St Hilda's College, in collaboration with Oriel College, has welcomed 300 pupils from 30 state schools on their Exploring Oxford Days.
Pupils in Years 10, 11 and 12 spent the day learning about Oxford from current undergraduates and taking part in a group challenge in Oxford’s Botanic Garden, while their teachers met Oxford Admissions Tutors to get advice about preparing their pupils for the Oxford application process.
The Exploring Oxford Days are targeted at high-achieving pupils from state schools who have the potential to succeed at Oxford. They include sessions on choosing subjects, writing personal statements, and learning about life as a student at Oxford.
Lucia Nixon, Tutor for Admissions at St Hilda’s College, said: ‘We want more high-achieving state school pupils to apply to Oxford. Our goal is for the Exploring Oxford days to give bright pupils, and their teachers, the encouragement they need. We hope that by visiting Oxford and meeting and talking to current undergraduates, pupils will be encouraged to give it a go.’
Here are just some of the things the visiting pupils and teachers had to say:
‘The best bit was talking to the students. They were very friendly’ - Year 10 pupil from a Surrey school
‘I learned that Oxford isn't as 'posh' as I thought and that the teaching structure is very good’ - Year 10 pupil from a school in Walsall
‘The day was very well organised and we came away well informed’ - Richmond school teacher
For more information about St Hilda’s outreach activities, and the Exploring Oxford Days in 2013, please contact Francesca Slattery, Outreach Officer: francesca.slattery@st-hildas.ox.ac.uk
Each Oxford College is linked to a Local Authority to facilitate outreach communication. St Hilda’s College is linked to Surrey. Information about Oxford University’s regionalisation policy can be found at www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/regionalisation