On the 29th of February, Chigwell School invited Woodford County, Barking Abbey School and Oaks Park School to their Oxbridge day. Oxbridge is a term referring to the universities of Oxford and Cambridge. 

 

The purpose of this day was to enable students to meet like-minded people with a shared interest in their chosen pathway. The day commenced, with the pupils meeting for breakfast. This was followed by the Oxbridge coordinator at Chigwell School giving an overview of the day. A deputy from Chigwell School then spoke about his experience at Cambridge and offered an insight into the unique collegiate system. After this, two Chigwell School students with offers from Oxbridge passed on their words of wisdom. The year 13 students gave their advice on their Oxbridge preparation and shared their experience of the application process.

 

Everyone was then split into groups based on their respective pathways. There were many students wishing to study medicine, law, maths, computer science and engineering. Each group was given a task or spoken to by a subject specialist. These tasks were tailored to the pupil's chosen course, enabling them to dive deeper into their thoughts and share them with like-minded individuals. In the afternoon, the group received a talk from a member of Cambridge University, who is a part of the application department. Students learnt how to write an effective personal statement for when applying to Oxbridge. Pupils were then able to ask any questions they had, for example regarding work experience, super-curricular and life at Oxbridge. 

 

Teachers across the four schools worked collaboratively to make this day beneficial for the students. Hopefully, pupils will have forged connections with one another and will keep in contact and help each other through their Oxbridge journey.