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Ellie Grange application to
St Hugh’s College, Oxford
During the Christmas holidays we heard the exciting news that Ellie Grange had been offered a place at St Hugh’s College, Oxford to read History. Few girls could have deserved a place more. Ellie has had an interest in History throughout her time at St Margaret’s and her success is an excellent example of the value of independent learning. Ellie reads widely around her subject, and has even completed an extension project on Mediaeval France in her own time. This desire to absorb information simply for the love of it can ultimately lead to a very tangible reward and demonstrates that being exam focussed is not the only way to achieve academic success.
Being awarded a place at Oxbridge does not simply involve turning up for an interview and hoping for the best. At St Margaret’s, talented pupils are taken to visit Oxford while they are still completing their GCSEs. This allows them not only to get a feel for university life, but also to speak to an admissions tutor who explains the application process to them. In Ellie’s case, she was preparing for Oxford from the beginning of the Lower Sixth. This involved her taking responsibility for her workload and she would independently research material on a regular basis to ensure that her essays were as informed and original as possible. Such a reflective and resourceful approach provided her with transferrable skills that proved invaluable when taking the History aptitude test and when being grilled by Oxford dons, one of whom addressed her in Latin! The process of being interviewed by such fine minds required enormous resilience but Ellie had been well prepared for this experience under the watchful eye of Dr Lee, who was herself once an Oxford academic.
Ellie will thrive in the intellectual environment of Oxford where she will further refine her reasoning skills. We wish her the very best of luck for the future!
James Meeke - Head of Humanities
My interest in the study of History is not something that can be easily explained - I have always desired to reach a greater understanding of its complexities and arguments and will never tire of discussing historians’ arguments and research.
I applied to Oxford because I wanted to read my favourite subject, History, at a place which has its own unique work ethic and approach to learning which appealed to my ambitions for the future.
The application process itself was very demanding. Along with the customary personal statement and UCAS application, Oxford also requests submitted written work and a formal exam. If successful in these areas then you will be selected for the interview process which involves several challenging interviews at one or more of the colleges with a panel of tutors.
On reflection, application to Oxford was something I had been working towards for a very long time, without even realising it. I would like to thank my teachers and everyone who supported and encouraged me in this, especially last term during what was an enjoyable, yet sometimes stressful, period. Although the actual process of application last term was intense and time-consuming it also gave me the opportunity to explore and discuss ideas on History beyond the syllabus which I am now looking forward to continuing with my peers and tutors at St Hugh’s college.
Ellie Grange - Upper Sixth
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