Matt Dickinson (mountaineer, filmaker and author) has Siena Society spellbound

On Thursday 15^th March, the Siena Society was treated to a truly gripping narrative told by our guest speaker, the mountaineer, filmmaker and author Matt Dickinson.

Matt has 2 passions: mountaineering and writing and we were given a taste of both in a whirlwind snapshot of his life before he had to shoot off down the M4 to give an evening lecture to a Bristol outdoor adventure society.

In 45 minutes we received a lesson in:

Leadership and teamwork in the wilderness. When a team is totally self-reliant, without the possibility of outside assistance in an emergency (as at extreme altitude), it is those teams which ‘talk’ and whose members look out for each other, that do the best. Those whose leader puts the rest of the team first will do best of all. What was interesting was that the leader of Everest expeditions stays behind at base camp in order to plan and organise the logistics of the rest of the group.

 The biology of the human body at altitude. Beyond base camp on Everest for example, in order for the body’s haemoglobin levels to carry more oxygen, a climber needs to acclimatize to the lack of oxygen and does so by returning to sleep at base camp after each day’s climbing before pressing on a bit further the next day. Apparently at 29ooo feet, if a climber sustains a cut, the blood is so thick that virtually no blood is produced. This explained the danger of sustaining coronaries at high altitude.

The geology of Everest’s summit. On a photograph of Everest Matt pointed out that towards the summit there was a clear cross section of the mountain that was geologically different to the rest. Apparently this strata contains fossils of fish and other marine life- not what you expect to find 29 000 feet above sea level! It seems that the Himalayas themselves were the result of a collision of the Indian and Tibetan tectonic plates with the sea and its contents forced up and then over the resultant mountains.

Interspersed amongst such fascinating nuggets of information, we learnt that Everest is fast turning into a dumping ground for discarded kit and is in dire need of structured management to oversee the number and suitability of the mountaineering teams who attempt to climb it.

For any of those present who are due to go to Borneo and climb Mount Kinabalu, Matt’s lecture will have been a source of great inspiration and advice. Apparently (Matt had first-hand experience) the climb down is considerably worse than the climb up and any training to strengthen the knees would be a good idea!

When Matt is not busy filming in some far flung and inhospitable corner of the earth, he follows his other interest, writing. He spoke passionately about the importance of reading in a child’s life: ‘a book takes you to a place, deeper and more profound than anything the internet can offer…’ and the series he has written, Mortal Chaos, provides a perfect example of how a story, imaginatively told and well written, can enthral us all. It was good to see so many orders for his books being placed at the end of his lecture.

So you want to be a doctor? Year 12 medics attend day at Royal Society of Medicine

On 5^th March, Aayushi, Ambar and myself were able to go to a public conference called ‘ So you want to be a doctor’ held at the Royal Society of Medicine. The entire day consisted of many senior and junior doctors, Consultants, General Practitioners and Professors talking to us, giving their own insight into what medicine can offer.

The first lecturer was Dr. Kevin Murphy who is the deputy admission tutor at Imperial College, London. He discussed the importance of getting the right work experience in either a hospital or GP’s surgery which will help you to decide if medicine is for you. He also discussed the structure of the aptitude tests that are compulsory in order to get into the top medical schools. The majority of medical schools ask for students to do the UKCAT whilst 4 others ask for the BMAT. Students must be able to score over the average in order to get to the interview stage. This lecture was followed by Dr. Rashmi Patel (a graduate from Oxford University)  who explained his journey  getting into medical school and the foundation years since he had finished medical school. He outlined the 2 year programme, foundation doctors undertake in 3-6 months rotations in various disciplines in a hospital and community, in order to acquire essential skills in assessing and managing patients. Dr Patel’s presentation was very humorous but also very interesting as we now know what happens once students graduate from medical school. 

One of the main lectures I enjoyed was by Miss Samira Green who is currently in her 4^th year of medical school at the Barts and London University. Miss Green was very inspiring because she didn’t get into medical school the first time she applied. Instead her determination made her get into medical school after she had completed her biomedical science degree. She explained that there are many different routes getting into medicine.

Overall the whole experience was very enjoyable and informative. It gave us an opportunity to ask any queries we might have had. On a last note, I would recommend anyone who is interested in medicine to attend to any future events held at the Royal Society of Medicine.

Tabasum Aslam (Year 12)

Oxford tutor offers advice to St Catherine's students on Oxbridge applications

The Siena Society welcomed Dr Helen Swift, Fellow and Tutor in Medieval French at St Hilda’s College, Oxford to its latest meeting on 23^rd February. Dr Swift talked about the admissions process for both Oxford and Cambridge universities and the many St Catherine’s students (and their parents) who were there, including some from Years 9,10 and 11 as well as from Year 12, would have found it very informative.

It is quite clear that Oxbridge is after ‘exciting minds’; they are 2 universities unashamedly only interested in the academic excellence of its students. In terms of A level qualifications this translates into typical offers of A*AA for Cambridge and A*A*A to AAA for Oxford with the average successful applicant having achieved a minimum of 6 A*s at GCSE.

Other aspects of the 2 universities which make them unique are that they are both collegiate; as a student you are both a member of the university and also a college. Dr Swift emphasised that such a system allows for a greater sense of community and support. She felt that the differences in all the colleges were largely superficial and that an applicant would be better off spending their time researching the course that she might want to study, as opposed to the college where she would study it. There is an option to make an ‘Open’ application to a college and Dr Swift felt this was a sensible way of proceeding for any student unsure about which college to apply for.

The other main feature of Oxbridge which distinguishes them from other universities, is the tutorial system, whereby each student is allocated an academic tutor with whom they have one on one tutorials on a weekly basis. This ensures a truly privileged and interactive education with the personal expertise of a true leader in their field guiding every student.

Dr Swift was also  at pains to point out that both universities use interviews as a primary method of selecting potential students, as well as a variety of specialised aptitude tests. This is a crucial aspect of the admissions process and students from St Catherine’s applying to Oxbridge can expect a lot of help in interview techniques and aptitude testing prior to attending interview.

Perhaps the most important piece of advice that Dr Swift gave in her very helpful talk, was to encourage our students to choose the degree course they want to read first and then look to see which universities offer it. She felt that far too many students apply to Oxbridge simply because of the name, without giving sufficient thought to what they might read when they got there. Such applicants fail to win an offer because they cannot write a ‘convincing narrative about what brings them to the subject’ in their Personal Statement on their UCAS form. As I tell my Years 12 on a weekly basis: ‘ from the beginning of Year 12 you must be continually thinking of ways to show the evidence of your commitment and ability to succeed on your chosen degree course.’ These days excellent exam results alone are not sufficient to gain a place at the country’s top universities and we are very grateful for Dr Swift coming to St Catherine’s to enforce this message, as well as many others.

UCAS applications down nearly 10% for 2012

There has been a 9% fall in applications to UK universities.  The 9.9% fall in applications by English students is attributed to the tuition fee rise in England.  EU students have applied for 11% fewer places at English universities. In Scotland applications are down by 1.5%. Applications to Scottish universities, from students across the European Union, have increased by 6%.

Applications to UK universities by international students are up 13%, with a 37% rise in applications from students in Hong Kong.  Applications to European universities by UK students are still increasing. For example, Maastricht University in the Netherlands had an increase of 152% in applications from British students compared with this time last year; they expect about 600 UK applications this year. 

Yr 12 Biologists visit the Institute of Education for `Science Day`

On Wednesday 25^th January, Tabasum, Aayushi and I were fortunate enough to visit the Institute of Education for some lectures and exhibitions on genetic diseases and cures. On arriving at Russell Square and seeing the magnificent building itself we knew immediately that we were about to have fantastic day.

The first lecture was at 10.30am, and consisted of Harvard University graduate, Dr Dan Kaganovich explaining about keeping cells healthy and neurodegenerative diseases. This was extremely interesting and we learnt about misfolded proteins causing many genetic diseases. This lecture was shortly followed by a series of short `films` about various vaccines, medicine and drugs which are currently being developed for specific illnesses.

After a short lunch break, another series of films was shown, followed by two lecturers; Dr Arbel Artzy-Shnirman explained about Smart Drugs and Adam Abramson MSc told us about his project – providing clean water in Zambia. There was then a short question and answer session which concluded the day.

Overall, it was a brilliant insight into the life of a typical university student and was exciting and informative to attend. All three of us were greatly inspired by these lectures and we hope to attend many more in the future.

Ambareen Syed (Year 12)



Should you be booking your place on a Summer School course?

Research carried out by the University of Bristol shows that students who attend summer schools are more likely to gain places at top UK universities.  The research identified the "Summer School effect", in which the 76% of students who went to summer school, then on to a top university, compares favourably with just over 55% of students with a similar academic and social background who did not attend a summer school.   For more information go to: www.guardian.co.uk/education/2012/jan/18/summer-school-chance-university-place%20

For more information about higher education tasters and summer schools 2012, go to: www.totalprofessions.com/school-student/parents/higher-education-tasters-and-summer-schools

Considering applying to Oxbridge?

As part of our Siena Society programme this term we welcome Dr Helen Swift from Oriel College, Oxford who will talk on Oxbridge admissions on 23rd February at 5pm. In the meantime any students considering applying to Oxbridge would be well advised to attend one of the following Oxford and Cambridge Student Conferences:

These conferences are designed to provide up-to-date information on the application and admissions procedure at both institutions as well as providing an insight into student life. The events are aimed at students who have already completed their GCSE/Standard Grade examinations and are now undertaking further study.

The conferences will cover:

• Courses available at Oxford and Cambridge
• Applying to Oxford and Cambridge
• Student life
• Student finance and careers
• Interviews

Admissions tutors, academic staff and current undergraduates from both universities will also be on hand to answer students’ questions. 

Date	Region/City	Venue
Monday 19 March	Leicester	Welford Road Stadium
Tuesday 20 March	Cardiff	Millennium Stadium
Wednesday 21 March	Greater London	Epsom Downs Racecourse (New Venue)
Thursday 22 March	Greater London	Epsom Downs Racecourse (New Venue)
Friday 23 March	Northern Ireland	Lagan Valley Island
Monday 26 March	North West	Haydock Park Racecourse
Tuesday 27 March	North West	Haydock Park Racecourse
Wednesday 28 March	Newcastle	St James’ Park (Sports Direct Arena)
Thursday 29 March	Edinburgh	Corn Exchange

For more information go to: www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/oxbridgeconference/index.html