Oxbridge conference clarifies the murky world of Oxbridge applications

  • 12 years ago
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Cobham Hall Oxbridge ConeferenceCobham Hall helped to clear up the myths of applying to two of the world’s most respected universities when it held its annual Oxbridge Conference for potential Oxford and Cambridge candidates from Cobham Hall and surrounding schools last Wednesday.

The conference, attended by representatives from both universities as well as current and past Oxbridge students, was designed to shed light on applying to the UK’s two most elite universities.

The conference covered all areas of the application process from the personal statement to the interview as well as highlighting what students who were a few years off sending applications could do to increase their chances of gaining a place.
Students were informed on university life and the college system, the independent nature of learning at Oxbridge, the importance of passion for your chosen subject and the vital need to be well read in your area of interest.
Dr Lizzy Emerson of St Hugh’s College, Oxford led the conference, while the School’s Liaison Officer from Queen’s College Cambridge, Maria McElroy also spoke. Miss Alison Williams, History teacher at Cobham Hall and Oxford graduate spoke to students about her experience as did current Oxford student, and recent Cobham Hall alumni Sophia Edwards.
Students took advantage of small focus groups chaired by one of the speakers to get a more intimate view on aspects of Oxbridge they wanted to know more about.
Students found the conference both enlightening and inspirational. Cobham girls commented that it gave clarity on a much discussed subject in which opinions and reputation dominant over hard facts.
“So many people had told me the wrong things,” says Regina, current Pre-IB student at Cobham Hall who will begin her Sixth Form studies next year. “I liked how honest they were with us,” she says.
She added that having former Cobham Hall pupil Miss Edwards speak at the conference about life at Oxford also “gave me hope” of securing a place.
Meanwhile, Taylor, also in Pre-IB was encouraged by Miss Edwards insights into the social life at Oxford, dispelling her idea that attending the university would mean only “endless nights of studying”.
She described the conference like “a splash of water on your face”.
“It makes us realise… if we apply ourselves we could possibly be a candidate,” she says. “They just want smart people – that’s what it should be about.”
“It has nothing to do with your teachers or how you learn, it has to do with what you do,” she says.
Other schools in attendance were Mayfield Grammar School and Northfleet School for Girls.
The Pre-IB course is a year-long course for students aged 15 or 16 who are joining the English educational system from around the world. It prepares students for studying the International Baccalaureate. Girls in Pre-IB at Cobham Hall also take five GCSEs.

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