Former Student Reports back about Life at Oxbridge!
Jessica Egan left Trent College having gained 3 x A*s in Maths, Chemistry and Biology and is now on a 3 year course, reading for a BSc in Natural Sciences at Clare College, Cambridge University. She is currently studying neuroscience, experimental psychology and zoology as part of the Natural Science tripos, but hoping to specialise in either Neuroscience or psychology for her final year.
Jessica hopes to stay on and do a Master in Philosophy after her initial studies, however her ideal job would be working in science communications, working on the scientific diplomacy and consultancy side. She would ideally like a job where she liaised with the government and other public bodies on scientific legislation.
When she is not studying, Jessica takes advantage of the great politics societies that Clare College offers, she attends talks as well as being able to meet and have dinner with many of the speakers. Over the summer Jessica travelled to Japan as part of a science research team for a Canadian university, she stayed in a rural area of Northern Japan for 6 weeks on an archaeological dig. She also tries to find time to attend some of the many plays and concerts that are showcased within the university and museums.
Jessica advises our current students to apply for the chance to attend Oxford or Cambridge as they are fantastic universities and she feels that too many good candidates miss out through not applying.
She says; “Before I started at Cambridge, I had many preconceptions of what it would be like, nearly all of which had turned out to be false. For a start, you do not need to be a genius; just smart and you need to make sure you apply for a course that really interests you. Interest and enthusiasm in the course is what I believe they are really looking for. The interview was not nearly as intimidating as it was made out to be, but more of a discussion, reflecting the supervision system at Oxbridge”.
Jessica also tells us how Trent College has helped her achieve her dreams in life so far!
“Trent offered so much that allowed me to expand my interests far beyond what was covered on my A-level courses, such attending lectures and debates put on through whole school programme and academic forum, participating in sports and huge range of other extracurricular activities. I also did an EPQ in my final year, which really helped with my application to university as required self-motivation and showed in-depth knowledge of a topic of interest, in my case pandemic flu. I feel that Trent helped me build confidence, self-motivation and a good work ethic, which have proven to be invaluable skills in my university career and life in general”.
Good luck with your studies and your future career Jessica