Emily Considine, Staff Writer
Two Illinois Wesleyan University students were accepted into a prestigious program at Oxford University. Sophomores Sophie Popovich and and Duc Nguyen will spend an academic year in the traditional English tutorial system.
According to the flyer for the Pembroke Program, the tutorial is a distinctive feature of undergraduate education at Oxford and makes a significant contribution to maintaining Oxford’s standard of excellence in teaching. In the tutorial system, students meet at least once a week with their college tutor, either on a one-to-one basis or with one or two other students.
Tutorials are known for the close relationship they foster between the tutor and the student, but while this method of teaching provides students with individualized instruction, it also demands that students assume responsibility for their own learning.
“I feel that the English tutorial system will help me to enhance my knowledge through such a highly interactive environment with the instructors,” Nguyen said, an accounting and economics double major.
Pembroke accepts 40 visiting students annually from only 13 U.S. colleges and universities. Pembroke’s total undergraduate enrollment is just over 400 students. As well as following the English tutorial system, students also live in Pembroke College rooms, wear the traditional gowns and are welcome to participate in extracurricular activities and societies at the college.
A select group of Illinois Wesleyan students has had the opportunity to study for a year at Pembroke College, Oxford University since the fall of 1996.
“IWU has provided me with great support in the application process as well as in preparation for this opportunity, especially Stacey Shimizu and the International Office,” Nguyen said. “My professors have provided me with essential knowledge in my field of study and also have given me great support and encouragement.”
Nguyen plans to continue his studies of accounting and economics while at Pembroke. Popovich, a history major, hopes to explore women’s history during her time there, as well as pursuing her passions outside the classroom.
“I was originally interested in applying to Pembroke because I wanted a chance to do rigorous study at arguably the most historic and prestigious university in the world,” Popovich said.