Whalley Range Students aim for the stars at Corpus Christi College, Oxford ( Published: 28/06/2017)
Report by Zainab, a Year 10 student at Whalley Range 11-18 High School:
Student life, bicycles, subject variety, they’ve got it all at Oxford University!
Whalley Range 11-18 High School stood proud on the 19th of June, as 19 Year 10 students were able to get to visit the Corpus Christi College at the University of Oxford for a day. Students were able to get a real taste of what it felt like to be a university student and contemplate what we may consider doing in the future. The girls’ high achievements and constant dedication in school allowed them look through the door of university life.
We had to wake up nice and early to get to Oxford at 10:30am and begin an epic day of tours, student talks and lecture taster sessions. The weather showed to be a perfect day for a look into the future; with the sunshine and clear skies, it lightened the mood knowing that it was going to be a jam-packed day.
Students were given a brief rundown of the history of the Corpus Christi College and what subjects are on offer to study there. We were able to meet with first-year students who studied subjects such as biochemistry and medicine at the College, and narrated a usual day-in-the-life-of-a-student timetable for the girls.
We then asked more questions over lunch with the university students, and then got to take a tour of the college in the wonderful sunshine. The gardens were flourishing and students saw how there was a huge difference between school and university life. We got to see students taking exams and watched a snippet of a lecture from outside, as well as many students taking a break out in the sun and just hanging out amongst friends. We were also able to visit the chapel and the college’s library, which gave out a very Harry-Potter-vibe.
At the last leg of the day, we waved goodbye to our student tour guides and finally got to see what it felt like to have a lecture (no, not in that way; university style!) The girls got to learn about the importance of social networking, its dangers and how the quality of a password can make the difference between you getting onto your snapchat and a person stealing money from your bank account. Through these talks, many of us were intrigued to think that this is what computer science and ICT incorporated rather than sitting at a computer all day.
However, that was all we had time for. Clambering back onto the bus, the girls chattered amongst themselves about how amazingly stupendous it all was, and how each of us took a piece away from the day, perhaps igniting a flame of desire to come to The University of Oxford later on in life, perhaps even Corpus Christi College! We had a fantastic time and were encouraged by the university to give our all for the future and reach for the stars.
