Trinity School student is all set for Harvard

THERE were celebrations at Trinity School, Newbury, this week as student John Creed has accepted an offer to study at Harvard University, Massachusetts.

John, who also received an offer to read English literature at Exeter College, Oxford, was “thrilled” to be accepted by the US college.

He said: “It’s just an incredibly exciting opportunity that I’ve been given. I’ve always loved a wide range of subjects, and the flexibility afforded by the course structure at Harvard allows me to have a huge amount of freedom in what I choose to learn about while I’m there.

“It’s great to see all of the effort I’ve had to put in pay off.”

In order to apply to the college which only admits around 40 British students a year according to the school, John had to sit SATs – the American equivalent of final exams, in his own time, and wrote a series of essays and attended multiple interviews.

“It’s a very different process from applying to universities here in the UK,” he said. “They look far more holistically into your personality and how rounded you are as a student, as well as your academic ability.

“You find yourself emphasising totally different aspects of your character in these personal statements, to what you might talk about in your standard UCAS application.”

When asked about his decision in refusing Oxford for the States, John said: “It’s probably been the hardest choice I’ve had to make in my life to this point. The faculty and community at Oxford are incredible, and it’s where I had wanted to go since I’d been in primary school.

“Realising that I was going to turn them down was actually a surprise for me too, but the freedom and flexibility of the course at Harvard, and the generous scholarship I’ve been awarded just made it an adventure I couldn’t refuse.”

Headteacher at Trinity Charlotte Wilson said: “We are all very proud of John.

“Throughout his school career he has excelled in everything he has chosen to do, whether that be public speaking, playing classical guitar and piano, acting or being a super head boy; he has been a fantastic role model and ambassador at all occasions.

“I wish him well in his next steps and look forward to hearing all about Harvard life.”

For more education news pick up a copy of Newbury Weekly News out today and turn to pages 21 and 22.