Oxbridge visitors encourage high achieving students
Posted on 5th December 2022
Arron O'Connor, Vicky Orsmond and Ellie Wood with students
Last month, the College had the privilege of welcoming Ellie Wood from Christ's College, Cambridge and Arron O'Connor from Oriel College, Oxford to speak to 200 of our high achieving students. Ellie and Arron delivered two sessions: one to first year students on aiming high and considering the most competitive universities, and a second to second year students who have applied to top universities.
In the first year session, they talked about what top universities were looking for, including super curricular reading, MOOCs plus much more. They also gave their hints and tips about what the students can already be doing to think like a top candidate. Students learnt about tutorial, supervisions and colleges, as well as hearing about college cats and tortoises! Ellie and Arron joked about which university was better, the answer being - "Neither! Find the best course fit for you." The session finished with a Q and A session which students found helpful.
Dawid, a 1st year student, said 'The session showed me the benefits of studying at Oxbridge and it really helped me to decide which of the two Universities I would rather apply to, as well as giving great advice on how to go about the application process.'
In Ellie and Arron's second bespoke session, delivered to second year students who have applied to Oxbridge, or for Medicine, Veterinary Medicine or Dentistry. They ran through what was expected in an interview, the 'don't know' moment, and getting out of our academic comfort zones. It was a brilliant session, applicable to both university interviews and for future careers opportunities. Students then broke into subject groups to prepare together, go over past interview questions and support one another.
Second year student Sasha found the session beneficial: "The Oxbridge interview workshop was incredibly insightful clearly setting out the step by step process and sharing a number of tips on how to prepare. Also, it was lead by 2 personable Oxbridge graduates who showed the human side of these prestigious institutions too."
Senior Progression Lead, Vicky Orsmond was delighted to welcome Ellie and Arron to HSFC: "This was an incredible afternoon of opportunities for our students; to have both Oxford and Cambridge coming to us, shows the calibre of our student cohort!"