Nearly 50 more Winchester students set for Oxbridge places (From Hampshire Chronicle)

Nearly 50 more Winchester students set for Oxbridge places

8:50am Friday 10th February 2012 in Winchester

STUDENTS from a Winchester college have gained coveted places to study at Oxford and Cambridge Universities.

Peter Symonds sixth form college has 49 conditional offers for Oxbridge applicants this year, 25 from Cambridge and 24 from Oxford.

The figures are comparable with previous years though down on last year’s record breaking 55, the same number as achieved back in 2009.

To gain the places, college governors conduct practice interviews and students are encouraged to do wider reading, attend open days and participate in summer schools as well as being offered mentorship in the form of ex-students currently studying there.

Kalpana Shenoi, teacher in charge of the Oxbridge entries at the college, said: “As ever, these offers are the result of a splendid team effort from parents, teachers, careers advisers and administrators, as well as the students themselves. “Every Oxbridge applicant usually ends up with either an Oxbridge offer or a place at another top university.”

Principal Neil Hopkins added: “This is a massive number of Oxbridge offers for any educational institution and ranks us alongside the best known public schools.

“Oxbridge colleges recognise Symonds as one of the regular major ‘feeders’ and know our students will live up to the references we give them.”

For full list of names and more photos see this week's issue of the Hampshire Chronicle