Success Stories

Recent years have seen the College have so many examples of successful students. We are proud of all of them. Here are just a few examples - more are available in our subject leaflet PDF downloads (available on Course pages of this website).

Lucy Olley
COURSE: A Levels in Law, History, English Literature and AS German
YEAR: 2009 - 2012

Lucy came to the College from Lode Heath School and excelled at A Level, achieving A* grades in all her A2 subjects, as well as a B in AS German. She studied Law for the first time at College and this sparked an enthusiasm for the subject that has influenced her university choice and career plans. She has progressed to Durham University to continue her Law studies, with the aim of becoming a solicitor.

“The best thing about my time at the College has been being able to study subjects that genuinely interest me. The volume and variety of things that I have learned during my time at the College, not just in my A level courses, but also skills such as becoming more independent and taking responsibility for my own learning, has enabled me to gain essential experience which will become invaluable at university and in later life.”

Daniel Furey
COURSE: A Levels in Economics, Mathematics, Further Maths, Modern History and AS English Language & Literature
YEAR: 2009 - 2012

Daniel came to the College from Wheelers Lane Technology College and excelled at A Level, achieving A grades in all four A2 subjects, as well as a B in AS English Language & Literature. He took the brave decision to put himself through a gruelling Oxbridge application, but coped well with this additional pressure and ultimately his hard work was rewarded. He has progressed to St Peter’s College at the University of Oxford to study Management Economics.

“I was glad to get into Oxford. The application was quite straight forward and the College helped me with a mock interview, but I was still nervous the morning my results were out. I chose to study Economics, as it appealed because of the diversity of the course.”

Rosie Grace
COURSE: A Levels in Mathematics, Biology, Chemistry, AS French and Critical Thinking
YEAR: 2009 - 2012

Rosie came to the College from Alderbrook School and excelled at A Level, achieving A* grades in Maths, Biology and Chemistry, as well as an A in AS French and a B in Critical Thinking. She was a dedicated student throughout her time at the College and also achieved College Colours thanks to voluntary work she did. She has progressed to the University of Birmingham to study Medicine, with the ambition of eventually becoming either a GP or a dermatologist.

“Winning College Colours and attending the presentation evening was my highlight at College. The friendly atmosphere, in which you can mix with many people, has also been very enjoyable, but the thing that has most helped me to achieve has been the teachers, who are willing to offer support with any problems.”

Lauren O'Neill
COURSE: A Levels in English Literature, Film, Religious Studies, AS Medieval History and AS Critical Thinking
YEAR: 2009 - 2012

Lauren came to the College from St Paul’s School for Girls and excelled at A Level, achieving A and A* grades in her A2 subjects, as well as B grades in AS subjects. She was a committed student throughout her time at the College and undertook the lengthy and challenging application to Oxbridge. Her efforts paid off, as she has progressed to Mansfield College at the University of Oxford to read English.

“I have become a far more independent learner since being at college; it isn’t like school where you are spoon-fed information, but instead as students, we are encouraged to form our own opinions and carry out our own research – if you are willing. This can be really rewarding and has helped me to develop interests that I might not have discovered had I not decided on this college.”

Chris Halgreen
COURSE: A Levels in Mathematics, Chemistry, Biology and AS Physics
YEAR: 2009 - 2012

Chris came to the College from an overseas school and excelled at A Level, achieving all A and B grades in his A level subjects. As well as working hard on his studies, Chris was also an enthusiastic volunteer for a host of College events such as Open Days. He is taking a Gap year, before hopefully progressing onto university to study Pharmacy.

“I really liked the friendly atmosphere of the College and how easy it was to make friends with people, as I had come from a different continent by myself and didn’t know anyone! The huge amount of support offered by my teachers, academic coach and other members of the staff made it easy for me to achieve academically. I didn’t think I was capable of achieving these top grades before, but the College has helped me tremendously in bringing out my potential.”

Hannah O'Gorman
COURSE: A Levels Russian, French, Philosophy and AS English Literature and GCSEs in Italian and Russian
YEAR: 2009 - 2012

Hannah came to the College from St Paul’s School for Girls and excelled at A Level, achieving all A grades at A level and all A* grades at GCSE. She was especially enthusiastic and gifted with languages and the College gave her the opportunity to try some new languages, including Russian. She is another Oxbridge student, having secured a place at the University of Cambridge to read Modern & Medieval Languages.

“It’s been great to be able to study a new and completely different subject like Russian. I’ve also learned how to be more independent in my studying. I’m much better at organising and challenging myself than I was two years ago, which makes me feel more prepared for university and my future career. I have received consistent support from teachers, with decisions about university, as well as in lessons.”

To see more success stories from past years, click here.