Highcliffe Student Wins Cambridge University Prize

If you could choose the gender of your child purely on the basis of which is most likely to live the longer, which would you choose?

Year 12 student, Eleanor Sheekey, took up the challenge of exploring this issue in her response to the essay title set by Peterhouse College, the oldest college in Cambridge University, for the prestigious Kelvin Science Prize. 

This is an annual competition set by the Cambridge College designed to give prospective applicants a chance to show off the calibre of their thinking. The science essay competition attracts around 150 entrants, including those from grammar schools and well-known public schools, such as St. Paul’s.

Some schools set the essay as a task for their students and submit the top two. Therefore, the final prize-winners come from a large pool of high-calibre students.
Out of all these, Highcliffe’s Eleanor Sheekey won the top prize for the science essay.
Written in the form of a dialogue between God and a prospective parent, Eleanor’s essay explained why it is that women tend to live longer than men in an entertaining, lively fashion without losing any scientific rigour.

Not only was there a financial prize of £500, Eleanor, along with her father, also had the opportunity to visit Peterhouse College itself and prize-winners were also accompanied by their teachers. From Highcliffe, Mr Craven (Science) and Mr Bryden (English) also attended.

Following our arrival, there was a short talk on the application process with various pointers about what is expected from applicants to Cambridge. There was a tour given by undergraduates and professors, followed by a lunch in an ancient hall after which the prizes were awarded.

Eleanor said: “I was invited to the college for a prize giving ceremony where I had the opportunity to stay in student accommodation and meet other prize winners from across the UK, which was amazing, and I made some new friends.”
“While staying in Cambridge, I was able to find out about applying there and got to experience the culture when I went punting down the river.” 
“This is the proudest achievement of my life and I thoroughly enjoyed staying in Cambridge… the food especially! The day has really made me want to go to Cambridge and study Natural Sciences... I just need to work hard now to get the grades!”

All in all, it was an interesting, enjoyable and very worthwhile day for all concerned. It has to be said that Peterhouse did an excellent job in making us feel welcome and showed that they are keen to attract high-calibre candidates.
The website can be found here: http://goo.gl/KnUa5j

Some Tips …
On the basis of some of the conversations I had with the professors and tutors, below are some points you might like to consider if you are thinking of applying to Oxbridge or similar universities:
1. Cultivate a lively mind that looks beyond the curriculum … When it comes to the interview process, they are looking for someone with a lively mind that shows an interest and aptitude for exploring beyond the curriculum.
2. Read critically … They won’t necessarily be interested in what you’ve read. They are more interested in how you’ve read what you’ve read. In other words, do you read critically?
3. Background knowledge … Interviews will tend to focus on the subject for which you are applying, but wider background knowledge gives you a greater resource to draw upon when solving the kinds of problems they might set in interview.
4. Make connections …. The English professor pointed out that he liked candidates to be able to make connections between their understanding of literature and other subject areas which you may be studying. For example, what links can you make between literature and, say, psychology? He explained that with one candidate for English literature a discussion was held on ideas of beauty in science as well as in language.
5. Begin at the end … With regard to essay writing, the English professor was keen to point out that many students present an essay that is an assembly of ideas. An essay needs to have a strong thread of an argument running through it. He suggested that when starting your essay, it is a good idea to write your conclusion first perhaps with the phrase “And this shows …” . This will give you a clear idea of what you want to prove before starting. Obviously, when it comes to the essay itself, you might come to a different conclusion or write it in a different way, but at the initial stage of the process writing a conclusion first can help clarify your thinking.

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