Earlier in the Summer Term, a group of Year 12 pupils were fortunate to have the opportunity to visit the University of Oxford. They had a guided tour of Trinity College by a student ambassador, which was fascinating and a great insight into student life at Oxford.
Pupils were particularly taken with the winners of various Bump rowing races chalked up around the doorframes in the quad. The pupils also toured some of the highlights of Oxford, like Broad Street, the Sheldonian, and the Bridge of Sighs, before walking through Mansfield College and making for Keble College, where they were able to look around the main quad and the breathtaking Chapel.
Ice creams from famous G&Ds in Little Clarendon Street finished off their day before returning to school. The pupils had very positive feedback about the trip and commented that it gave them an excellent insight into being a student at one of the most competitive universities in the world.
And the university visits didn’t stop there. On Friday 20 June, around 40 Year 12 pupils had a wonderful trip to Surrey University where they were greeted by Surrey’s ambassador team, led by Simba Mlambo, who were all absolutely brilliant.
After an introduction to Surrey and a discussion about how to choose a university, our pupils were treated to a presentation from a student ambassador about life as a student at Surrey, which was engaging and interesting. There was then a lively Q&A session with the ambassadors which included questions about everything from the price of a pint to the nitty-gritty details of studying law.
Lunch was eaten in the sunshine by the lake, and then our pupils had a tour of the campus, including the library, relaxation spaces such as the Nest and the Students’ Union, before heading back to the coach. Our pupils greatly enjoyed the day and learned a huge amount about student life from the ambassadors.
Speaking after the Surrey trip, Head of Careers Mrs Rapple Moore says:
‘Visiting a university or two is an important part of the decision process for our Year 12 pupils; there is no need to visit lots of universities but visiting to get a feel for a couple of different types of universities is a good idea. Our trip to Surrey gave our pupils a feel for a campus university in the top 20 in the league tables and gave them the opportunity to chat to young people only a couple of years ahead of them about what it's like to be at university.’
Thank you to the University of Oxford and Surrey University for hosting our pupils!
