Year 13 Take a Trip to Oxford

On Tuesday 24 September, a small group of Year 13 students had the opportunity to visit St John’s College, Oxford.

This was a fabulous chance to gain skills and knowledge required for their early UCAS applications – students applying to Oxford or Cambridge universities, or to Medicine, Dentistry or Veterinary Science courses must apply by 15 October. Sixth form staff have been working with this group since the summer term, and organised this visit to support them further in their preparation. This was a private visit for St Paul’s and we were lucky enough to have the programme for the day tailored to our requirements. Here is a summary of the day from one of our Year 13 participants, Antek:

During the first session we discussed what makes a personal statement successful, giving students ideas for any final refinements they wish to make to have the best chance of getting into their first-choice university, regardless of whether that be Oxbridge or not. After lunch in the 16th century hall, we were given a tour of the different facilities St John’s provides: the housing, libraries, chapel, and gardens. The interview session – given by one of Oxford’s lecturers – was particularly helpful. During this session, students were all given a chance to complete an interview task suited to the subject they planned to study. Each student then took part in a practice one-on-one interview, which led to a discussion as the interviewers questioned their arguments, giving them great insight into what the real interview will look and feel like. The feedback that students received from this was incredibly beneficial as it gave them something to work on in the upcoming months and improve their interview skills – something that will prove useful not just when applying to Oxbridge, but also when seeking employment in the future.