Letter 1 - Fall

I am living in Culver, Indiana US spending my gap year at an American school on scholarship with the English-Speaking Union. I am so thankful for the opportunity they have given me and encourage anyone capable to take it too. I am loving it here so far; it is a very different experience to life at Langley.

I have been here since 10th August and time has flown so quickly. Getting on the plane alone feels like just a few days ago. It was scary, of course, but there are so many distractions I don’t even have time to be homesick. I phone home regularly and keep in the loop with my friends now starting their exciting new adventures at university, specifically Freya at UCL and Kira at Northumbria.

The weather has been great, usually about 25 degrees in the daytime. Although it’s now turning to fall, so the leaves are beginning to turn orange and it is getting colder. There’s still lots of confusion between Celsius and Fahrenheit. I go into Culver town most weekends, eating in one of the few cafes and browsing the few quaint stores there are. Almost wherever you are you have a great view of the lake; it is a beautiful town.

Culver is a very athletic school with lots of sports on offer. It is situated on Lake Maxinkuckee, so I decided to take up rowing. I spent this weekend in Chicago racing which was so much fun. Next weekend we are racing in Columbus, Ohio. There are also lots of clubs on offer; my favorite club I have joined is the Leadership Committee for Africa. The money raised from events we run goes to our partnership schools in South Africa and Tanzania. I’ve also joined Satsang, a philosophical club where we talk about some of life’s big questions. Lots of my knowledge from philosophy with Mr Claydon has come in very handy here!

Mr Kempton warned me about how obsessed Americans are with the British accent and I didn’t really think much of it. People always ask me to just talk because they love my accent. Even some of my closest friends are not yet used to the way I speak. I have also had some quite odd questions such as ‘Oh you’re not from London? So, are you Australian?’ and the classic ‘Have you met the queen?’. Despite this, everyone here is so friendly and happy to help with anything.

The highlight so far has been watching the American football games. It really is like the movies. Everyone stands on the bleachers cheering on the team. There are even cheerleaders throwing themselves in the air every time a touchdown is scored. To me, it just looks like rugby. I don’t understand the rules, but it is an amazing atmosphere nonetheless. I have bonded with lots of the girls in my dorm and am living with my best friends. Dorm life is so much fun, and I am very grateful that they’ve been so welcoming. I now have friends from California, Alaska, Chicago, Mexico City, Shanghai, Cancun, just to name a few. Yet I am the only British student!

I am looking forward to Halloween this month and all the exciting things planned (including Thanksgiving) before I go home for Christmas break.

Caitlin x

Letter 2 - Winter

Lots has happened here at Culver Academies, Indiana, since my last letter in October. First of all, I was able to come home to Norwich for Christmas break. It was a wonderful month at home. I was able to see all my family and catch up with friends. I would be lying, though, if I said I wasn’t eager to get back to Culver.  

Last week I firmed my offer from Loughborough University to study Sport and Exercise Psychology. I am very excited to continue both my academic and sporting pursuits there! Sport has been a huge part of my Culver experience. As mentioned in my last letter, I was rowing throughout the fall. When winter came, I joined Fencing. This is a sport I do at home, so was excited to continue. Just last weekend, we won the overall conference championships. This means we’re the best women’s epee team of the Great Lakes (states include Indiana, Michigan, Wisconsin, Illinois, Ohio). Now the fencing season has finished, I’m playing Lacrosse; a sport I’ve always wanted to try and am loving. I’ve tried to keep up my passion for hockey through Lacrosse as the skills and dynamics of the games are similar. 

In my last letter I said that the weather was about 25 degrees. I wish I could be saying the same. Rather, we have had temperatures in the last few weeks of about -20 degrees. Lake Maxinkuckee has frozen over and seems to have no intention of unfreezing anytime soon! Although it’s slowly, very slowly, starting to warm up. The average temperature now is about -10 degrees. Snow covers the ground wherever you look, and campus looks beautiful covered white. Nevertheless, I’m ready for the spring weather to come. 

One of my highlights from the past few months has been watching the Culver ice hockey games. The atmosphere is amazing. Every time a goal is scored the crowd goes wild in the bleachers and music blasts. I find it fascinating to watch hockey on ice. Another highlight has been watching the sunrise/sunsets over the lake. They are stunning this time of year. Walking into town for lunch in the snow has also been great fun.  

I cannot believe how quickly time is flying by; I’m over half-way through my time here. We are counting down the days until graduation. I have lots of things to fit in before June 5th though; I will be visiting Vegas, Arizona, Utah and California over Spring Break, I have many upcoming Lacrosse games, Senior Dinner Dance and Final Ball to attend, spring weather in Culver, and many more exciting things. I’m also looking forward to having some of my friends visit the UK in the summer! 

Letter 3 - Spring/Summer

I thought I'd write and give you an update of what I've been up to; I've been very busy. I returned to campus from spring break yesterday, we had 18 days off. I travelled to parts of the Southwest with some friends on a trip ran by Culver. It was amazing!! We visited Nevada (Vegas), California (Death Valley), Arizona (Grand Canyon), and Utah. The trip had lots of hiking, sightseeing, and fun activities like visiting a real cowboy on a ranch (thought this was just in the movies!), and exploring Vegas. It was a service trip so we had the chance to give back to the communities we visited by helping restore public footpaths, gardening in national monuments, and going into homes of people in the Hopi community helping the elderly with housework. I have attached some pictures. The trip was 10 days long and for the remaining week my dad and brother visited. It was great to see them and show them Culver and Chicago. 

One of my friends here has got a place on the ESU Exchange for next year which is very exciting! She'll be attending Westonbirt School near Bath. Looks like a beautiful school. Everyone has the Grad countdown going: 61 days. I cannot believe how quickly it has gone. In July when I return I'll be going to an event at Dartmouth House seeing this years scholars and also meeting the Culver scholar for next year! Excited to share with her my experiences and hopefully we can stay in touch while I'm at Uni. 

4 years later...

My name is Caitlin Nicholson, an Icenian of Langley School. In 2021, I embarked on a new adventure through the English-Speaking Union’s (ESU) Secondary School Exchange (SSE) programme.

I had never heard of the SSE — or much about the ESU at all — until a presentation in Upper Sixth from our Head of Sixth Form. The talk was mostly focused on university pathways, as is typical for that stage of school life. But tucked into one of the few slides about Gap Year opportunities, I noticed an image of an American high school with the ESU logo in the corner.

Something about that image stood out. Later that day, I googled the English-Speaking Union and began reading more about the programme and what it offered for students like me — those eager to explore the world beyond the traditional academic route. The more I read, the more I wondered why this opportunity wasn’t promoted more widely

When you first look into the ESU, you quickly discover that it’s a community deeply rooted in debating, public speaking, and politics. I had very little experience in any of these areas. And yet, after a successful interview process, I was offered a place on the SSE programme — something I remain incredibly grateful for. Despite my lack of involvement with the ESU or standout achievements in these fields, they saw in me the potential for growth and the willingness to embrace new challenges. I wasn’t someone who excelled in one particular area. I wasn’t especially academic, nor did I have a sport in which I truly thrived. But what I did have — and what I believe helped me secure my place — was an open mind, a love of learning, and a genuine eagerness to experience something entirely new.

The ESU matched me with Culver Academies — and they got it absolutely right. Culver is a co-educational military boarding school located in rural Indiana, USA. In the summer of 2021, at just 17 years old, I boarded a plane alone and flew to America. It was something my friends and family wouldn’t have believed until they saw it happening. But I never looked back.

A full scholarship gave me the opportunity to immerse myself in a completely different way of life — new cultures, new relationships, new sports, and a new kind of school environment.

I settled in at Culver extremely quickly — it didn’t take long at all before I began calling it home. From the moment I left the UK, my independence and confidence began to grow. Being in a completely new country on my own meant I had to face challenges head-on and rely on myself in ways I never had before. I knew I had only one year, so I threw myself into every opportunity, determined to make the most of it.

Culver gave me more than I could have imagined. It’s hard to put into words just how much I took from the experience, but to summarise, here are just some of the things I gained:

· Lifelong friendships

· Travel to unique and unforgettable places

· An international network of connections

· Exposure to new sports and activities

· Academic qualifications, including APs

· A newfound sense of confidence

· True independence

· Emotional maturity

· Strong communication and social skills

· And above all, a deeper sense of open-mindedness

Each of these has helped shape who I am today — both personally and academically. The growth I experienced at Culver continues to impact the way I approach challenges, relationships, and the wider world.

I’m now in my fourth and final year at Loughborough University. Reflecting on my experience three years later, I can clearly see how the qualities I developed at Culver have become part of my everyday life.

For example, moving to Loughborough after graduating from Culver felt surprisingly easy. I was already comfortable putting myself out there, meeting new people, and adapting to new environments. The confidence I gained during that year has stayed with me — I no longer hesitate to walk into unfamiliar spaces alone. I often remind myself: if I could fly to America at 17 and thrive, I can overcome anything.

Culver didn’t just teach me about the world — it taught me about myself. The experience shaped the way I see challenges, relationships, and opportunities.

Over the past three years, I’ve made it a personal mission to promote the SSE programme. At a careers fair, I met Lucia Gamble, who, after hearing my story, applied and was accepted into the programme. She’s just returned from spending a year in Pennsylvania. We’ve since bonded over the unique and life-changing experience of being a Brit studying at an American high school. It’s been incredibly rewarding to connect with someone who shares that journey — and fascinating to recognise in her the same qualities I found in myself during my time abroad.

I truly hope that many more students will have the opportunity to experience what I have — to undergo a year of unimaginable personal growth and development. I can say with complete certainty that I would not be the person I am today had Langley not introduced me to the ESU and the Secondary School Exchange. For that, I will always be grateful — and I’ll continue to champion the programme for as long as I can.