Vanessa's Mill Hill Journey

Vanessa’s Mill Hill journey began in summer 2023, when she attended her first Mill Hill Summer School programme. Having enjoyed herself so much in Summer 2023, she returned in 2024 for another Summer School programme. She is now in Year 12 studying her A Levels at Mill Hill School and has just received an offer from Oxford University to study law with German, as well as four other offers from Russell Group universities.

Reflecting on her experience at Mill Hill Short Courses, Vanessa said that “the good thing about short courses is that there was no academic pressure on us, there was no need to feel nervous about grades or anything. It was all just about the experience and having a good time, meeting new people and developing our English skills.”

Vanessa also highlighted another benefit of Mill Hill Short Courses, saying that: “the programmes can accommodates different levels of English, ranging all the way from learning the basics of English to learning Shakespearean English.”

Having thrived so much on the Summer School programmes, Vanessa decided to apply to study at Mill Hill School full time and is now in Sixth Form, where she is currently studying A Levels in History, Politics and Economics. The boarding experience over Summer helped shape her decision to study at Mill Hill full time. It allowed her to experience life in a boarding environment, being surrounded by different cultures, learning how to adapt, and improving her communication skills.

As a boarder, Vanessa says that some of her favourite moments take place in the boarding houses in the evening: “with all your friends, and everybody cooking something from their culture, and everyone reflecting on their day.” In these moments, she says, you feel that “you’re not alone. There are people with you, people who are willing and happy to listen to you, support you socially and academically, and even just be there to have a good time. It feels like an actual home, an actual community.”

Vanessa’s Mill Hill journey highlights the value of our Short Course programmes in giving students the opportunity to get a taste for life in a British boarding school and to test whether Mill Hill is the school for them for longer programmes. To find out more about Summer Short Courses and all of the other programmes we offer international pupils, please click here.