Meet the boys with offers from Oxford and Cambridge

January 24, 2017

oxbridgeboysNine talented pupils from Haberdashers’ Monmouth Schools have been offered the life-changing opportunity to study at Oxford and Cambridge universities.

Hard work and dedication have paid off for six boys at Monmouth School and three girls from Haberdashers’ Monmouth School for Girls as they begin work towards securing the conditional offers from the world-renowned institutions.

The clever cohort have received offers to study subjects as varied as mathematics, engineering, computer science, architecture and chemistry. We asked the boys how they were feeling about the exciting news.


oxbridge6James has an offer from Oxford to read law at Christ Church.

“Applying to read law at Oxford, even if I had not been successful, was an immensely valuable experience. The LNAT stretched my understanding of the English language and my ability to compose an essay in a persuasive manner. Following this, the interviews tested my strength to rebut arguments, especially in a highly pressurised situation, and frankly seemed to be geared towards breaking my self-confidence. Without the persistent efforts of my tutor, Dr Harrison, I am certain that I would not have been prepared enough, or even at all, both for my interviews and my LNAT.”

 

 

 

 

 


oxbridge4Ronald has an offer from Oxford to study chemistry at Hertford College.

“I was pretty pleased with myself when I received the letter, as this time last year I would never have thought I would even be applying to Oxford, let alone getting an offer. Monmouth School helped me secure the offer in various ways, and attending the advanced chemistry sessions put on by Dr Clarke was extremely beneficial. Also receiving help and advice from many teachers and my tutor, Ms Barson, on my application contributed a huge amount. I’m most looking forward to embracing the challenge of Oxford and meeting new people. When I leave Monmouth I’ll miss the homely feel of the School and the friendships made here.”

 

 

 

 


oxbridge1James, who joined the Haberdashers’ Monmouth family at Agincourt School & Nursery, has been offered a place to study classics at Corpus Christi College, Oxford.

“I was ecstatic when I finally heard back from Oxford about my application, after sustaining a constant level of anxiety over the Christmas holidays. By January, I was fit to burst! On the day the letter was due to arrive, I was in school and had been frantically checking my emails for news at every opportunity. Finally, my phone vibrated with a text message from my dad, “James, letter here. When can we meet?” He was under oath not to open it without me. Soon afterwards, he arrived and thrust the letter into my hands. I struggled to open it, as they were shaking both from anticipation and the numbing cold of the January air. Reading through the letter was an immense relief, knowing that my personal statement, entrance exam and interview had all been worth it.

However, I never would have achieved this without the help of all the teachers in the Classics Department, who were instrumental in helping me prepare for each stage of the application. Thanks to them, and the encouragement Monmouth School has given me, I now have the opportunity to study classics at Oxford University (Corpus Christi College), one of the best universities in the world and one which has the widest range of classical resources from ancient Greece and Rome.

It amazes me how far I have come since entering the Haberdashers’ system in the Nursery of Agincourt School, and I am even further astounded by the fact that a quarter of my original class at Agincourt, are going to Oxford. I am both pleased for them and grateful to the Haberdashers’ family of schools for nurturing our talent and giving us a most resplendent springboard to launch ourselves into exciting and fulfilling lives.”


oxbridge3Sam has an offer from Cambridge to study computer science at Robinson College.

“I found myself, for the first time in my life, wishing for the Christmas holidays to be over as fast as possible in order to find out whether I’d succeeded in my application to study computer science at Cambridge. The morning of the result was incredibly tense for not only was it the day I heard my result, but also the first day of my mock exams. I had an exam in the morning so wouldn’t be able to get my result until afterwards, adding an excruciating hour to my month-long wait. Once the exam was over, I dashed out to my mother who had brought the letter down to me and had spent the last 10 minutes in the car trying to peer into the little window of the envelope to no avail. The letter was heavy and thick, I thought that was a good sign. After a few moments of hesitation I opened the letter, my heart racing, to discover to my delight and immense relief that they’d made me an offer. I then raced around the school to tell all my subject teachers who were all very happy for me!

I feel that the environment at Monmouth, which enables those with super-curricular interest to explore their subject to a higher level, helped me to succeed in my application. Support from the school has enabled me to take my interest in computer science way beyond the curriculum, particularly with my high altitude ballooning project which was funded by money from the Haberdashers’ Company and which formed the core of my personal statement and a significant part of one of my interviews. I am very grateful to the school for the support given during the application process, particularly to Dr Evans, the Head of Maths, for his help preparing me for my interview and admissions test.”


oxbridge2James, who also attended Agincourt School & Nursery, has an offer from Oxford to study computer science at Keble College.

“I was delighted to receive my offer from Keble College, Oxford to study computer science.  I would like to thank the teachers who helped and inspired me: maths teacher and sixth form tutor, Dr Evans, computer science teacher and Form 4 and 5 tutor, Mrs Hope, and maths teacher, Mr Tamplin. I cannot think of anything more exciting than to be offered a place to study at the world’s best university. To have the opportunity to be taught by the world’s leading academics is a great privilege and I feel very fortunate to be one of the few that have been given this chance.”

 

 

 

 

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