The document describes an intensive month-long academic summer program held at Barnard College in New York City for students ages 14 to 18 from around the world. Over 140 students from 70 countries live on campus and take daily classes taught by top faculty from institutions like Columbia, Barnard, and NYU. The program includes classes, guest speakers, and cultural excursions around New York City. Students choose a major course, like International Relations, that involves over 100 hours of classwork, assignments, and a final project. The program aims to provide an outstanding academic experience and preparation for university.

1. August 2015
To Whom It May Concern:
The New York College Experience is an intensive month-long academic summer program for students 14
to 18 years of age. Under its auspices, over 140 motivated participants from high schools from seventy
countries worldwide, live and study at Barnard College.
Our curriculum is taught by an outstanding faculty of teachers and scholars drawn from Columbia, Barnard,
New York University, and other top institutions. In addition to daily classroom activities, such as
discussions, experiments, workshops and rehearsals, New York College Experience students attend talks
by eminent guest speakers, enjoy musical and theatrical performances, and explore local museums,
galleries, and historical sites. Depending on their Major course, students take a final exam, submit a
portfolio, publish written work, or participate in a musical theater production or art exhibition.
Over the course of the summer, students experience over 100 in-class hours, plus countless hours more of
extramural learning and cultural achievement. The level of academic performance achieved by the students
is truly extraordinary. We are very pleased to observe that many of our former students carry this standard
forward in their college careers at some of the best universities in North America and Europe.
If you have any questions or would like more information about the nature of the program, the work students
have done on it, or the colleges at which former students are currently enrolled, please do not hesitate to
call or email our New York office.
President, Oxbridge Academic Programs
Richard Gilder Professor of Literary History, Barnard College, Columbia University
Yours sincerely,
Dr. James G. Basker

2. Barnard College, Columbia University
28 June - 25 July, 2015
Director, Kevin B. Held
Founder, Dr. James G. Basker
Major Course Title:
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
Faculty:
Benjamin Weiss, BA University of Wisconsin-Madison, MA Columbia University
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course sought to introduce students to both the theory and the practice of international affairs. By reading and discussing
scholarly literature on international politics, engaging daily with current events, participating in a series of role-playing
exercises, visiting the sites of some of the most consequential events in recent political history, and hearing from guest speakers
with decades of experience in global affairs, students began to develop an awareness of the key concepts and considerations of
international policy making. Students explored several schools of thought on the nature and conduct of international affairs,
including Realism, Liberalism and Constructivism, and looked at the role of domestic politics, bureaucratic politics, culture, and
human psychology in foreign policy. Students considered the causes of war (reading Clausewitz and Hedges) and the prospects
for peace, examined the legacies of colonialism (viewing selections from Gandhi, A Passage to India, and The Battle of Algiers),
and the changes brought by globalization. Students also looked at the role that non-state armed actors, international
institutions, non-governmental organizations and individuals play in the international system. The course also examined in-
depth the debt crisis in Greece and the negotiations over Iran's nuclear program. Together, these lessons were aimed at enabling
students to think critically about global affairs and to formulate their own perspectives on some of the most pressing issues of
our time.
REQUIREMENTS:
In-class time amounted to 84 hours. Students were required to complete daily reading assignments, report on news and current
events and participate in in-class debates around human trafficking and global economics. Additionally, students were asked to
complete creative writing exercises on colonialism, to actively participate in class discussions and to formulate negotiating
positions for a final debate on humanitarian intervention.
CLASS GUEST SPEAKERS:
Dr. Dipali Mukhopadhyay (Assistant Professor of International and Public Affairs, Columbia University School of International
and Public Affairs): "Warlords, Strongman Governors, and the State in Afghanistan."
Dr. Vishakha Desai (Special Advisor for Global Affairs and Professor of Professional Practice in the Faculty of International and
Public Affairs, Columbia University and former President, Asia Society): "Culture in Foreign Policy and Indian Politics."
PROGRAM GUEST LECTURERS:
Adam Allen, an officer of the NY Police Department; Prof. Kenneth Jackson of Columbia University; Oxford Tutors; Chris Fell,
an Assistant DA of Queens County; Prof. Rachel Abramowitz of Barnard College; Raj Bhimani, concert pianist; Dr. Michelle
Larsen, Asst. Professor of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Rachel Kroll, attorney on the faculty of the
Wharton School, UPenn; Prof. James Basker of Barnard College and Columbia University
FIELD TRIPS:
Guided tour of the United Nations; Guided tour of 9/11 Memorial and Museum; Interactive tour of the Museum of Tolerance
New York
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Metropolitan Museum of Art; American Museum of Natural History; Frick Museum; Whitney Museum; "Something Rotten" on
Broadway; college admissions tours of New York University, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, Princeton University,
Brown University, Barnard College, and Columbia University; Bryant Park Movies; Smorgasburg; New York Yankees baseball
game; Plaza Hotel Architectural Tour; Luna Park, Coney Island; walking tours of New York neighborhoods (Chelsea, Brooklyn,
the West Village, SoHo, Little Italy, Harlem, Chinatown, and Times Square); sports in Central Park and Riverside Park.

3. Barnard College, Columbia University
28 June - 25 July, 2015
Director, Kevin B. Held
Founder, Dr. James G. Basker
Dorcas Fadare
STUDENT NAME
INTERNATIONAL RELATIONS
MAJOR
COMMENTS:
Dolapo distinguished herself from her fellow classmates as a deeply inquisitive, curious and outgoing student.
Her hand was always raised, prepared with a considered response or a probing question. Dolapo grasped
assigned readings—oftentimes university-level texts on challenging topics like international relations theory and
political philosophy—with ease; she came to class every single day prepared, having read—and taken the time
to think about—news and current events, armed with questions and ideas about how what she had been
reading related to the topics we were exploring in the classroom. Unlike many of her fellow students, Dolapo is
a critical thinker: during a lecture on the role of culture in foreign policy, for instance, Dolapo pressed a guest
speaker about the tension between the slow process of creating cross-cultural understanding and the oftentimes
urgent nature of international politics and conflict resolution. And Dolapo takes initiative: when she asked for
help preparing a list of organizations involved in human rights work, I thought she was simply curious; it turned
out Dolapo was hoping to visit and speak with as many practitioners as possible during her brief time in New
York City, taking advantage of her time here to learn more about a topic and a line of work she hopes to
pursue in the future. Dolapo even offered to try to arrange meetings for fellow students that shared her interest.
Dolapo’s unique combination of inquisitiveness, inventiveness and caring impressed me immensely; she was a
pleasure to have in class and enriched the experience for all students in the classroom.
A+
Grade
Director, Kevin B. Held
Dr. James G. Basker, Founder
Benjamin Weiss, Instructor

4. Barnard College, Columbia University
28 June - 25 July, 2015
Director, Kevin B. Held
Founder, Dr. James G. Basker
Minor Course Title:
ECONOMICS
Faculty:
David Spigelman, BA University of Illinois, DPhil Stanford University
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
This course set out to introduce students to the fundamentals of economics through a combination of study, field trips,
speakers and group projects. The first week focused on principles of economics such as supply and demand, the theory of
comparative advantage, consumer theory, the theory of the firm, etc. During class time, we worked in a variety of formats. We
used videos, formed teams to do project analysis, organized debates on different topics using economic analysis, etc.
Week One: Basic Economic Principles
Class 1: The theory of supply and demand. What happens when markets don’t clear? Do markets always work? How do we
correct market inefficiencies?
Class 2: The theory of the consumer. How do we build models in economics? Are the assumptions built into economic models
reasonable? How do income and substitution effects work.
Class 3: The theory of the firm. What types of industries do firms operate in? How does monopoly power affect profitability
of the firm.
Week 2: Different types of industry structure and what this means for firm profitability. Perfect Competition, Monopolistic
Competition, Oligopoly, Monopoly. How do firms achieve monopoly power?
Week 3: Relationship between economics and finance. Time value of money. Portfolio theory. Introduction of stock market game
wherein we form teams to choose stocks. Introduction of macroeconomics? Why do we have business cycles. What is good
and bad economic policy? When should policymakers intervene in the economy.
Week 4: In-class group projects:
1) East Asia – Why did the Asian economies grow so rapidly compared with other parts of
the world? Why is China growing so rapidly?
2) Latin American debt crisis
REQUIREMENTS:
Class participation in daily activities, debates, group projects, field trips and one quiz.
In-class time amounted to 24 hours.
CLASS GUEST SPEAKERS:
Visit to emogi.com to speak with Travis Montaque, founder and CEO, an inspiring, successful internet entrepreneur
PROGRAM GUEST LECTURERS:
Adam Allen, an officer of the NY Police Department; Prof. Kenneth Jackson of Columbia University; Oxford Tutors; Chris Fell,
an Assistant DA of Queens County; Prof. Rachel Abramowitz of Barnard College; Raj Bhimani, concert pianist; Dr. Michelle
Larsen, Asst. Professor of Medicine at Albert Einstein College of Medicine; Rachel Kroll, attorney on the faculty of the
Wharton School, UPenn; Prof. James Basker of Barnard College and Columbia University
FIELD TRIPS:
Visit to Midtown, NY Public Library, and Grand Central Station
ADDITIONAL ACTIVITIES:
Metropolitan Museum of Art; American Museum of Natural History; Frick Museum; Whitney Museum; "Something Rotten" on
Broadway; college admissions tours of New York University, University of Pennsylvania, Yale University, Princeton University,
Brown University, Barnard College, and Columbia University; Bryant Park Movies; Smorgasburg; New York Yankees baseball
game; Plaza Hotel Architectural Tour; Luna Park, Coney Island; walking tours of New York neighborhoods (Chelsea, Brooklyn,
the West Village, SoHo, Little Italy, Harlem, Chinatown, and Times Square); sports in Central Park and Riverside Park.

5. Barnard College, Columbia University
28 June - 25 July, 2015
Director, Kevin B. Held
Founder, Dr. James G. Basker
Dorcas Fadare
STUDENT NAME
ECONOMICS
MINOR
COMMENTS:
Dolapo was a great participant in class this year. She is very engaged and enthusiastic in all she does. I enjoyed
our many individual discussions. Dolapo took initiative to meet with me outside of class to explore all of her
many intellectual interests and to get advice for college. She takes initiative and isn't afraid to express her
perspective on different issues. She knows what she wants to achieve in life and isn't afraid of working hard to
achieve her goals. I am sure that Dolapo's intelligence, drive, enthusiasm, engaging personality and willingness
to work hard will take her far in life. She is ahead of many others at this age in that she has an idea of her
ultimate goals and objectives. I wish her success in all she does and expect her to draw from her experience at
Oxbridge to reach new heights in achievement as she moves forward.
A+
Grade
Director, Kevin B. Held
Dr. James G. Basker, Founder
David Spigelman, Instructor