Top St John’s Sixth Form student heads to Oxford
HOUGHTON – Jadwat said the Sixth Form staff assisted her directly in her application and preparation for Oxford.
Top St John’s Sixth Form A-Level student Raeesah Jadwat looks forward to attending Oxford University to study physics and philosophy this year.
She recalls visiting the university when she was 12 alongside her grandmother and marvelling at the tall buildings and feeling as though she was at the centre of world education.
“From that point, it was my dream and goal to one day study there,” said Raeesah.
She enrolled at St John’s Sixth Form to augment her IEB certification and catch up on the UK’s 13 years of schooling.
She found the experience of attending Sixth Form to be a fulfilling one in several ways.
“It is a mid-phase between school and university and allows for a degree of independence and self-directed study that suited me fantastically.
“It created a space for me to extend beyond the boundaries of the curriculum and enjoy my work. In particular, it allowed me to look at areas of study in physics that interested me. I really, truly love the St John’s physics department more than anything.”
Physics, and particularly theoretical physics, has been a lifelong passion for Raeesah.
“I’ve always approached life with a sense of curiosity, and physics seems like the ultimate challenge for a curious person. It seems like the edge of really interesting scientific development. Philosophy attracts me for many of the same reasons; both fields ask profound, unanswered questions.
“Balance is important, and a non-singular outlook is important. Physics can only take place within the boundaries of metaphysical questions, and so I feel as though the two fields naturally complement one another.”
Raeesah said the Sixth Form staff had assisted her directly in her application and preparation for Oxford.
“I didn’t feel as though I was a long-shot candidate who was doing this alone. The staff have been doing this for a long time, they’re focused on helping us attend world-class institutions, and their support made me feel as though this was achievable.”
Raeesah’s goal is to work in academia within cosmology or theoretical physics more generally. Before her term begins in September this year, she will visit her chosen college, Balliol, and gaze once more at the tall buildings, this time as the young woman she once dreamed she would be.
ALSO READ:
