Wymondham College

The beginning of a new academic year is always a mix of excitement and anticipation.

Here three students talk about their summer and their feelings on starting either their final or first year in the Sixth Form at the College:

First Jack Wardale (Y12), who has just joined the sixth form as a day student.

Being a day pupil who was new to the school, apprehensive would have been one of the more appropriate words to describe me in the waking hours of my first morning. I felt daunted by the prospect of being a part of a new-year group, with only a handful of friends. I was dawning on a new beginning, and the start of what many would consider the two most important years of my life...
With my suit on, I was ready for a day of work, a feeling I simply could not receive in a state of informal dress. It gave me an instantaneous burst of confidence- I looked the part, but now it was time to see if I could be a part of the college Family.
I want to emphasise that word strongly- Family. Not workplace, neither environment, but family. That is what I genuinely think the Sixth Form is. Just a month into my duration at the College, and already I have had so many doors opened for me, which I would only have opened at the College. Everyone looks out for each other, and everyone is interested in each other’s achievements. They are congratulated upon; Wymondham College has no space for jealousy. Above all, however, everyone wants to succeed and they want others to excel as they do. This is what makes them a family; they want what is best for each other, not just themselves. This makes me miss the time I am away from the College, because I believe that there lies my extended family.
 

Tom Martin (Y13),  talks about the residential workshop of the McKinsey leadership programme, held at Wellington College which he attended during the summer:

The closing days of the summer term last year saw JJ Weatherstone and I attend the first residential workshop of the McKinsey leadership programme, held at Wellington College in Berkshire. We had been selected following a competitive application process that required us to, among other things, discuss what we thought made a great leader and outline situations in which we had demonstrated leadership qualities. Considering the prestige the firm has among the management consulting industry, it was a fantastic opportunity to get advice on the important choices that we’d be making during the next few years as well as develop our leadership skills.

The session began on Thursday morning with a brief introduction from McKinsey and the Future Foundations coaches, after which we spent an hour or so taking part in team building exercises. I’ve found in the past that these activities sometimes have a tendency to be repetitive and boring but the coaches slowly built up the exercises to the point where we had to fall from a 5 foot wall and trust that our groups would catch us. It was certainly effective!

In our small groups we took part in a variety of sessions on a big range of topics, including leadership styles, the McKinsey method to problem solving, and public speaking. The National Theatre came in to talk about how body language can reflect personality and authority. We also listened to a truly inspirational speech from one of the coaches on how he managed to win gold at the Sydney Olympics and what he had to put himself through.

Wellington College boasted some brilliant facilities which we were encouraged to take advantage of through the various activities available to us. The traditional Wellington College Maniacs session was run on the Friday morning, beginning at 6.45. We were able to take part in yoga, go for a run around the 400 acre campus as well as other activities, but I took the opportunity to go for a swim in the outdoor pool, which was rather chilly, considering it wasn’t heated! The morning reflected a fantastic ethos among the coaches and organisers of taking full advantage of the opportunities made available and trying new things.

We finished off the workshop with statements of action. We each came up with a project that we’d be taking a lead role in over the course of the next year. The closing plenary was presented by Dr Anthony Seldon, the Master of Wellington College, in which he reflected upon the current global financial situation and how it would affect us. Considering he is Tony Blair’s biographer, he also had some interesting insight on the current political climate!

Without a doubt, the Workshop was fantastic. Both JJ and I left the session having met some truly unique individuals from across the country and both felt we’d gained some valuable advice on our future. I’d strongly recommend it to future sixth formers, should the opportunity arise, as it will, among many other things, give you that vital competitive edge when it comes to the university application process. I look forward to our reunion in summer 2012!

Finally Josh Pemberton (Y13) talks about the life of an arts student at the College.

Following the summer vacation, I embarked on Year 13 to continue with my A Level subjects; Multimedia, Media Studies and Drama. My ambition to go into the film and television industry fuels my studies. As with all art students, you are catapulted back into producing creative work or you will fall behind and begin with a rather slim portfolio. I work in the medium of photography and video and over the holiday made a short film and a range of photo shoots. Whatever form of art you study, the courses are almost entirely self-motivated.
In these first few weeks I have been enhancing my understanding of the relationship between consumerism and art, discovering stunning works by photographers who visually comment on our culture. It is these sources that capture my imagination and my personal responses to the artists. This led to a recent visit to a local supermarket that was no ordinary trip! I filmed many aspects of the shop, experimenting with unusual angles and viewpoints. To achieve one shot, I placed the video camera inside a trolley, recording its journey through the consumer space and in another, managed to convince employees to open an empty till. I found myself assuring people that I really was not mad!
I was excited and intrigued when I found out the school was building a media suite in the new International Centre. Since I returned I have been spending a lot of time in the suite, taking advantage of the state-of-the-art equipment. Using industry software has certainly advanced my studies as it recently enabled me to achieve my vision of a video art piece constructed with multiple screens. My media studies class has also been using the resources to train for our coursework projects.
My day at Wymondham College is, obviously, different from those who study the sciences or law, but it involves equal amounts of work and motivation. In fact, one of the best features about the school, especially sixth form, is the diversity that echoes university life. With so many opportunities and advice available, my creativity in areas of drama, art and media has most certainly been nurtured at the college throughout my seven years and will assist me on my pathway to art or film school.