On Tuesday 14 March, nearly 90 Year 11 and 12 pupils and staff from King Edward’s School and King Edward VI High School for Girls gained an insight into the qualities Cambridge University seeks in its applicants from the University’s Director of Admissions, Dr Sam Lucy.
Organised as part of the School’s university and careers programme, Dr Lucy’s talk emphasised the need for applicants to focus on the individual demands of the course they were applying for and the level of independent thought and learning required to succeed, well beyond the sixth form syllabus. She also provided context to Cambridge’s system of offers and answered a range of questions on the University’s admissions process.
Simon Stacey, Head of Oxford and Cambridge Admissions at King Edward’s, said: “We are very grateful to Dr Lucy for visiting King Edward’s and I know that our boys will have gained great inspiration from her illuminating talk.
“It is very important for a school with our tradition of Oxbridge success – 119 offers in the last six years – that, despite Cambridge’s IB offers being somewhat higher, boys here consider Cambridge as strongly as Oxford. Choice of course, specialised aptitude, and real, independent focus are, as ever, the keys to succeeding at both universities.”
Over the coming months, boys will be preparing for all their university applications, supported throughout the process by Form Tutors, academic departments and the extensive Oxbridge and careers programmes. There is also the opportunity for boys to gain advice from the School’s extensive alumni network through events dedicated to specific careers, such as medicine, law and engineering, and through contact with Old Edwardians currently studying at Oxford and Cambridge.
