We were delighted to welcome back OEs Freddie Davies (2007-22), James Kitchingman (2021-22) and Elizabeth McCabe (2007-22) who spoke to current pupils considering Oxbridge applications.

Freddie is studying Natural Sciences at Cambridge, and Elizabeth and James are at Oxford, Elizabeth studying Philosophy, Politics and Economics, and James studying Music.

Thom Russell leads Oxbridge applications at RGS Worcester, supporting current pupils with a range of support throughout the year. He was incredibly grateful to our three OEs who were able to share so many insights with those in the room.

Over lunch, pupils gained more knowledge and understanding of life at these institutions as well as some insight into the application process.

It was an absolute pleasure to hear how much Elizabeth, Freddie and James are loving life at University and particularly the passion they have for their subjects – an absolute must according to them if you wish to study at Oxford or Cambridge.

Pupils in the room were able to hear about a ‘typical day’, managing intense workloads and how much pleasure can be gained from the extra-curricular opportunities on offer. James for example was thoroughly enjoying singing in his College choir and was looking forward to their USA tour in December, and Elizabeth was enjoying debating, competing in the UK and abroad.

Preparation advice for applying, and hearing about the interview process, proved highly useful for the pupils in the room. Some key pieces of advice included reading widely, getting used to being challenged and practising tests. The OEs said that pupils should be comfortable with problem solving, understanding that it isn’t always important to immediately find or know the answer, but to be interested and excited by the process of problem solving and to be passionate enough to continue searching for answers.

Pupils were also very interested to hear that these Universities are not intimidating, but places filled with like-minded people who, like them, truly love their subject and want to widen their knowledge and learning.

The session finished with pupils asking questions to our alumni, covering topics such as the format of interviews, typical working hours and the College selection process.

As always, it was so lovely to see our OEs, and we offer a huge thanks to them for so generously giving their time to support our pupils as they take their next steps.