Today, we woke up bright and early for school! After a 16-stop Tube ride, we arrived at Latymer Upper School, located in Hammersmith, near the River Thames. It was established in 1624 by Edward Latymer and has approximately 1200 students. Most students are admitted through an examination and interview process, and the school has an acceptance rate of less than 10% (sound familiar?).
After meeting-and-greeting our assigned Latymer student buddies, each of us went off to class with them. We experienced British high school education through classes like Further Maths and Medical Ethics. We then joined into larger groups and our buddies took us on a private tour of the Latymer campus, which includes its own boathouse, performing arts centers, and dining halls. Speaking of dining halls, we had a hearty lunch with Latymer students, while catching up on everything we’ve missed since 1776.
After lunch, some of our very own BCA students gave a short presentation to the Latymer students and faculty about our academics, culture, and traditions. Thanks to Rin, Kashish, and Sofiya for putting the presentation together!
We then took a short detour outside of Latymer to the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew. The Gardens house over 27,000 species of plants, some of which are extinct in the wild. The botantical garden was beautiful, and everyone found that it was a very nice, relaxing break from the rigorous academics at Latymer.
We ended our day at Latymer with a dinner with our buddies before saying our final farewells. With a Tube ride and walk back to the hostel, we called it an early night and prepared for the day ahead.
