On Wednesday 24 April, ten Year 12 students visited Merton College, Oxford, to learn more about the Oxbridge application process and to find out what it's really like to live and study at this ancient and prestigious university.
Upon arrival, Merton's friendly outreach officer, Jenny, gave us a tour of her beautiful college (she also attended Merton as an undergraduate historian), taking us into some of the most breath-taking spaces and buildings that were otherwise closed to visitors. We were led into the stunning 13th century dining hall where they were preparing a sumptuous feast for lunch before being treated to a lively organ recital in the unusually T-shaped chapel. We continued through the surprisingly expansive green spaces and ancient quads (past the oldest continuously functioning library in the world) before taking a breather on the benches surrounding Tolkien's table, where the Lord of the Rings author reputedly preferred to teach his students when the weather was good!
Eventually we arrived at the T. S. Eliot theatre where Jenny talked to our students about the application process if they wish to apply for either Oxford or Cambridge. She ran through everything from personal statements and the earlier deadlines to admissions tests and interviews. She also explained what makes the Oxbridge teaching and learning approach different to all other institutions, as well as what it's like to be a member of a college in addition to being a student at the university and its academic faculties.
After lunch, Jenny then led an interview questions workshop, explaining how best to approach the challenging problems that could be posed in an interview scenario. Students were asked to talk through answers to a range of questions including:
- Should it be illegal to run a red light in the middle of the night on an empty road?
- If you could choose to save either the rainforests or the coral reefs, which would you choose?
- Should doctors ever have to think about value for money in treatment?
Students enjoyed exploring the different ways that these questions could be approached, using concepts and theoretical positions drawn from a range of disciplines and subjects to progress towards an answer, although not necessarily a 'correct' one. Mirroring the Oxbridge tutorial/supervision system of learning, it was clear from this exercise that admissions tutors look to see how a student thinks, not just what they know, when it comes to the interview part of the application process. Mrs Hutton, our Careers Adviser, and I also had a lot of fun tackling these questions (personally, I found one about the value of reading the Twilight novel series to be enormously satisfying as a discussion topic!).
It was a fantastic and inspiring day at Merton College and we were sad to leave. However, Jenny had done a wonderful job of giving our students an invaluable insight into the world of Oxford and Cambridge, debunking myths about the institutions, demystifying the application process itself and imparting some precious wisdom from a former undergraduate as to how to prepare for studying at either of these two world-leading universities.
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