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29th January 2021

Oxbridge Success for Oakham Pupils

Congratulations to the three Oakhamians and one Old Oakhamian who have received offers this week to study at Oxbridge.  

Current pupils Ryan and Adam have received offers to study Physics and Biochemistry respectively at Oxford University, with Jeremias receiving an offer to study Aeronautical Engineering at Cambridge University. 

Old Oakhamian Charlie, who gained the maximum score of 45 points in the IB Diploma last year, has received an offer to study Human, Social and Political Sciences (HSPS) at Caius College, Cambridge in September.  

Dr Darren Sheppard, Senior Academic Mentor, who guided the pupils through the Oxbridge process, said: “The successful candidates deserve great credit for coming through what is an increasingly arduous process, with this year the added challenge of remote interviews. That said, they are very practised at online interaction now, and seemed to take the whole exercise in their respective strides!” 

As part of their preparation, the pupils took part in regular meetings with Dr Sheppard and subject specialists, spent many hours honing their personal statements and reading around their subjects, and participated in multiple practice interviews. 

In addition to this, the pupils took part in the wide variety of opportunities and activities that Oakham offers to develop their knowledge and skills. As well as competing in the Senior Maths Challenge and Physics Olympiad, Jeremias found his participation in two Engineering schemes particularly helped him with his application: “The Engineering in Education Scheme in Form 6 prepared me by giving me an engineer’s mindset. I also took part, prior to my interview, in the “Young Engineer’s Programme” by InvestIN; a weekend-long event challenging young engineers into thinking like an engineer through different challenges and talks by engineers.” 

Reflecting on his offer, Ryan said: “I’m very grateful for all the help I had throughout the application process because it specified what Oxford are looking for, allowing me to focus my preparation on the PAT exam, problem solving and personal statement questions.” 

Charlie said, “I actually found the process really rewarding as it motivated me to learn more about my subject than I otherwise would have; it made me realise that this was really something I wanted to study further.” 

Adam adds, “I am glad that I started my application early and received a good amount of help from many different people: from Dr Sheppard surrounding the process itself, as well as from my subject mentors, my tutor and my Housemasters.” 

Oakham School Careers Department provides guidance and support to countless Oakhamians and Old Oakhamians every year, as they navigate their way through the university application process.  

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