Students at a college in Winchester are celebrating over 40 offers to study at the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.

Peter Symonds College have 44 students recently receiving offers.

Between them, current Peter Symonds students from 20 different secondary schools across Hampshire have received 21 offers to study at the University of Oxford and 23 offers from the University of Cambridge.

Students will be studying a diverse range of subjects from music, maths, medicine, English, languages, humanities and sciences through to Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic.

Principal Sara Russell said: “Congratulations are well deserved by these students who have worked incredibly hard over a number of years to meet a demanding set of entry requirements.

“Students in this cohort have faced unprecedented challenges, having to very quickly adapt to remote teaching and learning alongside the additional stresses successive lockdowns have placed on their mental health and wellbeing. The focus and resilience that they have maintained to pass through a rigorous selection process and be successful in an ever-more competitive field is incredible and I am full of admiration for their achievements.

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“Congratulations to them and their families, and thanks and recognition must also go to our dedicated Oxbridge tutor and experienced staff who dedicate their time and efforts to helping so many young people achieve their dreams. We are proud of the incredible things all our students go on to do and the opportunities that Peter Symonds College offers.”

Applicants have highlighted the support they received during the application process as invaluable.

Lizzy Lotery, who has an offer to read history and modern languages at St Catherine’s College, University of Cambridge, said: “The support from my teachers at college was incredible (I have to give a special thank you to the history and Spanish departments) and the practise interviews were invaluable. I was unbelievably happy when I got my offer; it has been my dream to go to Cambridge since I can remember and it meant that all my work over the last year has paid off.”

Luca Howes, who has an offer from Girton College, Cambridge, to study modern and medieval languages said: “For me, the most challenging parts of my application were my sample essays and the written assessment. I'm very grateful for my French teachers for helping guide me through practice papers and helping to improve my writing. Finding out I had a place was fantastic, and I am excited to go to Cambridge to study French and Italian; the opportunity to dive into these two new worlds is incredible.”

The college music department has a strong track record of helping students receive offers from top universities and leading conservatoires.

Former Kings’ School, Winchester student, Verity Sawbridge, who has an offer to read music at Oxford with a choral scholarship to Merton College Chapel Choir, said: “Singing is very highly valued at Oxford and I’m very much looking forward to making the most of all the wonderful musical opportunities there. Although it was arduous, the application process was fascinating and strengthened my interest in music no end, encouraging me to think beyond the A level syllabus. Symonds provided great support throughout, particularly my tutor and subject teacher, Mike Gale.”

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The number of students from Peter Symonds College who are offered places to study at Oxford or Cambridge is comparable to leading private and selective schools. Peter Symonds regularly features in lists of the top five feeder institutes to Oxbridge, made all the more remarkable by the fact that Peter Symonds is a non-selective state sixth form and welcomes a diverse range of students from a variety of backgrounds.

Student Phoenix Payton, who previously studied at Kings’ School in Winchester, summed up the process. He said: “Getting into Cambridge is one of those things that you don’t think would ever really happen to you. But since receiving my offer it’s made me realise anything is possible with the right mindset, hard work and support from those around you.”

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