OxbridgeLeaflet

Support at Worthing College for students applying to

Oxbridge

The Aspire Programme The Aspire programme is a support programme for our most able students who are intending to apply to the most competitive universities, including Oxbridge and the Russell Group of universities. Students who achieve at least 5 grade As at GCSE are invited to join the Aspire Programme.

The Aspire programme includes: • A series of talks from teachers and visiting

speakers addressing students on a range of challenging academic topics and debates

• Trip to the national Oxbridge Conference at Epsom Downs.

• Advice on completing high quality UCAS applications, including how to write a strong personal statement

• University visits and lectures • Personal statement workshops for early

applicants to Oxbridge, Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science

• The Worthing College Medical Conference, which is held at Worthing Hospital and is host to 90 prospective medical students from across Sussex

Oxford and Cambridge Open DaysEvery year we take students to the Oxford and Cambridge Open Days. These visits include talks from Admissions Tutors, subject talks from university lecturers, faculty tours, college tours and lunch in hall!

Practical work experienceWe arrange work experience and voluntary work to enhance students’ prospects in applying to the most competitive university places. This includes placements for prospective medics at Worthing Hospital and placements in the Crown Courts for prospective law students.

Support in Year 12

Preparation for Oxbridge Entry TestsWe provide additional tuition in September and October to year 13 students taking the Oxbridge entry tests in the Autumn Term of year 13. These tests include:

• LNAT: for prospective Law students

• ELAT: for prospective English students

• BMAT: for prospective Medical students

Interview preparation and mock interviewsWe provide all applicants with interview training as part of the Aspire programme and a 1 to 1 mock interview in November before Oxbridge interviews take place in December. The interviews are given by Antony Allchin, our Aspire Coordinator, and a subject specialist from the teaching staff.

Support with completing high quality university applicationsYear 13 students are allocated to a UCAS Adviser who is responsible for providing 1 to 1 support with applications to university. Students meet with their Advisers for an hour once a week in a computer room and are given support with their personal statements and application forms. All applications to Oxbridge are checked by Antony Allchin, the Aspire Coordinator before they are submitted.

Doctors and vets of the future: Josie Lamb, Callum Hammond, Rachel Austin, Sulagna Roy, Georgina Scott (all medicine) and Chloe Donovan (veterinary medicine).

Support in Year 13

Student Success

Heading to Oxbridge: Amy Dighe for Natural Sciences, Samantha Fairman Chemical Engineering, Giles Holbrook Geography and Florence Scordoulis History, Josephine Lamb for Medicine and Polly Rylands-Richey for Experimental Psychology.

Students considering application to university should consider taking one of the additional qualificationsweoffertoprovidestretchandchallenge to our most able students.

The Cambridge Pre-U and the Extended Project help students to stand out from other applicants and are valued and respected by Oxbridge and the Russell Group of universities.

Bothqualificationswillhelpyoutodevelopskills which are important for success in Higher Education, including independent learning, investigative skills, written and oral communication, critical thinking and project management. In addition you will have the opportunity to extend your understanding of a topic that you are particularly interested in, which will probably be linked to one or more of your AS/A level subjects.

The Cambridge Pre-U

This two-year course is equivalent to one A Level. It was created by Cambridge University specificallytoprovidestretchandchallengeto the most able students. The entrance requirement is seven GCSEs at grades A or A*. StudentsnormallytakethisqualificationasafifthcourseinadditiontotheirfourASLevelsin year 12. It is very well-respected by the most competitive universities. As well as supporting your application to university the course is intended to improve your performance in your other courses at college.

InthefirstyearthecourseiscalledGlobalPerspectives and focusses on topics that present dilemmas in the world today, such as climatechange,wealthdistributionandartificialintelligence. In the second year students

Additional Qualificationscomplete an Independent Research Report, which is a major study on a topic of your choice based upon your own research and analysis.

The Extended Project

TheExtendedProjectQualificationisequivalentto an AS level (half an A level). It is graded A* to E and is recognised and highly valued by universities. The Extended Project is a major piece of individual project work in which you will have the opportunity to investigate a topic that is of particular interest to you. The project can be presented in one of four ways: a written report,alaboratoryorfieldworkinvestigation,awork of art, or a performance.

You do not have to sign up for the Extended Project at the start of year 12. Further information will be provided through the Aspire Programmeduringthefirsttwotermstohelpyou decide whether or not you want to complete a project. Students normally plan their project in the summer term of year 12 and then produce their project during the autumn term of year 13.

Further information from: Erin Willis, Aspire Coordinator: [email protected]

01903 243389 [email protected] and produced by the Worthing College Marketing Team