hello!
I'm a year ahead, and will be joining westminster september 2021, so I've just been through the applications process. obviously it was a little different for me, given that I did the exams online, but hopefully I still have some applicable experience. my subjects are chemistry, biology, latin, and history (I also learn ancient greek, though it isn't one of my a-level subjects), so I seem rather well equipped for this! one thing is that, whilst the sixth form is two-thirds boys, you're joining with a large group of other girls, which certainly makes it easier to arrive. it's also worth bearing in mind that, if you get in at 16+, you're probably smarter than a lot of the boys who've been at the school since 13. the boys tend to act quite cocky, but they settle down quite quickly, and it certainly helps if you can outperform them
. I'm a day pupil, so I'm afraid I can't answer your boarding question, but I can talk a lot about the applications process! is there anything in particular you want to know?
otherwise, this was my experience of applying to study latin:
the paper I sat had three parts. all of westminster's application papers are written to be challenging - it'll definitely be harder than your gcse content, but you're supposed to find it that way. the first section was pretty much straight grammar: you're given a number of sentences in latin, alongside their english translations, and asked to spot the two grammatical errors in each sentence. some were easy (just the wrong tense, for example), but a number of them were pretty tricky. it's definitely worth checking over your endings before you sit the exam! section two was objectively the most fun, and was a translation. they usually give you something quite interesting. this featured a lot of complicated constructions, and some unfamiliar vocab, but it was really interesting to figure out and put together, requiring more lateral thinking and puzzling out than most translations. the final section involved searching for specific forms within the previous text. it was certainly the quickest.
in the interview, I was shown a text in latin (mine was specifically focused on ablatives and their many uses), and had to talk through it. like the translation, this involved a bit of puzzling about, but it was mostly there for the teachers taking the interview to see how you approached the challenge, and what your thought process was. I found it rather fun!
all in all, I found the process incredibly rewarding, and I'm really looking forward to studying latin at the school. if you have any more specific questions, don't hesitate to ask!