We support our pupils in their university applications wherever they decide to apply with many often applying to more than one country. We currently have alumni studying in the UK (Oxford, Cambridge, LSE, UCL, Imperial College, Bristol, Durham and many other Russell Group institutions), the US (Yale, Columbia, UPenn, UC Berkeley, NYU and others), Hong Kong (HKU, CUHK and HKUST), Canada (University of Toronto and McGill) and Australia (University of Sydney).
There is a programme of preparation in Year 12 and all pupils have a double period on their timetable for this purpose. We invite academics and universities into School to give taster lectures and information about their institutions. The Sixth Form team is always available to give individual advice. For pupils wishing to study in the US the process starts earlier as colleges require transcripts of academic performance from Year 10. There is a dedicated member of the Sixth Form team with responsibility for advising pupils on their US applications.
At Harrow Hong Kong, our dedicated staff will guide you through the Oxbridge application process and what you should do each step of the way to prepare. We identify our most gifted pupils and invite them to take part in activities to challenge themselves academically and to develop their confidence in debate and discussion, skills which are essential for the interview. In the first term of Year 12 there is an information session with our own successful applicants – alumni currently at Oxford or Cambridge – and also a visit from an admissions tutor from Oxford or Cambridge who comes to talk about what they look for in a successful applicant.
In Year 12 all pupils applying to Oxford or Cambridge are put on a full programme of personal support throughout the process. They are assigned a Tutor – a subject expert who monitors a personalised programme of study to stretch the pupil beyond the demands of A-Level. Pupils attend individual and small-group sessions, designed to model the Oxbridge tutorial system and, later on, are given extensive formal mock interview practice.