PGC Guild University Panel
Two Guild University Panel events were held on the 4th and 18th March hosted by Jiya and myself. Both were hour-long webinars that took place in the evening, and we welcomed Guild members currently in university on each panel. These panel members are enrolled in courses such as Computer Science, Business, History, and MORSE (Mathematics, Operational Research, Statistics and Economics); they are currently studying at a wide range of universities, including Oxford, Imperial College, Durham, and New York University. A group of SFC2s (Jiya and myself included) chaired the webinar, asking questions related to university application tips, learning at university, and student life.
Although I applied to universities at the beginning of SFC2, it was invaluable for me to hear the advice of these Guild members, as it allowed me to gain insight into how to weigh different factors - academic, funding, environment and city life - against each other when choosing between universities I currently hold offers at. Looking forward to life beyond CLC is, while exciting, a very daunting concept to me, and hearing the experiences of Guild members at university helped calm some anxieties I felt towards adjusting to adulthood.
The feedback from the webinars was overwhelmingly positive, and it was a great relief to me that people who attended found the webinars informative and helpful. Most felt that hearing questions answered from someone with first-hand experience makes it much easier to get the information you actually need. A student said: “I thoroughly enjoyed the panel because rarely do you meet people who have previously been in your exact position that are so willing to answer any questions you pose and give you advice. I loved hearing all their stories, as well as how teaching and life at university differs from CLC and the best ways to adapt to those changes.”
The webinars were also effective in connecting Guild members with current pupils; after the event, many students emailed both Jiya and myself questions that we then passed onto the Guild panel members. The Guild members were all eager to respond in great detail, which has been described as really useful for answering questions students had regarding specific course modules or choosing subjects at A Level and IB.
All in all, this was an invaluable opportunity for students to hear first-hand stories and advice from Guild members about university-related matters, and we hope that this event continues to happen in the years to come.
With special thanks to the following Guild for being on the panels.
4th March: Amaaya Nath (2018-2020, Roderic), Sophie Wand (2011-2018, Bellairs/Bayshill), Ariana Xiao (2018-2020, Beale), Lorna Rolinson (2016-2020, St Margaret's/Bayshill)
18th March: Gene Tangwiwat (2013-2019, Farnley Lodge/Elizabeth), Henrike Stelter (2012-2019, St Margaret's/St Hilda's), Itunu Bankole-Olusina (2017-2019, Beale) Lottie Heynen (2010-2017, St Clare/Bayshill), Maria Artemenkova (2013-2020, St Austin's/Roderic), Nicole Fong (2014-2019, Sidney Lodge/Elizabeth), Sonya Evlanchiks (2011-2018, Farnley Lodge/St Hilda's), Victoria Klein (2010-2015, Glenlee/St Hilda's).
Avery (SFC2)