Our Access team and Medical students attend Lumina, to help London state school pupils prepare for Oxbridge

Lumina is a free, three-day course for Year 12 students in state schools in selected boroughs of north and west London , who are thinking of applying to study at Oxford or Cambridge University. It is held at Harrow School, in Harrow on the Hill, and is a collaboration between the school and Twyford C of E Academies Trust, supported by John Lyon’s Charity.  

Over the three days of the course, Oxford and Cambridge representatives explain to the participants the admissions processes at these universities, and how to choose the right course and a college. Pupils sharpen their subject knowledge, refine their personal statements and practise their interview techniques. By the end of the course they should have the confidence to make a strong application to their chosen universities.

Current Oxford and Cambridge students also attend the programme to share their experiences with the participants by giving talks and taking part in sample tutorials and mock admissions interviews. St John’s was pleased to send a strong team to Lumina this year, with a subject focus on studying Medicine. Dr Sandra Campbell, our Fellow in Physiology and Tutor for Access and Admissions, attended with Dr Ruth Macdonald, our Access and Outreach Officer, and three current Medicine students, Greg Howgego, Suzana Anjum and Andreas Halner (right).

Our students really enjoyed sharing their expertise with so many highly motivated pupils, and the pupils evidently gained an enormous amount from the programme.

Dr James Bedford of Harrow School writes:  

'We are very grateful for the support of St John’s College, Oxford in ensuring Lumina was a success again this year. The admissions information presented by Sandra Campbell and Ruth MacDonald was incredibly helpful in guiding the students from 40 schools in greater London, while the tutorial sessions and mock interviews contributed by a number of St John’s’ medical students were extremely well received. Of particular note was the day-to-day assistance provided by Charlotte Ryder who gave her time unstintingly at Lumina over the last three years, aiding some 500 students in realising their university aspirations.'

Lumina