Whatever happened to my Physics Olympiad cohort?
Twenty-two years ago, in my final year of secondary school, I was one of 15 finalists 1 in the British Physics Olympiad (BPhO). After four days at a training camp just outside Oxford, we took some more mega-hard tests - one theory, one practical - and the top five were selected to represent the UK in the International Physics Olympiad (IPhO) held that year, in - of all places - Bali 2 .
For those unfamiliar with the Physics Olympiad, it strongly resembles its better known cousin, the Maths Olympiad, which begins with the Maths Challenges set in schools 3 . One takes an initial paper in school, on which one can get a Bronze, Silver or Gold 4 . Those who get a high Gold are invited to take another, significantly more difficult paper, also at school. Then the top 14-15 are invited to the training camp and final test for the International Olympiad. Think of Young Musician of the Year, although significantly less watchable 5 .
First, a bit more about us. Twelve of us were in Year 13, with three having qualified at a younger age: two in Year 12 and one in Year 11 6 . My particular claim to fame was to be the only one of us who reached the final without taking Further Maths.
