Waconian Trio Head for Oxbridge
Three Upper Sixth Waconians are thrilled to have been offered places to study at University of Oxford and University of Cambridge from September.
After undergoing rigorous selection processes Maya, Joe and Izzy have beaten off stiff competition and each received an offer from one of the Russell Group Universities.
Head Pupil Maya, who has been offered a place to study Modern and Medieval Languages at University of Cambridge said: “I decided to apply for a languages degree because I love Spanish A Level and I have a wide range of interests, so thought a languages degree would be relatively broad.”
She continued: “The process involved reading a variety of Hispanic novels, poetry, watching films and researching artists such as Frida Kahlo and then we met weekly for discussions around these topics. I really enjoyed delving into so much culture and all of this new knowledge strengthened my application.”
Izzy, who has been selected to study Human Sciences at University of Oxford detailed why she chose the course: “One of the main things that pushed me to apply for Human Sciences at Oxford was the course content. There are only a few universities that offer human sciences, and each of them vary. The course at Oxford seemed to fit my interests perfectly due to the mixture of evolutionary biology, anthropology as well a plethora of other components.”
Thinking about the rigorous application process, Izzy said “I knew applying for Oxford would of course be challenging but following a visit a few years ago as part of the CHScholars programme and, more recently, the open day I felt like I had to give it a go as the university just really excited me in a way that was incomparable to others.
We did some practice interviews with Old Wacs who were Oxbridge students themselves and their experiences helped me understand what to expect. Miss Sutton, a previous Biology teacher of mine, offered her time which was invaluable. She introduced me to Human Sciences back in year 9, having studied it herself, and before she left a couple of years ago she would often have a chat with me about what I was reading as well as give me reading suggestions.“
Joe, who has been offered to study Chemistry also at University of Oxford said: “I applied to study Chemistry as I enjoy it more than any other subject and I feel it keeps option quite open for future careers.”
Mrs Laura Rossiter, CHS Oxbridge Coordinator said: “All three students, along with several others who got to different stages of the process, showed real commitment to their subject in Year 12 and used the summer to craft their personal statements. The word limit has been decreased recently so it’s even more challenging to sell yourself in 4000 characters!
The trio worked incredibly well independently, were proactive in seeking support from their coaches, and engaged in mock interview experiences, in order to secure their places. They should be incredibly proud of this achievement!”
The group have a few words of advice for those looking to apply in the future…
Maya said: “My advice would be to choose a subject that you’re passionate about and set aside time to immerse yourself beyond what you study at school: read books, watch videos and films and stay up to date on anything happening in the news around your subject.”
Izzy added: “Don’t be afraid to ask for advice and help, especially within the CHS community, just talking about what interests you prepares you for the process and gets you thinking.”
And from Joe…”Jam your personal statement with as many co-curricular activities as possible.”
