Can you tell us a little bit about yourself?
My name is Anthony and I’m from Vietnam. I joined Westbourne for IB and have been here for two years. I want to be a researcher in Biochemistry and I am headed to the University of Cambridge after Westbourne.
Describe your Westbourne experience
From an academic standpoint, I am really thankful for all the teachers and my friends at Westbourne for supporting me in my academic pursuits. I am extremely proud of the achievements that I have made in olympiads whilst at Westbourne, and of all the tournaments I have done nationally. I am a competitive student and have been very fortunate that Miss Phillips and the IB Co-ordinators have allowed me to take on these challenges in order to break out of my comfort zone and explore bigger and bigger challenges.
I also really want to emphasise the interpersonal and personal skills that I’ve gained at Westbourne – things like being independent, like persevering with what you’re doing. They are not academic, but they are the very fundamental skills that will really help me along in my life.
What are the benefits of attending a small school?
In small communities, everyone knows each other. That’s really great, as teachers understand you so well. Because of that, you can talk with them in the office or tell them what is occupying your mind and they are willing to help. I used to attend a public school in Vietnam, it was quite large, and I was in a class of 45 students! In that context, only when you’re the best of the best will the teacher recognise you. In Westbourne, the teachers give great care to every student, making sure that everyone reaches the high standard that they are hoping for.
What would you say to a student considering the IB?
Before I joined Westbourne, I was actually looking at both A-levels and the IB. In scientific subjects, which is my main focus, Physics, Chemistry or Biology, the content is basically the same for both curricula. But the fact that in the IB you have to study a compulsory humanity and the core subjects like TOK and EE, I think that really helps with preparing you for university. I have to be honest, although they are really stressful with deadlines, once you go to university you know it’s really benefited you. The skills of being able to analyse, make controls in your experiment… it’s compulsory at university. So the IB gives you the opportunity to expose yourself to this way of learning first-hand. That’s really meaningful for us in the long term.
What academic achievements have you had outside the classroom?
I have always been an Olympiad student. I took the Vietnamese Olympiad in High School and that fire is still burning now, even after relocating across the world to the UK. I came to Westbourne and one my main objectives was to enter the Biology Olympiad in my first year in IB1. Recently I’ve also competed in the Chemistry Olympiad and other competitions. I’m really glad that the teachers, Dr Francis and Mr Tucker, gave me the opportunity to register for these competitions and I’m so happy they’ve been willing to help and mentor me. We all know that it’s beyond the current IB curriculum, and self-study is completely mandatory. It’s safe to say for scientific students like me, these competitions come in handy when applying for the top universities.
Where are you going for university?
I applied to UCL and Cambridge. For UCL I went for Biochemistry but for Cambridge it’s Natural Sciences. I still don’t know where to go but I’m leaning towards Cambridge, although I always wanted to do research in Biochemistry. The thing about Natural Sciences at Cambridge is you start from the beginning, you have a broadened perspective of Natural Sciences as a whole. Then in the 2nd or 3rd year you start to converge into the specific subject subdivisions. I really want to have that broad perspective and then try to re-evaluate my decision, to assess whether Biochemistry is right for me. I’m really looking forward to Cambridge.
How have you been prepared for the future by studying at Westbourne?
Science in the future is definitely going to be harder. It’s going to be a notch more difficult than what we study in high school. Before coming to Westbourne, I wasn’t really good at Maths. When you go to university, Maths becomes a universal tool for any science student. When I came here, I got a lot of help from Mr Morrison with honing my Maths skills, starting from zero and going up and up, improving my skills and being able to utilise and implement those concepts into scientific contexts. This enabled me to be able to do statistics and the more analytical side of Maths in science, like in Chemistry or Physics. Westbourne honed my mathematical skills and made me feel more comfortable with my decision to engage in a STEM career.
When you look back at your time at Westbourne, what do you think will stay with you throughout life?
I will really miss Mrs Page. I still remember that she said right at the start of the course. I didn’t believe in it at first, but now I do. She taught us “how to read!”. I actually know how to read now, in a literal and emotional context. That will stay with me for the rest of my life. Even as a science student. That capability to write reports, or having that emotion, it’s all thanks to Mrs Page. I feel really grateful, it’s a relief that I now understand what she meant.
What are you looking forward to most about going to university?
The challenge, obviously! And the opportunities… and research! That encompasses the whole career of science. You have opportunities to meet a lot of people, you have the hardship of research, the ability to balance your bookworm life with meeting and hanging out with people, an important aspect of uni life too.
What’s the one thing you’d say to a student deciding whether or not to come to Westbourne?
Enjoy the challenge! Obviously the IB is a big challenge, but along the way just enjoy it, enjoy the community aspect, the time with your friends, the support from the teachers. Make your two years at Westbourne a memorable experience in your high school career.
Tell us about your olympiad experiences
I am proud of my achievements in national olympiads, which have helped my application to the University of Cambridge. I have been fortunate to receive several research opportunities for the upcoming years. I am happy to share that, in recognition of my achievements, I have been chosen to undertake an exchange programme at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) in Summer 2023, where I will take on other challenges in the field and develop myself further as a researcher.
