Congratulations to Charlotte Bond, Eva Carroll, Dona Josh and Grace Wright on receiving an offer to study at Oxbridge!

The application process to study at Oxford and Cambridge is a rigorous one. As well as stringent entry requirements, the process itself is tough, requiring lots of dedication and preparation.

Charlotte, Eva, Dona and Grace are all part of the High Achievers’ Programme at Carmel. The Programme encourages and supports students who are applying to Oxbridge and other prestigious institutions, as well as for highly competitive degrees such as Medicine, Dentistry and Veterinary Science. Delivered by our specialist High Achievers’ Co-ordinators, the Programme offers students activities, events and support throughout the year.

Here’s what our students said about receiving their offers:-

Charlotte Bond – Human, Social and Political Science at Clare College, Cambridge

There was lots of preparation to do for my interview. I read over all my submitted statements and tried to remind myself of the topics I discussed in my exam. I received lots of help from my Personal Achievement Tutor, Sam and also from Mike Graham, my Subject Co-ordinator. Mike did absolutely everything he could to help me. He discussed my wider reading with me, went through my personal statement, marked my entrance exam practice attempts and even did mock interviews with me. I really couldn’t have done it without his help. I’m very proud of myself; I’ve put in a lot of hard work to get to this point and now it feels like it’s really paid off. I’m very grateful to everyone who helped me and to my friends and family for all their support. They believed in me when I definitely didn’t! I hope to specialise in the Politics and International Relations aspect of the course. In the future I would like to pursue a career in diplomatic service, probably within the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Eva Carroll – English at King’s College, Cambridge

I received so much help from the college with my application from my personal statement to admissions tests. My Curriculum Co-ordinator was especially helpful, guiding me towards wider reading and doing several practice interviews. I felt over the moon when I received my offer and couldn’t quite believe it. It really showed me that anything is possible if you put your mind to it and the world is limitless.

Dona Josh – Received an offer to study Biochemistry at Somerville College, Oxford

For interview preparation I focused on extra reading around my topic. I borrowed a biochemistry university text book and tried to understand sections of the book, building on the content I had previously studied. I also took part in a program called Access Oxbridge where I paired up with a student currently studying my subject. This really helped me to see Oxford as a possibility rather than just a distant dream. I had help writing my personal statement from my Oxbridge Subject Co-ordinator, Adam. He also arranged for me to take part in a few mock interviews to get me used to them. There was a huge amount of support from the pastoral team, especially from my Personal Achievement Tutor.  He was always there to offer me support and help where necessary. I am very happy about the offer because I really didn’t think I had a chance.

Grace Wright – Philosophy and Theology at Oriel College, Oxford

Although it was difficult to prepare for the interview, I received a lot of offers of support from my tutors including a session going through my personal statement and mock interviews. I’m excited to have an offer of a place and I’m looking forward to university wherever I end up going! In the future I plan to carry on education after my undergraduate degree and then hopefully find a fulfilling career in an organisation such as the The United Nations.

Head of the High Achievers’ Programme, Nicola Walker said ‘We are really proud of the students who have secured Oxbridge places this year, it’s a great achievement.’

Visit the web page to find out more about the High Achievers’ Programme