Higher Education and Careers

Academic Conversation at Vogue

This year saw the inauguration of an exciting new Higher Education event for the Lower Sixth: ‘The Art of Academic Conversation’.

Held in the stunning Vogue House boardroom in Hanover Square, Sixth Formers engaged in individual conversations with a number of leading academics from a range of backgrounds including professors from leading universities, such as Oxford and Imperial College, London, as well as a number of successful Old Dolphins.

The Higher Education Preparation Programme

Despite the lockdown the Lower Sixth students Higher Education Preparation Programme was a huge success using the virtual platforms. At the beginning of May, a day of talks began with Andrew Long, an admissions tutor from the University of Bath, who led a session on personal statement writing. US applicants took part in a session by Mrs Antebi on the North American application process; Mr Higgins led a session on Oxbridge applications; and Ms Osborne a session for medics on the BMAT and UKCAT. The afternoon was dedicated to subject specific advice on personal statements with girls meeting in virtual rooms to begin the process of working on their applications. When the girls returned from half-term there was a further three days of workshops which included more advice on personal statement writing, UCAS submission advice, and time for the students to work on their EPQ and EE projects. There were daily subject-specific discussions with subject teachers and Kate MacKenzie, First Class Law graduate and tutor, gave advice on how to prepare for the LNAT (Law National Aptitude Test). The week also offered OxCam drop-in sessions and Mrs Antebi ran meetings for girls interested in studying in the US and Canada and provided advice on writing the US College Supplemental College Application Essays. Old Dolphins studying at Nottingham Medical School, Cambridge University, Imperial College, St Andrews, Bristol and Newcastle University offered invaluable tips to our aspiring medics, dentists and vets. At the end of the Summer Term the Higher Education and Careers department hosted remote Oxbridge training sessions and we were joined by students from our partner schools: Greenford High, Kensington Aldridge Academy, Sacred Heart and Hammersmith Academy.

US Higher Education Programme

Our US Higher Education Programme continued to provide valuable support to students considering applications to the US with visits from Old Dolphins studying in North America. In March, Annabel, second-year student at Duke University, and Moune, first-year student at the University of Southern California, visited the school to discuss the transition process from school to college and the flexibility of studying a liberal arts curriculum. In the Summer Term, Emily de Vegvar studying at the University of Chicago dropped in for a remote lunchtime session to talk about research and internship opportunities for undergraduate students, the flexibility of Chicago’s distinctive core curriculum, and the dynamic extra-curricular opportunities offered on campus.

Successful US Applications

During the Spring Term our Upper Sixth girls received acceptances from the following top-ranked institutions in the United States from both regular and early applications:

Boston College Brown University (3) Columbia University (2) Columbia-Trinity dual BA Cornell University

Dartmouth College (2) – with one student awarded the Ofer Scholarship

Duke University (2) Georgetown University (4) New York University Northwestern University (2) St. John’s College

University of Chicago (4) – with one student selected as a President’s Scholar and awarded the University Scholarship

University of Michigan University of North Carolina Chapel Hill

University of Pennsylvania – Benjamin Franklin Scholar

University of Southern California University of Texas at Austin University of Virginia University of Wisconsin- Madison Wesleyan University (2) Williams College (2) Yale University (2)

Careers Discovery Event

In February our students and parents attended the Careers Discovery event to hear from Old Dolphins, current parents and experts about a huge variety of exciting professions including law, medicine, marketing, finance, the veterinary profession and the world of psychotherapy. The industries of fashion, architecture, events production and broadcasting were also represented.

Futures Working Lunches

The Futures Working Lunches programme is open to pupils from all year groups and shines a light on a variety of careers. The first talk of the year was from Helena Williams, (Class of 2012) who graduated from Central Saint Martins before working as a freelance Product Designer. Helena spoke to girls about her interest in design that was nurtured through DT lessons with Mr Cosgrove, the variety of roles that are available to people with degrees in Product Design, and the reality of applying for jobs within the field.

In February Ian Harnett, co-founder and managing director of Europe’s leading provider of macro-investment strategy advice, Absolute Strategy Research, came to speak to students at our Futures Working Lunch. Ian read PPE and subsequently gained a Doctorate in Economics from Oxford University and is a regular contributor to Bloomberg TV, CNBC the FT, WSJ and the Economist. His fascinating insight into the world of economics was an inspiration for our Sixth Formers thinking of pursuing related careers.