"Being selected to take part in the Brilliant Club programme was a memorable opportunity. I felt very happy and proud to be chosen. During the trip, we travelled together in a minibus and enjoyed the journey. We visited Oriel college where we were given a guided tour and took part in a graduation ceremony, which made the day feel special and meaningful. The visit gave me the chance to experience university life and challenge myself academically. Throughout the tutorials, our big question was  "Are we living in a simulation?" we used the simulation hypothesis, learning about the ideas of different philosophers, a range of viewpoints, and how a virtual world might work to figure out the answer . This topic was especially interesting because it encouraged me to question reality and think deeply about ideas that are not often discussed. I found the experience enjoyable and inspiring, particularly because we were able to ask university students about what life is like studying there. I would highly recommend the Brilliant Club programme, as it was both educational and enjoyable. I would also like to thank Mr Sandu for choosing me to be part of the Brilliant Club." -Kishani 8YK 

"When I was selected for the Brilliant Club, I felt really excited about the prospect of working with a PhD tutor. For the next few weeks, we would be studying a super-curricular topic and writing a university level graded essay to assess our understanding of it. This was to give us a taste of studying in a university. Our topic was ‘Are we living in a simulation?’ which was an interesting and unique philosophical subject that we have not yet covered in school. Having to form a conclusion in an ongoing argument with no concrete evidence taught us to critically analyse various sources and their reliability. We also learnt how to write a proper philosophical argument to present our opinions in the final assignment. Once we had submitted our write-ups, we went to Oxford’s Oriel College for our graduation. This was an insight into education after high school since we met Oriel’s staff and student ambassadors who explained and answered our questions about Oriel and the various career paths we could take. We were even given a tour of Oxford’s historic quads where we saw huge, intricate stone sculptures. I would definitely recommend the Brilliant Club since it is a wonderful opportunity to explore new topics that you don’t do in school that you might find interesting. It also allows you to get a better exposure of university and whether it’s for you." - Saisha 8AW