10th March 2021
BHASVIC’s Oxbridge Success Shows Students Resilience
Fifty-two students are in receipt of an offer to Oxford or Cambridge this year – a remarkable outcome when factoring in that colleges are reporting a 20% reduction of offers due to Oxbridge responding to the extra pressures on places arising from another year of exam cancellations. 213 students have been offered a place to study at Oxbridge in the last four years showing that BHASVIC is a pipeline to these world-class institutions. Thirty-three students have been accepted in to Cambridge with twenty heading to Oxford – so long as they meet the grades required.
The group of students have been drawn from 24 different schools from across the region (see below). Between them, they have selected 26 different degrees to be studied at 33 different colleges. As in previous years, social mobility is a strong driver of our commitment to support students through the application process and this year 18 students from this cohort have been part of our Widening Participation programme which aims to work with students whose parents do not have HE qualifications or those who come from areas with low HE participation.
We asked some more of our students what difference BHASVIC had made in their aspirations and journey towards receiving an Oxbridge offer. Tom Wolff with an offer to study Land Economy at Cambridge University – Jesus said: “Oxbridge Co-ordinator Neil Commin and the Oxbridge team at BHASVIC were crucial at all stages of my application – guiding me on which course I could apply my skills to best, connecting me with ex-college students on that course and, amazingly, just making it all seem possible! The team made sure I never felt alone, overwhelmed or overburdened, despite often being locked-down away from the college site. Their support will undoubtedly allow anyone to achieve something they’re genuinely proud of”.
Edwyn Wilson-Verrall with an offer to study History at University - Regent’s Park said: “Oxford has always been a dream of mine. What made me both sure of applying and sure in how to do so was BHASVIC’s Oxbridge program, which included meeting students at a special day at Oxford and receiving guidance on interviews and the entrance exam. I’m grateful to BHASVIC’s Specialist Oxbridge tutors from advice on practice papers then preparation work for the entrance exams”.
Amanda Kangai with an offer to study Engineering at Cambridge University - Gonville & Caius explained: “Cambridge is the top UK university for Engineering, so it was a given that I would apply. With the support of the teaching staff from BACA and BHASVIC, I was confident that I could make a competitive application, so it was not a last-minute decision. Initially, I struggled to manage the college workload alongside the preparation for the admissions test and interviews, but soon enough I started setting myself realistic goals and it became much easier”.
Principal William Baldwin said: “For a non-selective state funded sixth form college to be consistently getting over 50 offers a year for students to study at Oxford or Cambridge is truly remarkable. We pride ourselves on ensuring that students with a range of academic abilities can not only come to BHASVIC, but can go on to study at Universities like Oxford or Cambridge and our Widening Participation statistics demonstrate our commitment to social mobility. I’d like to thank our Oxbridge team who do some incredible work to prepare and guide students through this process as well as to thank the schools who have laid the foundations for this success. Finally, I’d like to wish our students luck as they work towards securing their grades in these unusual circumstances”.
Offers were received for students previously at: Angmering School, Brighton Aldridge BACA, Blatchington Mill, Brighton College, Cardinal Newman, Chichester High School for Girls, Davisons’s High School for Girls, Dorothy Stringer, Downlands, Falmer, Gilredge House, Hove Park, Hurstpierpoint College, King’s School Hove, Lewes Old Grammar School, Lewes Priory, Oathall Community College, Peacehaven Community School, Portslade Aldridge PACA, Shoreham Academy, St Paul’s, Varndean, Warden Park, Worthing High School.