Engineering expertise

William has an offer to read Civil Engineering at the University of Leeds. He lives in Westminster and is studying A Levels in Maths, Biology and Physics within Wetherby Senior’s Sixth Form.

“I applied to the University of Leeds, a Russell Group institution, because it has a large, diverse campus that is within walking distance of the city centre. Additionally, it has excellent facilities, particularly for civil engineering. I chose civil engineering as I have a long-standing interest in structures around me, and I am fascinated by the large variety of structures I would be able to help build and design as a civil engineer.

“Wetherby Senior’s Sixth Form has helped me gain an understanding of what to expect from university. For example, in Year 12, I was able to attend a number of online webinars hosted by people who worked at universities, which gave me a flavour of the overall university experience. I also attended a lecture on how to write a personal statement, which gave me sound advice that I was able to implement when writing my own.

“My A Level studies have been extremely eye-opening – in addition to improving my study skills, they have allowed me to develop a greater passion for my subjects. Having joined Wetherby Senior School in 2015, I feel I have been able to grow alongside the school itself, making lifelong friends along the way. Wetherby Senior’s relatively small size means there is an incredibly strong sense of community, amongst both pupils and staff.

“After university, I hope to work as a civil engineer or, potentially, in a more specialised form of engineering, such as environmental engineering. Through this, I’d like to help build and design structures which are used by people on a daily basis, as well as ensuring that these projects have a positive environmental impact.”

A founding member of the Russell Group, the University of Leeds saw 90% of its research rated “world-leading” or “internationally excellent” in the recent Research Excellence Framework. Notable alumni include the politicians Keir Starmer and Jack Straw, Olympic triathletes Alistair and Jonathan Brownlee, and alumni working in media, like newspaper editor Paul Dacre, journalist Nicholas Witchell and former BBC executive Alan Yentob.

Wetherby Senior’s current Year 13 presently hold over 120 offers, across 35 subjects, at universities around the UK and in North America, France, Spain, Italy and the Netherlands. We’ve been interviewing many of our successful sixth formers to acknowledge their hard work and commitment, and to further inspire to our younger pupils.