Year 12 students get a taste of Oxford University

Sometimes our students tell us that places like Oxford University aren’t for them!  This couldn’t be further from the truth as a group of our very talented and aspirational Year 12 students found out on a bespoke visit to Magdalen College, one of University of Oxford’s 39 colleges.

Our Year 12s were given a tour of Magdalen College and a lovely lunch in the beautiful Mediaeval Dining Hall at Magdalen. They had the chance to talk with some current undergraduates about life at Oxford University and also met up with our ex Preston Manor student, Suleqa, who is currently studying Law at Trinity College, Oxford. Finally, they went over to the Earth Sciences department for a special practical class (involving controlled explosions!) on identifying different types of volcanoes.

While Oxford University is visually very impressive, what impressed our students most was how realistic their chances are of making a successful application to study at one of the world’s leading universities.

"I really enjoyed how they didn’t make going to Oxford seem completely unrealistic for us and they instead gave us good strategies and advice when it comes to competitive universities in general!" said Manel, currently studying for A Levels in History, English Literature and Politics.

Intisam, who is studying Chemistry, History and Biology at A Level commented:"It definitely altered my perception of Oxford: from feeling like Oxford is solely an academic place, with no free time…I found out that students at Oxford manage their time well enough so they get all of their studies done, and are able to have some time for themselves and go out with friends."

"I enjoyed the Earth Sciences session the most when we did the experiment and I learnt more about volcanic eruptions" remarked Ann, who is studying Physics, Maths & Further Maths and Chemistry.