6 February 2026
Mrs Janet Travis, Director of Higher Education and Careers
In the last few weeks, Lower Sixth students and their parents have been looking to the future with the help of two higher education events.
The first of these was our Virtual Higher Education Evening on 20 January. This very informative event, attended by more than 100 students and parents, provided insights into the UCAS process, how to choose a degree subject and which universities to apply to, and what happens both before and after applications are made.
We were delighted to welcome two guests, who gave wonderful presentations. Erin, from King’s College London gave advice on how to make an application to the most competitive universities, whilst Tabitha from Newcastle University explained how to write a winning personal statement. A recording of the session was shared with those unable to attend and our Lower Sixth students are now busy researching courses and universities prior to planning their open day visits.
Two weeks later, we held our online International Futures Event, to which Year 11 students and parents were also invited. Although the majority of Woldingham students choose courses at universities in the UK, each year some of our leavers head to study overseas: 15 of our current Upper Sixth have applied to universities in Hong Kong, Spain, USA, Australia, Netherlands and Poland. With this in mind, our International Futures Event gave invaluable insights into the application process and how to choose an institution overseas.
Our first presenter was Tom Whittaker from The University Guys who talked about how to select a university in the USA and explained how to find the ‘best fit’, as well as the daunting application essay process.
Arianna Lopez, a fifth-year student at IE University, Madrid, told us what it’s like to study there and to live in Madrid. Over 75% of IE’s students come from outside Spain, representing over 130 countries. IE is expert in organising internships and overseas placements and the employability rate for its graduates is one of the highest in the world.
Our final speaker was Gary Leslie, representing Forward College, which offers innovative undergraduate programmes that are fully accredited by the London School of Economics or King’s College London. Students complete year 1 studies in Lisbon, year 2 in Paris and year 3 in Berlin. Courses offered include Economics, Management, Politics, International Relations, Data Science and Psychology, and students study in small classes of around 15.
Feedback from attendees of both sessions was very positive and we recommend any students or parents who missed them to watch the recordings.