N E W S L E T T E R - Radley College

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Next teps S Radleians at University Ed Martineau (ex Senior Prefect), finished Cambridge this year and is now destined for Bristol Old Vic. Harvard University The recession has led to substantial increases in university applications in both the USA and the UK (applications were up 10.4% in the 2008 round, 8.8% in 2009): higher education is seen both as a refuge from the ravaged job-market, and as an investment for the post-recession future. Inevitably it is the most competitive and popular courses at top universities which have seen the biggest increases in applications (Law, Medicine, Economics, English, History). The more difficult it becomes for Radleians to get an offer or place from their firstchoice university, the more vital it is for us to encourage them to research and prepare the application thoroughly, and to adopt the right strategy across the five choices available. So far, numbers of Radleians going to top UK universities have remained constant for a number of years: a major achievement in the circumstances. Ideally a student will identify a subject or combination of subjects, and then a course, which corresponds with his interests and ambitions. It is then a question of identifying the five best such courses available at UK universities. A much more likely scenario however is that a student (or his parents) identifies a small group of acceptable universities, and is flexible enough to study almost any course in order to get a place at one of them. In extremis this can lead (indeed has led) to a student applying to five different courses at the same (highly fashionable) university. As it happened, the strategy worked, although the course for which he was accepted was somewhat esoteric: a desirable university knows how to make the most of its status, and in such circumstances will only make one offer, and that for the least popular course. In practice, most applicants steer a sensible middle course between these extremes: they identify their top one or two universities, choose two or three other less competitive destinations; they are quite clear about the course they want, but are prepared to be flexible up to a point (how much difference is there between Politics and International Relations? History and Modern History? Finance and Accounting?). So what are the most desirable UK universities? Everyone knows Oxford and Cambridge of course, and most have heard of the Russell Group (a notional top 20 group of the next best). In recent years, however, a breakdown of applicant numbers (from Radley and other leading independent schools) suggests that Bristol, Durham and Edinburgh have broken away from the rest of the pack; following them the major London colleges (KCL, UCL, Imperial); then Exeter heading a group of very good but more accessible institutions including Newcastle, Leeds and Manchester. Some really excellent universities (notably York and Warwick) have been consistently undervalued by Radleians in the past, Charlie Barker and Jim Summerly chat to some recent ORs studying at Durham 10 THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER
The University of Oxford though we try to press their cases. Perhaps this is on the grounds of their architectural mediocrity, but actually few universities will provide as elegant a physical environment as Radley, and there are more important criteria to consider. It makes better sense to target specific courses which have a worldwide reputation, irrespective of their perhaps drab provincial setting. Estate Management at Reading, French at Aston, Medicine at Leicester: these are renowned courses with high rates of graduate employment. What does Radley do, through its Form Masters, Heads of Department, Director of University Entrance and its vast pool of accumulated knowledge, to maximise our sixth-formers’ chances of getting to their first-choice university? We show them where they can get the information they need (links are on the college Intranet); we ensure that the Personal Statement is course-oriented, non-derivative, individual and striking (particularly important for Humanities/Arts - based courses). And we manage expectations: steer them away from unrealistic choices; and help them find the course (maybe an odd combination of subjects) at their preferred university which gives them the best chance of success. We encourage them to consider alternatives: increasing numbers apply successfully to Trinity College, Dublin (which is outside the UCAS system); and a small but growing number of boys apply to universities in the USA. This is a time-consuming and expensive process, but the logic is indisputable: there are more universities in the USA (more than 3,000), therefore there are more very good universities. The THES world league table is dominated by American universities, some of which are little-known in the UK. For those prepared to invest more money in their university education, and more time in the application process; for those who are unsure as to what subjects to specialise in (‘concentration’ or choosing a ‘major’ are usually delayed until the third year at American universities); and for those prepared to live abroad for four years, the American student experience is particularly rewarding. for which complete statistics are available (2007); of Radley leavers going to UK universities, 109 out of 121 went to Russell Group universities. This is certainly cause for satisfaction and optimism that Radley does and will continue to prepare its students to achieve highly in terms of university entrance. Jon Nash Formerly Director of University Entrance Durham University Finally, consider the fact that in the last year The destinations of Radleians over the past five years Bristol Leeds Edinburgh Oxford Durham Newcastle Cambridge Nottingham Exeter Other THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER 11 THE RADLEIAN NEWSLETTER 11
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Page 9: GEOGRAPHY The Geography Department

N E W S L E T T E R - Radley College

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