I read through the contents of the thread and it saddens me to think students have been put off this opportunity by misinformed students.
Comparing St Dominic's to HWSF,( having got offer from both sixth form colleges), I can say my decision to choose HWSF was a decision I do not regret. St Dominic's is a college with over 1,000 students. This large number means there is limited individual contact.
Here at HSSF, we have great career and university support. We receive emails from teachers on what lectures are on for the courses we would like to apply for at uni, we have meetings with heads of houses and our tutors regarding our future. The support for Oxbridge applications is our strongest advantage. The majority of our teachers have studied at Oxbridge, they know the standard which is expected. We are given extra reading or essays to write to aid our Oxbridge applications. There are many leadership opportunities: house captain, student senate , societies president, sports captain ect.