Brilliant Club – Online Launch

After a disastrous and wet (thanks to a well timed fire alarm) start to our Year 7 Brilliant Club, our chosen fourteen sat wonderfully throughout the online Zoom launch. 

Engaging and enthusiastic speakers painted a beautiful picture of what it is like to be part of a scholar’s programme and life as a university student both inside and outside the university campus. 

Neurones were firing during this intense whistle stop tour of university life – all fourteen faces lit up when one ambassador spoke about only doing three hours of lectures then spending the rest of his in time Starbucks!  Back to reality and there was a real drive on acknowledging that the city and location you chose is as important as the subject you wish to study.  Sports, societies and clubs dominated a lot of the conversation which was fantastic promotion for our Year 7s to engage in as much extra curricular activity as possible to open up your friendship circle, extend skills and knowledge and experience new things with new like-minded people. 

A deeper dive into PHD study was interesting and the Brilliant Club got their mind around the fact you can be a doctor without having to work at Queen’s Hospital!

Accommodation was a hot topic, will they leave the protection, guidance and warmth of a home cooked meal, or do they travel everyday to their chosen university and miss out on living with newfound friends and experience their first taste of independence. What would life be like living on their own? 

The participation section was enlightening – eager, excited and hungry for information there was a plethora of questions being fired at the Zoom screen, with vigour and gusto – the ambassadors did a great job answering all their questions with depth and detail. 

We shouldn’t underestimate the patience and dedication of our chosen fourteen. They sat perfectly through a two hour Zoom call without complaint and without fuss.  At such a tender age this is no mean feat and I commend them for their attitude and dedication to the project. Great start Brilliant Club!