Being Head Girl

Does having a position like Head Girl in your Upper Sixth year improve your chances of getting into Cambridge (or indeed any other university?)

Sorry about all these posts with questions, but I want to find out as much as I can before September so I am not rushing around like a headless chicken (like 75% of our U6 were)

-Kavanne

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Reply 1

Willa

Personally for cambridge I reckon it wont affect your chances. It's a role that perhaps shows you can take on responsbilities, but tbh it's not that amazing and nothing unique either. They'd rather see a focus on academic side I reckon!
Elsewhere I doubt it will be useful either, once again it would be a minor point in your favour if at all.

But if you ask me personally, I've got a feeling that being head girl/boy is damaging to your application....from my school for the 2 years I was in 6th form, in both years the heads/deputy heads seemed to have particularly bad applications - recieving rejections from places they really wanted to go! I dunno whether they mentioned that they were head boy/girl or whatever on their form but I have a feeling it's a jinxed position because it's a distraction from your academic side!
Either way, if I had been head boy, I wouldnt have mentioned it in my PS or anywhere, I had other stuff to talk about that I thought was much more valuable to my application....and pretty much everyone should have as well....i reckon mentioning being head boy or whatever is scraping the bottom of the barrel a little

But that's just a personal opinion btw!

Reply 2

amateurish

I was on the 6th form committee and I got in, lol. But to be honest I think Cambridge are more concerned that you're interested in your subject; if you do extra-curricular activities then you have to prove to them you can manage your time between those and work (which is mainly why they're useful, considering how many people here do so much stuff). :smile:

Reply 3

spin

It could work to your advantage if you don't mention it anywhere in your PS but it gets mentioned in your reference. It would show that you can do all that aswell as your academic stuff, but that on a personal level it is your studies that you're most interested in. Just a thought..

Reply 4

freddie88

The head girl and deputy head boy at my school didn't get into Oxbridge. However four senior prefects did. Altho I know my friend's friend was head girl and she got in. If you're good enough, you'll get in.

Reply 5

minimo

Sometimes, those positions can take away time that should be spent studying. I was Deputy, and did nothing :o:

. In saying that neither of the Heads have gotten anywhere spectacular ie UEA...

Reply 6

coldfish

If I were in the admissions tutor I wouldn't pay much attention to it at all... I know how little these things often mean. It might help your application a little, but to be honest I don't think it's something you should aim to do purely so you can write it on your UCAS PS. If you want to do it anyway, then go for it. If you don't, then don't.

Reply 7

Waldo

wont do any harm on a reference.

probably wont do any good either

our head boy got rejected from oxford but accepted to harvard

im not sure what one can conclude from that

Reply 8

~Raphael~

Waldo

wont do any harm on a reference.

probably wont do any good either

our head boy got rejected from oxford but accepted to harvard

im not sure what one can conclude from that

Nothing much, though it perhaps underpins the stereotype that Ive League Unis care more about ECs, as well as money and parents and legacy... :rolleyes:

Reply 9

minimo

Don't let me get started on the latter half of your post :rolleyes:

Reply 10

saintjude

Other than perhaps the money bit, I don't see that that's such a very contentious post?

Reply 11

sugarplumc

Our head boy and girl were both rejected from Cambridge, although last year the head girl was accepted to Oxford. The thing is, Cambridge choose students on the basis of their intelligence, while schools choosing head boys/girls usually look for leadership skills/public speaking ability/rich parents/whatever but not necessarily intelligence. So there should really be no correlation between being head boy and getting and offer. I didn't mention anywhere on my application that I am a prefect, even though I do a lot for it, and I don't think I would have even if I'd been head girl, just because I had so many other things to write. I don't think it would have done any harm though.

Reply 12

Felixa

Kavanne

Our Head Girl, and one (out of two) of our Deputies got into Oxbridge, as did several house captains... However, I don't think they got in because of these roles, but because they are committed, responsible and enthusiastic people (who are also very clever!). Perhaps those were the qualities that got them elected in the first place?

Reply 13

~Raphael~

saintjude

Other than perhaps the money bit, I don't see that that's such a very contentious post?

Legacy is basically how George W. Bush was able to get into a so-called decent college...I rest my case.

Reply 14

Ticki

Our last 3 of our last 4 Head Girls got into Oxbridge. I don't think it's seen as a much better position than general Prefects or Senior Students and would certainly disagree that it's damaging to an application. Half the people at Sidney seem to be ex-Head Boys/Girls. If you can get it that's great, it demonstrates organisation and responsibility (as Sonja says), but don't worry if not. Extra-curricular things aren't ranked particularly highly in the admissions stakes. :smile:

Reply 15

Stewie

The Head girl didn't apply, but one of the deputies got in for Oriental Studies...

The other deputy was a rather interesting case; spent the whole last year of GCSE trying to get people to vote for her as Head Girl, cue the dramatic waterworks when she didn't get in and her subsequent joy at becoming deputy...anyhoo, we didn't get on in my form; she was convinced that her position was an advantage to her application, whereas I felt that mentioning something deeper than seeing interesting urns at the British Museum for an Oxbridge Classics application might be a good idea....we didn't get in that year so, it settled the score for a while...

She spend the rest of the A2 year winding me up over how I was 'wasting time' with a re-application, whereas I felt satisfied in what I wanted to study rather than being pushed out of a drama degree by parents in the legal profession....

I guess the moral of the story is not to believe the hype or beat yourself up if you aren't a Prefect-this or in a committee-that; I certainly wasn't, and to be honest, although to have such things waved in your face everyday can get you down and question your own talents, you have to believe that the heart of a true Tab beats down deep inside....

God I can't wait for the reunion coming up this month... :biggrin:

Reply 16

naelse

I was deputy head girl... I honestly think it made absolutely no difference.

Reply 17

groovy_moose

i had practically the same application (ie. same grades, subjects, extracurriculars(well, except i went on an exped to Honduras, that he didn't)) as my friend, who happened to be the Head boy (and one of the hardest eworking guys i've ever met), but i wasn't.

We both applied for philosophy at cambridge - he didn't get in - i did... so i a) don't think it made much of a difference and b) think cambridge is often the luck of the draw.

One of our deputies got a place for english, (AAB infact... :rolleyes:

) but i really couldn't imagine anyone better suited to english at cambridge, so i don't think it would have made the blindest bit of difference.

i think if there is any corrrelation in head positions and acceptence at uni, it surely must be because head boys/girls are generally the type who would apply and be accpeted by good unis anyway, not that it actually enhances their appication particularly.

Reply 18

priya

i agree with groovy_moose- you'll find that a lot of people at oxbridge have had some position of authority in their 6th form, because it's generally in the nature of candidates that are most suited to the courses; self-discipline, hardworking, committed, and usually ambitious. Having said that there are plenty of people who possess these qualities who will not have had a position like this; it will not affect their application in any way whatsoever

Reply 19

:Sophia:

I was Head Girl at my school and have to say don't think thats what got me a place at Cambridge at all. However, I suppose it shows that you're very good with your time management etc. I don't know bout the Head Girl role at anyone elses school but being Head Girl took more time than school work!