In early March students from The Beaconsfield School who study Media Studies, Business Studies or ICT at A-Level ventured to Paris for a study trip, where they experienced some eye-opening and inspiring lectures from their subject field’s professionals.

The trip, spanning 4 days, also included a two day pass to Disneyland Paris where students could roam and enjoy the attractions in the company of their friends. Meeting Mickey, Minnie and the gang made the experience unforgettable for students that hadn’t experienced the magic that Disneyland brings before. The freedom of being able to go out in the Disney village in the evenings was very fun and meant that we could go out for a meal in such restaurants as Planet Hollywood. A 16 year old girl who went on the trip told me, ‘Planet Hollywood was amazing, the whole set up and inventiveness of it all shocked me!’ To go with this, the food was nice too, you can’t beat a good Burger and Chips!

The rides, appropriately called ‘Big Thrills’, gave the adrenaline rush that we all love in a place that captures the imagination. Such rides as Space Mountain, The Tower of Terror and The Rock n’ Roller Coaster made it almost impossible to pick a favourite. However, a 17 year old student who went on the trip told me ‘The Tower of Terror has to be my favourite, it was amazing, and the queue was interactive using actors, not boring like some others!’ I have to say, I agree, the ride itself wasn’t too bad either!

To add to this, we visited the city itself for half a day to see the landmarks such as the Eiffel Tower; which some of us climbed, making it an unforgettable trip.  A 17 year old boy who climbed it told me, ‘The view was just sensational, you could see everything in Paris, it was a breath-taking experience, and it is always something that I have always wanted to do. I’m glad I have ticked it off my bucket list!’

The lectures were informal, giving students real world insights into their subject field and showing that anyone can succeed as long as they work hard. In my case, the Media Studies lectures were very informative and I learnt a lot from them.  A 16 year old girl told me that her lectures were, ‘engaging and entertaining’ despite her previously believing that they would be ‘boring’, how wrong could she have been! 

The combination of the lectures and the parks attractions meant the trip was action packed and exciting, inevitably though, leaving us all tired after the long 9 hour coach trips there and back. These were worth it though, and were actually quite fun as you could just spend time with your friends.

Overall, it was a great experience for everyone involved, for the teachers too, who seemed to enjoy the trip even with the daunting responsibility of looking after over thirty 16-18 year olds!

By Luke Hastings