Oxbridge Achievement
Six Headington Rye Oxford girls are celebrating after months of hard work have landed them prestigious offers from Oxford and Cambridge universities.
Four girls are Cambridge bound while two are headed for Oxbridge to study a variety of courses.
They include Head of Day Vivienne Howells, who will study Classics at Newnham College, Cambridge. She joined Headington Rye in Year 7.
She said: “I think we were all trying to prepare for disappointment because it’s such a competitive process so I’m both surprised and pleased.
“I’m really passionate about studying Classics and being able to do that at one of the best universities with other people who share my passion is amazing.
“The Classics Department have encouraged me to pursue this and helped a great deal both in terms of supporting my application but also by sharing their passion for the subject.”
Twins Florence and Alice, who joined Headington Rye Oxford at the beginning of Sixth Form and were previously home schooled, both received offers at Cambridge – but Florence faced an agonising half-hour wait to find out if she would be joining her sister.
Florence, who will study Anglo Saxon, Norse and Celtic at St John’s College, said: “I was thrilled, especially because I knew Alice already had her place.
“It’s such a specific course, which they only do for undergraduate at Cambridge and knowing I get to studying the cultures I want to in a holistic way is so exciting.”
Alice, who will study Music at Emmanuel College, said: “I was really excited but thrilled more for Florence, so it was a relief when I found out she was getting in as well.
“Being around people who love music, both the academic and the practical side, and being able to try out lots of different music and play together will be brilliant.”
Anna, who joined the School in Year 7, will study History and Spanish at Robinson College, Cambridge. She said: “I’m really lucky that at Headington Rye I’ve had the chance to pursue lots of different subjects that I like.
“I’m really excited to talk to people who are experts on very niche things, like Spanish dialects, but I’m also excited for the extra-curricular opportunities. I want to continue doing Art and I know the college I have an offer from has an arts festival, so I would like to be involved in that in the future.”
Congratulations also go to Alisha, who said her course in Linguistics and Italian ab initio at Balliol College, Oxford, “combines all of my favourite areas from each of my A Levels” and to Ginny, who will study History at Oxford’s Christ Church and was keen to thank her parents, who home-schooled her for 12 years, and the History Department for all the support they gave her in her application. She said: “It will be a really amazing opportunity.”
Offers for the remaining UK universities are made gradually over the few weeks and are already starting to come in for the rest of the year group.
Assistant Head Academic Mr Alex Thomson, who co-ordinates Headington’s Oxbridge programme, said: “Our sixth formers, supported by the fantastic Sixth Form team, have put in a huge amount of work in researching, selecting and applying for the courses and institutions which best suit their aspirations and ambitions.
“They have done incredibly well in securing these offers and it is always wonderful to see their hard work reflected in future university places. I very much look forward to seeing them approach the final part of their courses buoyed up by the confidence we and these expert admissions tutors have placed in them.”
