World Challenge Expeditions and University

[Roses]

Hi Have you, or any of your children, been on a World Challenge expedition? and if so, did you or they feel this was of benefit when applying to university?

Part of the selling point for World Challenge is that it gives you extra UCAS points which can't be knocked however there is so much comittment needed with time and fundraising (just under £1500 needed to be raised) that we are wondering whether to stay in the programme or cancel the place.

Thanks for any comments you might have.

[jillinspain]

Sorry I don't have any direct experience of this expedition but I would only say that though I'm sure it would be a big plus point on any personal statement and a fantastic experience, if the time commitment isconsiderablehow does that fit in with the amount of study required to achieve the grades in any offer?
If your child is very bright and very committed this might not be an issue, otherwise it's probably a bit of a risk.
Hope this helps.

[Mutticia]

Hi Roses,

my daughter took part in a World Challenge Expedition to the Himalayas at the end of her 5th form. She too had to raise the funds, some £2,000, which she and her group did by doing a whole range of initiatives that she had not done before. The trip involved trecking in the mountains, painting one of the classrooms of the children of the mountain roadworkers, and helping with teaching. Whilst I cannot be sure that it helped her in getting a Univeristy place, she benefitted hugely in developing lifeskills that have helped her to mature into a confident, streetwise adult, and she is now running her own business at the age of 26. She treasures the memories of that trip, and went back to India to do some more charity work. I would highly recommend you to encourage your daughter to take the challenge - the hard work of fund raising is well worth the result if you want to have a well rounded person, who appreciates what is going on in this world.
In Response to World Challenge Expeditions and University:

Hi Have you, or any of your children, been on a World Challenge expedition? and if so, did you or they feel this was of benefit when applying to university? Part of the selling point for World Challenge is that it gives you extra UCAS points which can't be knocked however there is so much comittment needed with time and fundraising (just under £1500 needed to be raised) that we are wondering whether to stay in the programme or cancel the place. Thanks for any comments you might have.
Posted by Roses

[Lisbet]

OOOOHHHHH - DON'T MENTION WORLD CHALLENGE TO ME!!!!!!

Our youngest goes to a school that is dead keen on WC, and I get so, so cross about it! The damn things cost a FORTUNE, and then they soft soap it by saying 'oh, the children have to earn some of the money which is good for them to do' and they end up doing things like offering to pack groceries in the local supermarkets so you give them a pound you don't need to because you'd rather pack your own groceries but don't want to be too horrible to the children.

Then the damn WC places are always somewher miles and miles away where it's totally unnecessary to go to! It's stupid and outrageous places like Uruquy or Mongolia, which turns them into spoilt brats because, oh, climbing the Cairngorms isn't enough, is it, oh no, we have to go to bloody Svalbard or somewhere in the Arctic!!!

I absoalutely and totally LOATHE World Challenge - it is a rip off, it's encouraging them to think that anywhere in Europe is tame and pathetic, and worst of all it's socially divisive. The whole school divides into those children who get to go on WC trips, and those who can't afford to...

The teachers love the trips because they get free trips to places.....

I would LOVE to see the accounts for WC and those kind of organisations - I bet they are making a FORTUNE.

I just get SO ANGRY that middle class British children are being encouraged to regard the third world as some kind of personal playground, and that going anywhere 'ordinary' (eg, Europe!) is what 'poor children' have to do...

It's absolute and total nonsense. Overpriveliged and overpriced and very, very divisive and elitist. Totally spoiling for children.

[Mutticia]

Hi Lisbet,

OK I understand your point, but I was a single parent family when my daughter went on the World Challeange expedition. We are from one of the poorest parts of Bristol, which frequently gets reports about all the children being hooked on drugs - which not all are of course. The expedition opened the kids eyes to huge poverty - not the type where people think that if they dont have satellite TV, then they must be in poverty, as is often the case in this country. Thats not to say there isnt poverty in this country of course, but at least there is some help in terms of child benefit here, and a lot of kind hearted people around. The children in the Himalyas were so pleased just to be given simple crayons and drawing paper to help with their learning. In Response to Re: World Challenge Expeditions and University:

OOOOHHHHH - DON'T MENTION WORLD CHALLENGE TO ME!!!!!! Our youngest goes to a school that is dead keen on WC, and I get so, so cross about it! The damn things cost a FORTUNE, and then they soft soap it by saying 'oh, the children have to earn some of the money which is good for them to do' and they end up doing things like offering to pack groceries in the local supermarkets so you give them a pound you don't need to because you'd rather pack your own groceries but don't want to be too horrible to the children. Then the damn WC places are always somewher miles and miles away where it's totally unnecessary to go to! It's stupid and outrageous places like Uruquy or Mongolia, which turns them into spoilt brats because, oh, climbing the Cairngorms isn't enough, is it, oh no, we have to go to bloody Svalbard or somewhere in the Arctic!!! I absoalutely and totally LOATHE World Challenge - it is a rip off, it's encouraging them to think that anywhere in Europe is tame and pathetic, and worst of all it's socially divisive. The whole school divides into those children who get to go on WC trips, and those who can't afford to... The teachers love the trips because they get free trips to places..... I would LOVE to see the accounts for WC and those kind of organisations - I bet they are making a FORTUNE. I just get SO ANGRY that middle class British children are being encouraged to regard the third world as some kind of personal playground, and that going anywhere 'ordinary' (eg, Europe!) is what 'poor children' have to do... It's absolute and total nonsense. Overpriveliged and overpriced and very, very divisive and elitist. Totally spoiling for children.
Posted by Lisbet

[Roses]

Well thanks for your comments and I'm sorry for the massive delay in replying to you all.

The situation now is she is still thinking it over (ie whether to go on the trip or not) but I think she will drop out. She has done well by herself in raising the money she has so far butsupport initially promised by the college has not and will not happen. Furthermoreshe has spoken to WC again and the way her trip fee is spent is not how she understood the details as first described by WC in their initial presentation to the students.

I dothink the actual 'doings' of the trip would be very good for her but I also think there are plenty of other companies offering v similar trips so we'll see what happens next.

And, if I understand it correctly, the UCAS points come from the WC project but can be transferred to another school project so that sounds OK.

Yes I think that it would look really good on her personal statement but even up to this point she has organised charity events andgathered collections so she has something to put down

I must say that in my day we certainly had school trips but nothing on the scale of this - £1500 to be raised by each student.

[carsma]

My daughter wanted to do it, but in the end we felt her time was better spent with her studies so her results were good, so much time would've been spent in fundraising. That is what she did, got good results and accepted at uni of her choice.

What she did do was save and took a gap year. She did an organised trip to Africa for 4 months, the first month living with a family in Tanzania and building a toilet block for a local school.......she is now very adept at plastering lol. That gave her the experience of actually living and working in a poorer area in Africa and then the next 3 months she travelled all round Africa and had a ball, doing things I could only dream of. Not a ball for us as communication was difficult, especially in Uganda, when we heard nothing, but still. I think that was a better way round for her to do it as she concentrated on her studies, but then had a trip of a lifetime.

Carsma x

[Roses]

Thanks for this Carsma. This is exactly what I would like her to do, to have a whole experience. I've told her the world is a big place. In addition I think it would help her decide exactly what she does want to do at uni.

[Roses]

Well the decision was finally made and she has left the World Challenge program. Hopefully she will make more trips in future that will be fulfilling (and cost-efficient) for her.

Thanks for all your comments on this

[donnaw]

Dont touch it with a ten foot barge pole. My daughter signed up, after listening to all the hype and promises. only had two meetings in a year, apart from that only heard from them when they wanted their next payment. With three months to go before travelling she had no faith in the expedition at all. If they hadn't done what they said in the build up why would then on the expedition. So she pulled out and lost every cent of the $5,200 she had paid. They wouldnt give her a penny back as they said they incur costs along the way to the build up. Love to know what cost $5,200 since they kids are suppose to arrange the expedition along the way! I asked for a list of expenses and got a list of meetings which included the two marketing meetings that anyone could attend!