Teens thrilled with offers to study at prestigious universities

Three students from Lynn’s Springwood High School are celebrating their offers to study at Oxbridge.Springwood has a record of sending students to the two prestigious universities, and this year is no different.The soon-to-be Oxford and Cambridge students have praised the school for their support throughout the application process.

Sean Senevirante studied at schools in both the UK and Sri Lanka, before settling at Springwood. Now, he will be heading to Fitzwilliam College at the University of Cambridge to read Computer Science.Before applying, he did not think he was “Oxbridge material” – but with encouragement and support from his teachers, he made a successful application.Sean is eager to get stuck into his course in the autumn. He said: “I’m excited to specialise in Computer Science and develop a deeper understanding that will help me choose my eventual field.” Sean will not be the only Springwood alumnus at Cambridge.He will be joined by classmate Juan Camilo Cervantes-Torres, who will be reading Chemical Engineering. Juan joined the school in Year 7 and stayed on to study for his A-Levels there. Juan will be following in his parents’ footsteps, as they both work in the field. However, unlike them, he will be starting his career by going to Cambridge.When Juan found out he had an offer to study at Cambridge, he said: “The first thing I did was hug my step-dad and brother. I then called my mother who was on a work trip and then called my dad who woke up at 5am to get my call. I was extremely happy.”Charlotte Norman has accepted a place at the University of Oxford, where she will read Music. She admits that her career aspirations change regularly, but currently she is looking at a future working in music therapy. An interest in music runs in the Norman family. Charlotte’s father, Robin, is the director of music for Springwood and the West Norfolk Academies Trust, and he also was a professional tuba player.About her offer, Charlotte said she was “completely in shock and couldn’t believe it”.She only considered applying to Oxbridge on the advice of her brother after getting great mock exam results.The students all praise the support of their teachers for making Oxbridge seem accessible to them. They had an “overwhelming amount of support” including mock interviews and in-depth personal statement advice. When asked what advice he would give incoming sixth form students, Juan said that online resources like YouTube can be helpful.“They can help you make a more educated decision on your future. You’re better off learning about Oxbridge and the process, and then choosing not to apply rather than not try in the first place,” he said.Reporting by Emily Jordan