reading of various texts is a central activity. Conversations among teacher and students are many, open, engaging, and authentic. In addition to this intensive program, throughout the Oxford term there are weekly worldview colloquia and personalized mentoring sessions.The King’s College equips students for the rigor of Oxford’s scholarship-driven community. Students agree that learning “The Best Which Has Been Thought And Said” (Matthew Arnold) at The King’s College prepared them to meet the rigorous expectations of Oxford.”King’s equipped me to question and engage with every idea I encounter. It instilled in me a habit of constant, rigorous work, which has proved very useful for much of the self-study and pacing of Oxford,” said Catherine Ratcliffe ’14. “The King’s faculty and curriculum as a whole have been vital in molding me into a scholar capable of Oxford.”In addition to encountering and engaging critical thought, rigorous work, and a scholarship-driven community, the Kingsians at Summit Oxford have the privilege to spend time exploring English culture.”A few weeks ago, I went to Blackwell’s (which President Thornbury has described as the Strand, but better laid out). As I wandered through the second-hand bookshelves, I found an old copy of C.S. Lewis’ Surprised by Joy and a little book of essays from Milton published over a hundred years ago,” said Sam Tran ’14. “It was quite a treat to buy a 113-year old book; imagine what stories it could tell.”Current students interested in learning more about the Oxford Study Abroad Program can do so on Friday at 3:00 PM when Professor Robert Schuettinger, founder and director of OSAP, speaks in the Founders’ Conference room on the 5th Floor. The topic will be on “Life in Oxford.”

To learn more about the Oxford Study Abroad Program and other International Venture opportunities available through The King’s College, please email Global Engagement Coordinator Elijah McCready. In the heart of New York City, The King’s College is an accredited, Christian liberal arts college. Through the truths of Christianity and great works in politics, philosophy, and economics, we are educating the next generation of leaders for America and the world.