Winchester College review by University of Oxford student.
Winchester is extremely academically strong. We are put in sets right from the first year, with small class sizes even for GCSES, ensuring the teaching quality is optimal. It is a very competitive atmosphere where everyone wants to learn. A variety of teaching techniques were used, with each teacher ("don") having his or her own teaching style. Right from the beginning we were treated as adults and rarely spoon-fed information. Thus the teaching is not geared simply to passing public exams but to cultivating intellect. I think this was a great help when it came to applying to Oxford. The workload was fairly high but always manageable in my opinion. As an academically-focussed school, there was always help on hand for those struggling with their work: their div (form) don, their housemaster, their personal tutor etc. Another point worth mentioning is the subject "div", unique to Winchester, which covers History, English, PSHE etc. and is completely non-examined. This helped me to raise intellectual points in a debate, be a good public speaker etc. and in my opinion is the single best thing about a Winchester education.
Winchester's record with Oxbridge has always been exceptional, about a third of the boys have.... Get the real inside story on college counseling at Winchester College as experienced by former pupil and University of Oxford 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...
In Year 6 you apply to your chosen House and then go for an interview.... Get in-depth insights and personal advice on admissions to Winchester College by former pupil and University of Oxford student — Login or Sign Up to access full review
Sample insights on admissions
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...
Winchester is actually a very liberal school, despite complaints from the boys that it is too strict. However, boys aren't given much say in the running of the school (despite our obvious capacity for mature contributions), and this is a real problem. It creates real tensions between the senior dons and the boys, especially the senior prefects. The boarding aspect is another shady area. Often pastoral support can be very weak. The Housemaster / House tutors often are not on hand and 90% the boys are simply left to fend for themselves; the House being mostly run by the senior boys..... Get the real inside story on quality of school life and extracurricular offerings at Winchester College as experienced by former pupil and University of Oxford student — Login or Sign Up to access full review