He continues, "The IOAA is a competition which tests students' abilities across Astronomy and Astrophysics, including exams on theory, data analysis, and observation, which this year (2025) included telescope, planetarium and skymap rounds. The IOAA isn’t only about the tests, it also offers a wonderful opportunity to talk to and get to know people from different countries throughout the world. This year, teams from over 60 countries took part. I especially enjoyed the group competition, where I had to work with students from other countries to work out the mass of the galaxy using measurements we took with a horn antenna, and the cultural night, where people gave performances relating to their countries, including music and dance. As well as this, as the Olympiad was this year hosted in Mumbai, India, we got to go on excursions into and around the city, including going to universities, a museum and a theme park, experiencing the legendary Mumbai traffic and the torrential monsoon, both completely new to me.

This process has greatly improved my understanding of Astronomy and Astrophysics, as well as Physics in general and problem-solving. As well as this, I have made many new friends throughout, some of whom (including our team guide, who made sure we knew where we needed to be and that we were on time whilst we were in India) are even going to go to the University of Cambridge like I will in October 2025. I think it is important to remember that, just because your UCAS application may have been submitted by the time you do something, it doesn’t mean it isn’t worth doing. Even if universities don’t hear that you’ve done something, it can still be both useful and enjoyable, and I think the increase in my understanding in Physics definitely helped with my A Levels, even though the style of the Olympiad tests is different from A Level tests.  

Of course, this whole process wouldn’t have been possible without the support of my friends, parents and teachers, as well as volunteers in the UK and India, and funding for BPhO from G-Research and for the IOAA this year by the Indian government. Thank you to them all."

You can read George's full article and tips for future students interested in taking part in academic Olympiads in Edition 25 of the Principal's Newsletter.