Olesia and Chloe Celebrate Oxbridge Offers

Truro School students Olesia Vardar and Chloe Dobbs are celebrating after securing offers to study at Cambridge and Oxford universities, respectively.

Both students undertook the rigorous application process and successfully balanced academic performance, ambition and co-curricular interests to impress the admissions tutors at two of the world’s leading universities.

Olesia Vardar, 17, has been offered a place to study Natural Sciences at Trinity Hall, Cambridge. She explains why she chose Cambridge and what challenges she faced:

“It has always been my dream to study in one of the best universities in England. I attended the Cambridge Open Days last July and spent two days exploring the colleges and going to lectures. During that visit I made up my mind and chose Trinity Hall to study Natural Sciences (Physics, Chemistry and Biology of Cells).”

She continues: “As an international student, Truro School’s help during the admissions process was priceless. I was clearly explained the whole process, taken to UCAS days and helped with collecting the necessary documents and writing a strong personal statement. Because of this, the admissions process, although time consuming, went very smoothly. I am very grateful to my teachers and would like to say a special thanks to: Mr Gustafsson, Mr Laity, Dr Brogden, Mr Williamson, Mr McCabe, Miss Woods and Mrs Alford who gave me consultations and valuable advice and also prepared me for the interviews. Thanks to them I felt very confident during the interview.”

She has the following advice for students thinking about making an Oxbridge application in the future:

“I think to improve one’s chances to get into Oxbridge, one has to take more than three A-level courses, participate in Olympiads, follow lectures at universities, get work experience and read scientific articles. I wish everyone good luck!”

Chloe Dobbs, 18, has secured a place at Pembroke college, Oxford, to study Philosophy, Politics and Economics after leaving Truro School last summer.

The Oxford PPE degree requires and develops in students an exceptional ability to grasp, analyse, and evaluate essential information rapidly. Chloe chose PPE due to her passion for all three subjects and her desire to study a degree that allows her to keep up both her mathematical and argumentative skills. Whilst at Truro School, Chloe thoroughly enjoyed debating with Ms Selvey and the Sixth Form team, so much so that she is looking forward to continuing with the debating union at Oxford.

Chloe said: “I was ecstatic when I received my offer to study PPE at Pembroke College, Oxford. I love the range and flexibility of the course modules and the tutors are some of the best in the world – the Philosophy tutor specialises in metaethics which is an area I would like to focus on.”

In preparation for her application, Chloe first had to focus on her A-Level results, she says: “I couldn’t be more grateful to Truro School for the outstanding support they provided, both academically and emotionally, through my A-Levels to help me achieve the grades I needed. I read books, attended summer schools focused on my subjects with the John Locke Institute in France and the James Madison Programme at Princeton University and then over September and October, I prepared for the Thinking Skills Assessment entrance exam (whilst exploring New Zealand). In November I did mock interviews with various academics.”

Chloe really enjoyed the interview process, saying: “My interviews were all in one day. I had a combined Economics and Politics interview; the first half tested my Maths skills (I was given a whiteboard and a pen and asked to explain how I would solve an applied problem) and the second half gave me a game theory related scenario to think through and then relate to a situation in politics. I then had one long Philosophy interview in which we discussed a point about metaethics from my Personal Statement and then worked through some logic problems. The interviews were thoroughly enjoyable and were a very sociable experience – all of the applicants at Pembroke became really close friends and spent lots of time together.”

Chloe is currently living and working in Richmond-upon-Thames whilst she trains for the Devizes to Westminster Canoe Race (125 miles) which will take place over the Easter Weekend. She is really looking forward to starting her degree in October and delving into an exciting set of subjects.

Truro School Headmaster, Mr Gordon-Brown said: “We are delighted for Olesia and Chloe, this is a true testament to their hard work and dedication and we offer our congratulations to both of them. For those applying to Oxford or Cambridge, we have a designated member of staff who, together with our Head of University Admissions, supports them through this particularly rigorous application system. The application for Oxbridge is indeed both a daunting challenge and a valuable life experience, for which are students are well-prepared.”

For more information about admissions and UCAS applications visit our University and Careers page.