Oxbridge Alumni Inspire Year 10 Students

Last week, we were pleased to be able to offer our Year 10 students, on the Stretch & Challenge programme, an opportunity to take part in a Q&A session with our very own Oxbridge panel. The panel consisted of alumnus Siena Hickmore, who recently graduated from University of Oxford with a degree in History, alumnus Miguel Zeferino who left St Bart’s this summer to start his degree in Engineering with the University of Cambridge and Imogen Ciochon, who is a current St Bart’s Year 13 student and planning to study Experimental Psychology at the University of Oxford.

This was a fantastic opportunity for our Year 10s to put their questions to Siena, Miguel and Imogen – students who, not so very long ago, sat where the Year 10s are now sitting and who have first-hand and recent experience of aspiring to, and ultimately successfully achieving, a place/offer for Oxbridge.

Questions included:
· What A Levels did they study?
· What they found hardest about the application process?
· How hopeful they had been about their application?
· What advice they would give their Year 10 self?
· Do you need to appear confident during an application?
· What is it important to include in your application and how do you make it stand out?
· How do you budget at university?
· How much independence do you have in Sixth Form and at University?
· And even, what houses they were/are in? – Siena (Curnock), Miguel (Davis), Imogen (Evers)!

Advice given by our panellists included finding a subject or area that truly interests you, so that you are prepared to work hard and explore beyond the curriculum. They also explained the importance of super-curricular activities, namely researching, engaging and reading around your chosen subject. They advised the students that you can always choose to change to your pathway at some point in your journey and that it isn’t about achieving straight 9s but about demonstrating your passion for your subject/s and how you think around ideas and challenges. We heard about Miguel’s drone that can now ‘almost’ fly after many failed attempts and about Imogen’s earlier life experience that sparked her desire to learn more about how brains work. Siena also spoke about life at Oxford and the independence you have in your study and daily life.

We hope the Year 10s who took part were inspired to start thinking about where their own interests could take them. We’d like to extend our grateful thanks to Siena, Miguel and Imogen for taking the time to engage with those following in their footsteps.