Tuesday 26th February 2019
It was a beautiful, warm, sunny day in late February, and I sat nervously in class after presenting a powerpoint for an assignment at college. I waited for 13:30, which was when I would leave and make my way to Harlaxton College for an interview for the Ridgway Scholarship.
I found myself on the way up the A1, satnav on and feeling comfortable about where to go. However, arriving into Harlaxton, I could see the grand, hogwarts-like building but there was a large gate in the way of what I thought was the entrance. Dilemma. I drove around Harlaxton for about 10 minutes, looking for points of entry but with no luck. I pulled into The Gregory and decided to ring the college for directions. The lady on the phone was very helpful and gave me the exact directions (luckily I had an idea of where she was talking about after all that driving around) and eventually made it on the right road to Harlaxton Manor, and wow! I felt like I should have been in a movie driving a convertible sports car into my mansion. Nevertheless, my Peugeot 207 with the windows down was good enough :).
The next hurdle to jump was figuring out which direction to walk in to find the reception. For anyone in the future, I've attached an image below so you have an idea of what to go towards!
Luckily, there was a gardener just out the front so I asked him for directions and he very kindly walked me in. The lady at reception already knew who I was, due to our previous phone call, she greeted me kindly and took my documents to scan. I waited in a large room filled with tables and comfy chairs. There was also a couple students who looked like they were doing work. I was collected for my interview by Anne Hollick, the college secretary. She took me up some stairs and through some corridors before getting to a room with a large table and three ladies sat round. There was a chair at the end of the table where I sat and the interview began. It was relaxed and they asked lots of questions about myself, before I had the opportunity to ask them a few questions. It took around 20 to 30 minutes for the interview before I went back to the large room and waited to meet Dr Gerald Seaman, the principle at Harlaxton College. When he arrived he sat at a table with me in the large room and also asked me some questions, he was also relaxed which made me feel much less nervous! He was interested in my trip to Marrakech, Morocco I went on in March 2019 and also gave me the chance to ask any questions.
I thought the interview went well, and felt welcomed by the staff I met. However, despite my hopes I thought there would be nearly no chance that would have received the scholarship. Much to my surprise, an hour after I got home, I received a phone call from Dr Seaman saying that I had been offered the scholarship. I listened in awe before finally being able to respond with "Oh my gosh, are you serious!" And to my astonishment, he was! I wasn't sure how to feel at this point, scared to leave but also excited, so excited to be given an opportunity like this.
Since Tuesday 26th February 2019, preparations have been underway for my arrival at the University of Evansville. Excited, yet nervous. I am ready to see where the experience takes me and what wonders I will see whilst in the United States!
You can find the application forms for the Ridgway Scholarship at https://harlaxton.evansville.edu/aboutus/ridgway-scholarship.cfm
I am going to try and keep a run of blogs, photos and videos going to share the experience. Please feel free to look through and have an insight. If you have any queries or questions, please contact me on the contacts page of this website. Thank you!