Cirencester College Student Blog

The Importance Of Making Friends

As corny as it sounds, I often think people underestimate the power of friendship. I remember complaining about school seating plans and being told they didn’t matter as I was ‘there to learn, not make friends’. While classmates can be distracting, they’re also important to have, as they can completely change your feelings around a lesson or subject. For me, being with friends gives me confidence to raise my hand and answer or ask questions. They also make difficult lessons a lot more tolerable- after all, there’s nothing worse than feeling like you’re the only one struggling, with no one to ask for help.

While I was excited to start my first year at Cirencester College, I was undoubtedly very anxious, too! Despite the ‘new-kid-never-making-any-friends’ trope being little more than a cliché, I convinced myself that I would face the same rejection. Both my primary and secondary school had been very local, so I hadn’t had a need to make new friends since I moved to this side of the country six years ago. Thus, I worried my out-of-practice social skills would make it difficult for me to talk to people, landing me lonely and friendless.

Although I had a small handful of friends joining me from secondary, I was split up from them for most of my classes. So, I had no choice but to brave my fears and face the crowds of unfamiliar faces. I won’t lie and say every attempt to make friends was a success- there were plenty of times conversations went stale and everyone felt painfully awkward. There were also days where my nerves got the better of me and I didn’t speak to anyone. But I found the more I tried, the better I felt- not only did talking to people give me a confidence boost, but I felt proud to be able to say that I was trying my best to make new friends.

Ultimately, making friends in a new environment is daunting. But the awkward small-talk and nervousness is undoubtedly worth it for all the fun and confidence they’ll bring.

Although I was initially unsure about talking to new people, I now have a group of friends that make my college experience a lot more memorable and enjoyable!

Upon starting at Cirencester College this year, I have become not only a spectator but a participant in this life-changing switch between secondary school and college.

Upon starting at Cirencester College this year, I have become not only a spectator but a participant in this life-changing switch between secondary school and college. College life is truly a completely dissimilar experience from secondary school, many will remember the transfer from primary school to secondary school; the nerves and fears about leaving behind the so-familiar environment where we grew up. Although the emotions and elements of personal growth remain, that change seems minuscule when compared to the swap from regimented 5-day school weeks to the freedoms of college life. Change is always hard, and admittedly I (like many others) have felt the struggles of adjusting. However, as I have settled into my new subjects and surroundings, I have come to appreciate the liberations and opportunities accompanying being a college student.

For example, Cirencester College is rich with extra curriculars, which as a student who previously did not have access to many enrichment activities, is extremely exciting. Recently, I have taken up Debating which has strengthened my confidence in public speaking and developed my argumentative judgement skills. I have met new amazing people with like-minded attitudes through debating and I even got the chance to participate in the MACE debate which was overall an amazing night filled with meeting other debating students and pushing the barriers of my comfort zone.

Another enjoyable change to college life has been experiencing a new way of teaching that enables more independent thinking and learning, in secondary school it could sometimes feel like I was just memorising information rather than being granted time to pursue my interests within subjects. In college, I have time to read deeper into my work and discuss it with my peers. Not to mention, the trip availability in college is a game changer for gaining a better understanding of subjects, recently I watched Shakespeare’s, ‘The Taming of the Shrew’ at the Globe Theatre in London, where I got an authentic Shakespearean experience of the play.

Overall, the most crucial lesson college has taught me is not to fear change but to embrace it, a lesson I believe we can all take from no matter what stage of life we are in.

“To exist is to change, to change is to mature, to mature is to go on creating oneself endlessly.” – Henri Bergson

Accessing Academia: The UCAS Process and Applying to Oxbridge

With the deadline for applications to Oxbridge having just passed, the topic of university education and the UCAS process has spread throughout colleges and sixth forms across the country. A deeply individual decision, choosing where to go to university is an incredibly personal process, and one that will challenge your perceptions of the institutions you wish to apply to, and of yourself.

Due to their impressive reputations (and lower acceptance rate than many other Russell Group universities), many students view Oxford and Cambridge as an unattainable goal, an unrealistic dream that can only be realised if you receive a private education. However, in the undergraduate admissions statistics on the official Oxford University

website, it is stated that 21.2% of admitted students in 2023 came from ‘least advantaged backgrounds’ and 67.6% came from state schools. While this demonstrates a clear intention to prioritise diversity and accessibility as an institution, it is undeniably still an incredibly challenging task to get accepted into either of these prestigious universities. So, what makes it worth the pressure and additional effort – the application process involving earlier UCAS deadlines, exams, and interviews – and what makes students choose Oxbridge?

One recent applicant from Cirencester College, Mina, explained that she chose to apply to Oxford due to “its academic reputation and the lecturers who work in the Classics department”, stating that she would find it “inspiring to be taught by them.” A common reason for choosing Oxbridge, the fantastic reputation of both institutions and their world-class lecturers draw in thousands of applicants around the world each year. Another Cirencester student, Molly, outlined another great reason for applying to Oxford: the confidence the process gives you to pursue your academic goals.

Both students (interviewed separately) ultimately came to the same conclusion about the process. It is undeniable that it is both academically and mentally challenging, but regardless of how the journey finishes, it has been invaluable in reminding students of their worth and reminding them why they wanted to study their degrees in the first place.

“Even if I weren’t to receive an offer from Oxford, I’d still believe applying was the right choice for me because it has given me so much confidence in myself and why studying history at university is something I want to do.”Cirencester College supported 55 students with early UCAS applications, including those applying to Oxbridge, as well as aspiring vets, medics, and dentists.

And just like that, the new year begins.

This year, for me, is the epitome of a rollercoaster, with A-levels and university looming around the corner, as well as sudden deadlines and constant testing. It has been a great start to the year, with meeting new people and teachers, staying in contact with old friends, and joining enrichments from last year, like the Debating Society.

Speaking of debating, I was lucky enough to participate in a debate competition in my community over the summer holidays, which allowed young people to talk about worldwide issues, from whether women should be priests to whether guns should be legal in the UK. The experience gave me a chance to gain skills like developing arguments and understanding counterarguments to create rebuttals. Fortunately, I was privileged enough to get into the final, where even though I didn’t win, it was a close debate from the views of others.

Debating Society is a great way to become more confident in public speaking, especially if you are interested in going into a line of work like law or politics, where public speaking is one of the bases for success in the job. I have become more confident when speaking out, not just in class but in my everyday life, so I encourage anyone struggling with speaking out or shy in front of crowds to join. All these experiences, from debating competitions to engaging in other enrichment, have also prepared me for the next chapter: applying to university.

University is a big step and knowing that everything has a deadline can be nerve-wracking; as a student going into my final year, I agree. From personal statements to admission exams to gaining the grades given by the offer, it can be daunting, but I know that there are people in Cirencester College who can give me the support that I need, especially if you’re applying for a top university like Oxford or Cambridge. I keep motivating myself by saying that at the end of the day, all this hard work and tiredness will help you get somewhere in life. If you put in all the hard work now, then you’re making life easier for yourself in the future.

Reshaping the Self: The Fluidity of College Life

When reflecting on the last academic year, one simple truth becomes clear: regardless of who you are, and where you have come from, the two years you spend at college are inevitably metamorphic.

Acting as a bridge between school and higher education, college provides a chance for young people to discover who they are, and who they want to be, as a student, a professional, and most importantly, as an individual. My first year at Cirencester College – and first year living in the UK – has provided me with opportunities for both personal and academic growth, through the exposure to subjects and environments that I otherwise would not have had access to. The ability to study History of Art at A-level, something which less than 1% of this country’s state schools offer, has provided an invaluable foundation for studying the subject at undergraduate level, and ultimately led me to discovering what I want to do in the future.

It is not just the subjects themselves which provide invaluable opportunities for self-development, but also the emphasis placed on the different pathways we can take after finishing college– regardless of which path we choose. Though part of this focus on individual ambitions and needs is a natural by product of entering into a new environment, which often results in new relationships being based on mutual interests and ambitions, but through the collaboration with Progression and Pastoral tutors, the college enrichment programme, and the opportunities offered through the careers and higher education team.

Leaving behind secondary school, many students take the opportunity for a fresh start, selecting colleges further away to create a physical divide between stages of their life, and having moved from New Zealand late last June, I entirely understand the allure of a blank slate. Entering a new environment lets us to decide who we want to be, and who we want to be friends with, often resulting in creating relationships based on mutual interests and ambitions.

Growing apart from childhood friends is part of growing up, however, it is easy to be so absorbed in the future, that you forget who you are. It is natural to shed some parts of who you were but take care not to erase yourself entirely.

Entering at 16, and leaving as a legal adult, what these two years mean to us, and for us, cannot be underestimated.