THERE were celebrations at Oldham Sixth Form College when they found out six of their Year 13 students have been offered places at Oxford and Cambridge universities.
The universities have been repeatedly ranked first and second in the UK and both are currently in the top 10 universities in the world.
The six students are: Megan Bruton (English Literature, Oxford); Abdulrahman Mamman-Akaaba (Medicine, Oxford); Megan Scoltock (Law, Oxford); Tasnim Begum (Natural Sciences, Cambridge); Bridget Atkin (Geography, Cambridge) and Vishal Gupta (Maths, Cambridge).
Gaining their places was the culmination of more than a year’s extra work by the students who were all part of OSFC’s Oxbridge Group.
They conducted intensive research into courses and colleges, attended weekly preparatory sessions, had an overnight stay in Oxford, sat mock and real entrance exams, and went through practice and real interviews.
Richard Lee, Assistant Principal and coordinator of the college’s work with High Achievers, said: “We were thrilled with the offers the students have received.
“They have all shown incredible dedication and fully deserve these amazing outcomes.
“We were really pleased students have places in such a wide range of subjects too, which underlines the strength of the college across all curriculum areas.”
The students are greatly looking forward to their university studies. For Bridget, it was the appeal of the “world leading research” in Geography at Cambridge that led her to apply, and Vishal is excited by their “rigorous and reputable” Maths course.
Megan Bruton fell in love “with the city and the old buildings and architecture”, while Megan Scoltock cannot wait to study “at one of the best and most prestigious universities in the country and the world”.
They were full of praise for the college’s Oxbridge Group, describing it as ‘invaluable’, a ‘huge help’ and ‘amazing’.
They felt the group sessions “helped to make the process of applying less scary and daunting”, while the “individual support each student has received has been phenomenal”.
The number one piece of guidance from all the students was “you really need to love the subject you are applying for” and be “100 per cent certain and passionate” about your choice.
Abdul fully endorses making an application as “you have nothing to lose and it’s a great experience” – a sentiment echoed by Tasnim who recommends applicants “use all the support available from the Oxbridge Group and believe in yourself.”