On Thursday, the 29th of March 2024, a handful of Woodford County High School students were provided the fantastic opportunity to attend the Oxbridge Potentials Event hosted at Chigwell School. In cooperation with Barking Abbey, Oaks Park, and Chigwell School, students across North London came together and were provided supportive and eye-opening guidance toward the Oxbridge path. From delving deeper into the desired subject of the student, to debunking common myths about the two most prestigious universities in the UK, the Oxbridge Potentials Event was a brilliant chance for aspiring Year 12 students to push themselves into their subjects. 

Although raining and damp, this did not prevent students from across North London to waste such a rare opportunity! The day began with two Year 13 Chigwell students who were offered a place to study at either Oxford or Cambridge and reassured us that our dreams were in fact attainable and possible. Following this was a useful and concise talk about Oxbridge colleges, framing these universities as, not a place riddled with fear and stress, but a place to call home, whilst learning and growing an appreciation for your subject. 

We were then escorted and divided into our chosen subjects: a plethora of masterclasses were offered, that aimed to ease Year 12 students into their subject on a deeper and more intimate level. Subjects like Law, Medicine, HSPS, Maths, and many more were offered teaching, and the cohort split up into groups, allowing opportunity for the four schools to meet new people and bond over their subject. 

In these masterclasses, students were provided a walkthrough of their subject at university level, fleshing their subject out and getting to know their course deeper. After resources and advice was given, students were then instructed to complete a task based on their subject, working as a team to crack on with their task, and to further explore new concepts we had not been exposed to before. With guidance from the teachers and stimulating conversations that challenged us to think harder and view the task from different angles, the workshops that were constructed effectively built the understanding of our chosen subjects with greater confidence! 

During lunch, we were able to discuss our work and what we had learned so far. It was truly comforting to share mutual appreciation and passion for our subjects and make like-minded friends along the way. 

After lunch, a number of A-Level teachers were paired with each group of students (that were divided into subjects) to discuss what they had learned from their task. Alongside this was the chance for the teacher to challenge us and create a safe space for specialised conversation, where students were free to express their thoughts. Furthermore, they answered any questions we had about the task, or the subject in general. 

To end the day, we were given the ingredients of a perfect university personal statement by James Davies-Warner. We were shown weak, good, and great personal statements, and were asked to identify the features that defined their weak, good, or great status. As Mr Davies-Warner walked us through how to write perfect personal statements, the anxiety behind having to write such a significant and weighted piece reduced. Mr Davies-Warner then answered any questions we had around writing our pieces, or about super-curriculars, how to get involved with our subject, and how to show, and not tell, our burning passion. 

The Oxbridge Potential Event was an amazing opportunity to become more intimate with our subject and explore new concepts through different lenses. Alongside like-minded Year 12s, having the chance to communicate my thoughts about my subject, as a sociologically and politically based one, with other friends, was one that I am most grateful for, as it opened my eyes to how people perceive different concepts to me! Not only did I greatly appreciate this, but Kate, another Woodford County student did too. “I thoroughly enjoyed my Law masterclass; we were given the opportunity to engage in academic discussion, and take part in mock interviews, or ‘light grilling’ as referred to by our session leader, in order to push our critical thinking skills. We were walked through practice LNAT questions, which stretched our analysis and comprehension skills, and researched laws and ethics around sample articles, before presenting cases for and against the points of interest. As well as taking part in stimulating discussion, group work, and preparation for university applications, we were also shown the different options for pursuing law as a career (other than the mainstream LLB). Overall, I gained useful insight into my future career path and the next steps forward, and I am incredibly grateful to have been given the opportunity.” 

Thank you to Chigwell School for being such a considerate and kind host to the other three schools. By breaking down the ominous and intimidating atmosphere around Oxbridge, this insightful event was a great reminder that hard work does pay off and that we can love what we work for