Royal Grammar School Guildford review by University of Cambridge student.
Teaching was very exam focussed, and the school obviously did very well in that respect. But for those [including myself] that wanted more beyond the very restrained public exam syllabus, I can't say I was hugely catered for. Of course, STEP [the entrance exams for Cambridge] certainly filled that gap in many ways, as did olympiad exams and such. I certainly became incredibly and inherently lazy at school. In fact, now at Cambridge, I'm quite apathetic towards work, which is certainly not good, since at school, doing work was quite optional considering how straightforward A-levels are, whereas here, work is required to even cope. I can't say school best prepared me in that sense. Class size was medium sized at school, with 20-25 pre-sixth form and 2-12 at A-level. There was indeed plenty of support available for those that needed it, such as extra classes, tuition and of course help from other students - the school certainly encouraged collaborative work.
We began this vaguely in 5th form (year 11 - GCSEs), and properly started in.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Royal Grammar School Guildford as experienced by former pupil and University of Cambridge student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on college counseling
They have contacts at most of the major universities and feel perfectly comfortable picking up the phone and advocating for a student to get accepted somewhere they feel is a good fit for that student. However, these counselors are certainly not magic bullets. They cannot guarantee that a student will get into an Ivy League university...
For those wishing to move on to Oxford or Cambridge, the provision is second-to-none. In the months running up to application and interview, every subject faculty offers classes (often run by former Oxbridge tutors) exploring further areas of their subject as well as offering advice on personal statements, interview technique and more...
This was quite a while ago now, given I entered my senior school in 2005.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Royal Grammar School Guildford by former pupil and University of Cambridge student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
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For the interview, dress conservatively. Try to be very clean and put together. Also, I was a tour guide for two years and at the end of every tour, we were asked to evaluate the candidate so if you think the tour is not apart of the process, you are very wrong. Ask questions and be interested. Also, tip for the parents: the kids speak on the tour. Do not ask their questions for them...
Most younger siblings have an easy time in the admissions process. I can only think of one case of a younger sibling not being admitted. About half of the students who entered with me had come from public schools. The remainder came from private K-6 schools, or had transferred from other New York private schools The Elizabeth Morrow School and St. Bernard were two of the larger feeder schools...
RGS is not a boarding school, so no housing to comment on. The school is situated right in the middle of a town centre, but is really quite safe, with finger-print recognition pads to gain access to the buildings. The canteen provided a large selection of food, with a huge salad buffet on the side as well. It was generally actually quite nice food. The library was a little small, but had everything we need, including several computers, and a small silent study area. The large study area could provide work space for probably over a hundred people and had.... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Royal Grammar School Guildford as experienced by former pupil and University of Cambridge student — Login or Sign Up to access full review