John Locke Institute Reviews 118

I found all the staff to be extremely smart. Not only that, but they were willing and able to answer any questions I had. The day was packed with lectures, so although the course was expensive, I felt I got my money's worth. I would definitely recommend it if you are looking to go, just remember, the course is what you make of it. Most of the students who didn't seem to enjoy it as much as me were also not attending optional lectures or engaging with professors outside of the classroom.

I went to a summer school and loved it. All the teachers were very friendly. They had former politicians and people from Oxbridge so they were all very interesting and knowledgeable. Accommodation was good. Made friends and learnt lots. Overall excellent course

The John Locke Institute summer school was truly one of the best experiences of my life. I learned so much about Politics, Philosophy and Economics, but more than this, I learned how to disagree without being disagreeable and to listen generously. I made friends for life and the faculty were inspiring. If you are thinking of attending the summer school, I would say go for it! It really changed the way that I think and made me a better, more rounded person.

its a vey good camp and I will attend next year

My experience of two weeks at Radley College was spectacular. Every lectures that the professors gave were highly interactive and interesting.
Throughout the camp, we were constantly reminded of the importance living up to the core principle of JLC in which they have well demonstrated through direct implications of action. Yet, the best part of this summer camp would certainly be the people I met there, and simply the opportunity to freely share ideas and debate among highly intellectual and motivated students body as well as the faculty members. However, I think there is still some room for improvement in terms of sorting out teams and arranging schedules of trip to oxford, which felt a bit unorganized and in a hustle personally. Overall, my experience at JLC summer school is a 10/10 considering the amounts of intellectual insights and vision I got throughout this camp. I am 100% willing to come back next year!!

Attending the PPE course at JLI Senior summer school was an enriching experience where I was exposed to a wide range of controversial opinions. Engaging in debates with peers allowed me to critically evaluate my own viewpoints and refine my arguments. The environment encouraged open-mindedness and respectful discourse, helping me to understand different perspectives and to articulate my thoughts more clearly. This experience has strengthened my ability to listen, debate, and engage thoughtfully with complex issues.

It was excellent.

Open to discussion and intellectual curiosity

Was a great academic and intellectual challenge. Strongly recommend to go to Princeton Public Policy Symposium.

John Locke Institute Global Affairs Forum 2024

I can confidently say that The John Locke Institute 2024 Global Affairs Forum at Georgetown University (Washington D.C., United States) was the best academic experience of my life, and one of the best overall experiences of my life! I say this for the following reasons:

1. The academic rigour
The lectures were advanced, but the professors, doctors and lecturers did a fantastic job of breaking down the material in a more understanding manner. The sheer passion they held was palpable, making it enjoyable and easy to stay engaged! I felt so alive and energised due to being in such a stimulating environment. It was certainly important to go through the pre-reading the institute sends out weeks prior to the start date. As I mentioned, the lectures are rigorous, but the prior knowledge gained at the pre-reading really helps.

The staff were exceptionally distinguished and interested in our ideas and our questions. Applying myself to these lectures and assignments led me to receiving exciting opportunities that extend into the future.

2. Accommodation
The accommodation was great! The beds were comfortable, the rooms were nicely sized. The bathrooms were also good. There was a common room by the dorms, and it was really convenient to either make new friends and bond, or work with them on some of the course material. The meals served in the dining hall were lovely. It was a buffet for breakfast, lunch and dinner, so you could always choose the type of food you enjoy.

Every moment of the day, I felt like I had exactly what I needed.

There were ping-pong tables, gym, tennis courts, volleyball courts, golf room and more! I didn't use all these facilities, but my friends did and they had so much fun. There were also fun downtime events planned by the institute, like a segway tour around Washington D.C., a fun experience which became a source of many inside jokes amongst my friends.

3. Nurturing Environment
The staff was even more accommodating than I expected. This was my first time so far from my family, and I also have mobility issues due to a health condition. Not only was the entire campus accessible but the staff was always there to make sure I was okay. They made sure I was comfortable and my well-being felt like a priority.

Additionally, the Director General, takes such an interest into all his students. He made an effort to learn all of our names, and reached out to talk to us about where we're from or about our passions. Despite his senior position in the institute, or his economic expertise gained through his Oxford degrees and international experience, it was very easy to talk to him and it truly felt like you were talking to someone who genuinely cares not just about you as a talented and intelligent student, but you as a person as well.

The cohort as well was very nurturing. Everyone was friendly and open to engage in relaxed discussion, as well as stimulating debates. The institute picks the best and the brightest, so before we even got to know each other, there was an automatic respect we each held for one another. I'm still in contact with some of them, and its truly amazing to be part of this international academic community.

4. The takeaway

I have learned how to simultaneously defend my view and how to critique my view - how to respectfully challenge other people's view while still considering their merits. I learned how an enriched debate shouldn't be about backing a side into a corner in order to win, it should be about both sides working together with the common goal of getting to the truth. (this was taught especially well by the Academic Director).

To put it simply, I have taken away with me a sharpened ability to think, I have gained invaluable connections with the staff and my fellow student cohort, and I have left with a renewed enthusiasm for academic curiosity.
The experience was serious fun. It involved hard work and focus, but it was incredibly stimulating and enjoyable work in a lively learning environment, with some purely recreational activities here and there.

I would absolutely recommend this programme, and this institute as a whole to anyone who has a deep love for knowledge, rigour, curiosity and open-mindedness.

bad rlly bad

The John Locke visiting scholar’s program in Washington DC has been a fantastic program. The high level access and extensive network that the John Locke Institute has built up blew me away - meeting with senators and their assistants, lobbyists, think tank experts and university professors all of which makes for an impressive experience with a varied and stimulating curriculum. Furthermore I was struck that the students who gain a coveted place on this course are bright, aspirational and highly motivated. This makes for excellent company and inspiring and interesting conversations with your course mates in your free time. I have learnt and experienced so much which will be invaluable to me as my studies progress.

I teach AP English Language, and my students were challenged in all the best ways by this competition last year. One of the things that impressed me was the way the judging aligned with my in-class grades-- the essays I felt were the best were also the ones that were shortlisted in the competition. I also appreciate that the competition recognizes so many essays; in contrast to competitions where only a handful of students win top prizes, the relatively high percentage of essays that are shortlisted means that many of my students were able to come away from the competition with a nice honor to put on their college resume.

I attended the JLI Washington DC Gap Year Programme in 2023 and found it to be an extremely useful and enjoyable experience.

The accommodation provided was comfortable and centrally located - which was amazing for exploring DC. The other students on the programme were also very passionate about political/economic issues and it was great to debate with them.

The schedule was well balanced with academics, free time and fun activities. The particular highlights of the programme for me were visiting the IMF, NSA and attending a variety of precepts at The Cato Institute.

This programme is, of course, a significant investment in time and money. However, I had a positive experience and would recommend it.

I completed the 2022 PPE summer school and I can honestly say it was one of the best experiences of my life. I met friends that I still have to this day and the level of academic richness that we had each day changed me as a person, benefited my A-Levels and truly helped me with going into university. I’m studying at the university of Exeter, but did get a place at Durham, and with John Locke’s personal statement lessons I honestly believe it boosted my chances. All in all, thank you JLI and I would encourage anyway to go!

Thank you for a great experience. The opportunity to share ideas with likeminded students and hear from leading academics was invaluable. Everyone there was passionate and ready to engage and the summer school was very well organised.

JLI essay py

I've entered the invitation-only essay competition events for the 2022 and 2023 competition. I was thoroughly satisfied after the 2022 one, which left me with no doubt to sign up for the 2023 one when I heard the news that I got shortlisted. However, the latter proved to be of far less quality than the former, and consequently made me view JLI as much more of a money grabbing institution than one which values intellectual integrity - which was my view of the organisation after the 2022 event.

The 2023 event had far more people per subject (this may be because they decided to shortlist more people, or it may be that simply more people accepted the invite, but the difference was like 4x-ish), and further they decided to hold the events for all the different subjects on the same day, which made it all the more chaotic (whereas in 2022 the events for each subject was held at a different date). In 2022 seminars and discussions were held in rooms in Oxford colleges. The discussions in particular invited the students to speak up and actually have an academic discussion, which I found very valuable. However, in 2023, the seminars were held in large rooms or lecture halls (due to the large amount of students), there was little room for individual participation, and the overall quality of students were noticeably lower. Further, the seminars itself were not all that interesting. They weren't information you couldn't find in a youtube video.

The tickets for the dinner ran out super quick, which was probably a precursor for the amount of people attending the event. The management of certificates and essay markings were also worse than 2022. It tooks months for the certificates to arrive and I believe they just outright removed the "High Commendation" category, which is the prize between "Commendation" and 1st 2nd and 3rd.

All in all, my experience seems to highlight a marked change in the institution's values between 2022 and 2023 for the worse. Please do read this if you wish to attend the invititation-only events for later years.

Took part in the essay competition, was pleased because it was free and therefore really inclusive, with a good range of choices and subjects. I later received a commendation and was invited to a prize giving dinner at Oxford. However, when I tried to book, I found that to get the full package (dinner, prize giving, application advice and lectures) I would have to pay around £500. This was not including housing or food other than the dinner and so clearly the competition wasn’t as inclusive as it had seen. Furthermore, after missing out on the ceremony I at least wanted the promised certificate to use in my university application, however this didn’t come for months and was only emailed to me after I got in touch with the admissions team. Overall had the potential to be great but ended up seeming like a bit of a money grabbing event.

I attended the PPE and History Junior Summer School at Oriel College and it was truly the most enjoyable and transformative course. It reinstated my passion for the subjects as I was able to be taught by professionals who are experts on the subjects and wanted to teach the students and answer questions.
It also helped me see whether I would enjoy university life and whether a PPE course was something I would like to peruse. The structure of the days were very similar to a university day, consisting of seminars, precepts and lectures, as well as a few free periods in the week where you are able to spend time with the other people on the course, who were all really charismatic and friendly.
I vehemently recommend the JLI courses.