In September, a group of Sixth Form pupils travelled with Mrs Coetzee, Head of Key Stage 5 and Careers and Mr Oswald, Vice-Principal, Curriculum to visit the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. The trip commenced with a trip to Corpus Christi College, Cambridge where the group met with Mr James Davies-Warner, the Admissions and Outreach officer of Corpus Christi. Mr Davies-Warner was incredibly welcoming,offered our students some sage advice and answered their questions about life at Campbridge and the application process. The following day several colleges held an open event giving an insight to studying at Cambridge and further guidance in terms of the application process

Travelling on to Jesus College Oxford, the students were able to attend the full Oxford University Open Day with each of the Colleges and Departments running tailored events.

Alex, Year 14 (School) felt the trip was very worthwhile and he is grateful to have been able to attend. 'It is clear that everyone really cares and enjoys learning and wants to make sure you have the very best educational experience', he noted. 'I also felt that attending would be achieveable, having met many students just like me on my tours. I was suprised how different each of the colleges were, so it's important to visit if you can, to get a sense of the culture within each'.

Niall, Year 13, (Dobbin's) also gained great insight from the trip. 'I got to see how passionate other students were about learning and the level of work required to be a successful applicant. I feel very motivated after the trip and have a good sense of what it would be like to be a student at Oxford or Cambridge, they have such great depth of resources'.

Both students were struck by the differences between the universities but also of the colleges within them. It is definitely important to visit. Not only that, the two towns are also very different - Cambridge being smaller eith a quieter vibe while Oxford feels more like a city.

As part of the 3-day trip it is always customary to experience some of the sights of Cambridge and Oxford, including the obligatory climb up to the top of University Church of St Mary’s tower, a mear 127 steps up to the 742 year old viewpoint of Oxford!

We hope you enjoy the video and photos from the trip in our photo gallery (visible to logged in members)