ASA: Academic Study Associates 2008 Programs

Dear Parents,

The rain has finally decided to come down this evening as it has been on and off throughout the week. Thank goodness it waited as the students have had a packed week full of excursions, field trips, 4th of July celebrations and more. Thursday was our trip to Stratford where the students visited the birthplace of Shakespeare and took in a performance by the Royal Shakespeare Company of The Merchant of Venice. Friday, we celebrated the independence of America by having a BBQ in England (our host college was very gracious and even had their staff participating) and an afternoon of house competitions.

For those of you who do not know, the student body is separated into two houses – The House of Lancaster and The House of York. Throughout the program, there are various house competitions and once a week, students attend Formal Dinner with their house. At the first Formal Dinner, students heard from a faculty member who briefly told them of Oxford traditions, including Formal Dinner.

Saturday contained a trip to Stonehenge/Bath or Brighton. Oddly enough, those who went to Stonehenge/Bath had to endure bouts of wind and rain while those who were at Brighton on the same day had a blazing hot day and some returned with a sunburn. Next weekend, students who did not go to Brighton will have the opportunity and vice versa.

Today was “Options Day” in which students could go to the Henley Regatta, Wimbledon, Bicester Village Outlet Shopping, or participate in a Murder Mystery Night. Though the students who went to Wimbledon had to come home before the end of the finals for the men’s singles, they had the privilege of being on the grounds during one of the most historic and exciting matches. In fact, they are coming into college right now and a student just exclaimed, “That was the best 12 hours of my life.” I feel like that is a good note to end on for this update.

As always, if you have any questions, comments, or concerns, please let me know. Also, if you are trying to fax something to our Oxford office, please try +44 (0)1865 274 197 as it appears our other fax number is not working properly (thank you so much for being quite patient with the technology issues we’ve had this session – internet, fax machines, phone lines going out).

All the best,

Christie
oxford@asaprograms.com
+44 (0)1865 274 268

Dear Parents,

It is hard to believe we are starting our second week and orientation officially came to and end yesterday. In addition to mini-policy meetings, dodge-ball tournaments, photo-scavenger hunts of Oxford, etc., students have immersed themselves in their classes and attended their first seminar lecture.

Today was the first excursion to London with the following options: St. Paul's Cathedral/Tower of London, Westminster Abbey/National Gallery/Covent Gardens, Tate Modern/Camden Market/Covent Gardens, and V&A Museum/Natural History Museum/Knightsbridge. Though it was an early day, students were excited and enjoyed the opportunities to not only famous sites but free time explore with friends different areas of historical London.

Before I go on, I wanted to introduce my senior staff to you. They have each written a brief hello below. As always, if you have any questions, please don't hesitate to contact me.

All the best,

Christie
oxford@asaprograms.com
+44 (0)1865 274 268

The Dean of Students:
Hello from Oxford! My name is Adam Peterson and I will be serving as the Dean of Students this summer at ASA Oxford. My role is comprised of ensuring a safe, secure environment for the students here at Oxford. That includes organizing the housing arrangements for each student and serving as a conduct officer in cases of student misconduct. In a true re-creation of the college experience students are free to make their own choices, but should a student make a poor decision, my job is to educate the student so that they will be better able to make the correct choice in the future. I look forward to working with your students this summer and my time here at ASA Oxford!

Academic Director:
Hello Everyone, please let me introduce myself. I'm Ed Clarke, the Academic Director, which means I am in charge of making sure all the classes run smoothly. In fact, I am English and I usually live in Oxford where I teach English literature to visiting American students at St. Catherine's College. I will be living at Lady Margaret Hall for the duration of the programme. We have a great range of excellent teachers working for us this year on the Oxford Experience and I am looking forward to working with your students.

Activities Director:
A big hello to all! I wanted to take a few seconds and introduce myself. I'm Kellen and I will be serving as the Director of Activities this summer at the ASA Oxford program. The bulk of my job is centered around ensuring the students a diverse, culturally and mentally stimulating range of activities that will ultimately lead to their growth as a student and a young person. Our goal is to offer a good balance of academic, recreational activities, and social pursuits as to mimic a true college experience. I look forward to meeting each of the students, and seeing that their needs, interests, and talents are tapped into to create a truly unique and exciting summer.

Student Services Coordinator:
Greetings!

My name is Emily and I am the Student Services Coordinator at ASA Oxford this summer. As such, I manage the main program office where students will be receiving mail, checking out equipment and receiving messages. Along with each student's RA, the main office also provides a place where students can find answers to their questions. I and the rest of the staff look forward to a wonderful summer here in Oxford.

Dear Parents,

After what has been a long travel day (or days) for our students, all students who are to arrive today have arrived and registered and are now beginning the ASA Oxford student orientation. Even in the midst of the tired faces, it was great to overhear the conversations of "where are you from?" and "wow, I've never been there" and "I'm so glad to finally be here!"

We have an extremely dedicated team working ASA Oxford 2008 and I cannot wait to see what the next few weeks brings. There will be proud accomplishments in the classroom, friendships formed and discussions had that truly make one a global citizen.

As you communicate with your student through the following days, urge them to take part in the activities being offered. Encourage them to take advantage of the excursions and seminars. As always, thank you for the support you have already offered and thank you in advance for your continued support.

If you need anything, feel free to contact me.

All the best,

Christie
oxford@asaprograms.com
+44 (0) 1865 274 268

Dear Parents,

Just a quick update to let you know that both group flights have arrived and students are going through registration as we speak. All of them seem in high spirits, especially after the travel day they have had! I will send an update regarding ALL arrivals later tonight but I just wanted to let you know the Virgin 46 flight and the LAX 8 flight have are here at Lady Margaret Hall.

Best,

Christie
oxford@asaprograms.com

Dear Parents,

It's hard to believe some of your students are en route to Oxford and most of them are about to board a plane to begin their journey in Oxford. As we the staff have just wrapped up our orientation, I cannot begin to describe how excited we are to meet each of the students. RAs have been pouring over the housing forms, looking at their hall rosters, and wondering what their group of students has in store for them this summer. We can't wait for everyone to get here to begin The Oxford Experience 2008.

For those of you on the group flight out of JFK, we are aware of the severe delays and we will adjust our pick-up accordingly (we monitor all flights and will always adjust accordingly). On Tuesday, June 24th, I will send out the following update emails to let you know your students have arrived:

1. Update e-mail once the group flight Virgin 46 from JFK has arrived and those student have been brought to Lady Margaret Hall (LMH).
2. Update e-mail once the unofficial group flight Virgin 8 from LAX has arrived and those students have been brought to LMH.
3. Update e-mail once ALL students who are to arrive on Tuesday, June 24th have arrived.

I look forward to communicating with you throughout the program. As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me via e-mail or through the student office at Oxford.

All the best,

Christie
oxford@asaprograms.com
+44 (0)1865 274 268

Today you will be receiving a series of important reminders and updates to help with your final preparations for the program. Please be sure to read each of the posts in its entirety and attend to the necessary preparations. This will help to ensure a stress-free and smooth start to the summer.

We’ve subscribed this e-mail address to automatically receive postings to the News & Updates for the Oxford Session 1 program. We will use this to convey important information to you before the start of the program, and to keep you informed about what’s going on once the program has started.

Please be sure to set this e-mail address as one of your trusted contacts so it does not get filtered as spam. If you would like to unsubscribe, send an e-mail with “UNSUBSCRIBE oxfordupdates@asaprograms.com” in the *subject* and *no text or signature in the body* to subscriptions@asaprograms.com. If you would like to subscribe an additional address, send an e-mail with “SUBSCRIBE oxfordupdates@asaprograms.com" in the *subject* and *no text or signature in the body* to subscriptions@asaprograms.com.

Dear Parents and Students,

Recently you were sent a "Before You Go" mailing. If you have not received this, please log into MyASA and download the following:

-- Pre-departure Travel Info
-- Program Contact Information

These documents give instructions for traveling independently and with the group.

There has been some confusion regarding the e-tickets for the group flight on Virgin Atlantic. If you booked through STA travel, all you need when you check-in for the group flight is your booking confirmation and passport. The Virgin Atlantic agent will then give you your boarding pass. If you do not have your booking confirmation, please call STA travel at 1.800.492.3855 and they can provide you with one.

If you have any questions at all, please don't hesitate to contact me.

All the best,

Christie

ASA t-shirts and luggage tags have been mailed out and should have begun last week (except international students – yours should arrive in another week or two). It is very important that you wear your ASA t-shirt when you travel to the program so our staff will be able to easily identify and help you when you arrive.

Please note that we are not able to exchange t-shirts for a different size. Shirts were ordered according to sizes given and unfortunately we do not have extras for swapping. If there was a mistake on our end, please bring your t-shirt to the airport / program and we’ll see what we can do.

Summer contact information (as well as predeparture travel guidance) has been uploaded to your MyASA account. Be sure to print out this sheet and stick it on your fridge for easy reference during the summer!

We have now past the June 1st due date for all forms. Make sure to log in to MyASA to double-check that all your forms and materials have been received. If some are missing, please go to the Form Downloads section of MyASA, print, complete, and fax the form to our office ASAP (fax: 212-334-4934).

NOTE: It may take 2-3 business days for forms to be processed and appear on MyASA, as we have over 1300 students joining us this season. Please be patient and use MyASA to verify receipt rather than contacting our office directly.

Be sure to download and print out the Orientation Handbook / Packing List from your MyASA account (see the Form Downloads section). The Handbook contains important information about the program and guidance as you prepare for the summer. Please read it through promptly, as it holds the answers to many questions, including some you haven’t thought to ask!

Dear Students,

Your ASA t-shirt is being mailed to you next week along with 2 ASA luggage tags. As stated in the orientation handbook, we ask that you wear your tshirt on departure day regardless of whether or not you are on the group flight. This allows us to easily identify you as an ASA student. Although it's not ideal to be wearing the same shirt as everyone else, the plus side is, it's super soft.

Also, please use the ASA luggage tags as it makes locating lost luggage 10 times easier. As always, make sure you are checking MyASA for any important, last minute updates.

If you are traveling independently to London, you will receive an email about a week before departure detailing exactly where to go and who to look for. If you have connecting flights to the JFK, I will run lists and let you know if there are other students who may be on your connecting flight so you can be on the lookout for each other.

Have a great Memorial Day weekend and if you have any questions, let me know.

-- Christie

Dear Students,

During the next few weeks, we will be tying up loose ends in preparation for your upcoming trip. Here is a list of things you need to do:

1. Register for MyASA
2. Download and read the Orientation handbook. Keep a copy at home for the parents and take a copy with you to program.
3. If you have not been officially accepted into the program, please go to MyASA to find out what we are missing.
4. Turn in all supplemental forms to our New York office -- housing form, ISIC form (with passport size photo), a copy of your passport, rules and regulations form (signed by student and parent), health form, copy of health insurance card, and a copy of your travel itinerary (including all connecting flights).

Here at the New York ASA office, we are putting together the final mailings and will update you when those have been sent out.

Let me know if you have any questions!

-- Christie

In just a few short weeks, you'll be on your way to England! From now through the summer, this page will be a key resource to keep you updated on what to do to prepare and what’s going on at the program.

Before you go, I'll be posting details like your mailing address, program phone number, airport pick-up instructions, etc. Be sure to subscribe to ‘News & Updates’ now so as not to miss any pre-program details.

Once the program begins, the senior staff will post updates and photos of what you and your new friends are up to. Encourage grandparents, aunts, uncles and friends to subscribe before the summer so that they can see what's happening at Oxford.

Look for a new post each week. Keep working to complete your pre-program forms and don’t forget to visit the ‘Forms Download’ section within MyASA to get a packing list, the pre-program handbook, and other important materials.

As always, if you have any questions at all, feel free to contact me.


Until the next update,


Christie Chow
Co-Director, The Oxford Experience
+1 212 796 8350
oxford@asaprograms.com