The Student Room Group

woodhouse applicants for year 2021/22

READ THIS IF APPLYING FOR 2021/CAN OFFER US ADVICE

hi, i applied for a place in woodhouse college in finchely for the next school year, and i wanted to create a place where current year 11s could chat and discuss what it will be like and give each other advice/ support, and students already there can also give us advice, or answer FAQs. ill be leaving loads of things you may be wondering down below from my weirdly extensive research which MAY not be 100% correct. iv'e found these from reading other TSR discussions and going on the school website/talking to friends. i really want to get in and i know so many other people who feel the same, so this might ease the pressure and let you know more about the place since we didn't get to visit firsthand:smile:

-school uniform is casual and you wont be judged much for what you choose to wear
-STEM subjects seem to be the most popular options and the courses tend to fill up the fastest e.g maths, science, psychology, economics and english lit and history are the most popular humanities
-class time varies from 1 hour to 1.5 hours per lesson, and there are doubles
-the year group is about 600 strong, and students are split into 2 cohorts for assemblies
-most classes are regular sized, their largest class has been about 24 people
-teachers are supportive but you still need to make an effort to ask for help if you need it
-people are generally really nice and not snobby or stuck up
-you will make friends, for some it may take time, but joining a club and being friendly will help you meet lots of new people
-your form will contain people who take similar courses to you
-not everyone there has an einstein like brain (which is a great thing, we can always learn new things from each other that way) so don't feel pressured to always be the smartest in the room, there are still varying abilities and that's a good thing so long as you know what you want
-you do have a chance of getting in even if you miss a few requirements, so don't feel discouraged too soon. quite a few people reject the offers they receive which leaves space for waiting list applicants, so being on the waiting list is not as horrible as you may think
-if you apply on the day we get our results (however that's going to be) you still do have a chance of getting in, though i think november-january applicants are favoured
-you may not always have to arrive at school at the same time every day and you may get to leave earlier than 4:15pm, when the school day typically ends
-there are a lot of classes and people e.g there are 17 chemistry classes in year 12 currently. for some that might be great, for others that might be scary. but everyone gets used to it after a while
-the school library is a great way to study and learn
-you'll get free periods between lessons where you have the choice to go out and/or revise
-the campus is spacey and you wont feel crowded or claustrophobic around campus (hopefully)
-there are lots of extra curricular activities which will make the school experience very enjoyable and are great for personal statements, and a football club (most likely other sports too). so far no netball club, but its quite easy to form your own club at woodhouse and you can meet new people
-when you submited your application will not make an impact on your offer so long as it was within the times specified on the website e.g nov 5th- jan 15th, and results day.
-if you are having really serious home issues or feel like you are being put at a severe disadvantage because of things you cant control, then email or get in touch with the school whilst they are processing your application, they may be able to offer support to you and hopefully even make sure you are given a fair chance at getting in
-there are dance studios, halls and so may other facilities on campus- if you look at the lettings section of the website, you can see pictures and more of the canteen, fields, classrooms if your'e interested!
-on their youtube channel woodhouse are (slowly) posting videos about each subject and have covered most of the more popular subjects so watch them if you've chosen any of the courses

anyone who is currently or recently at woodhouse please give any advice you have down below for us, it is greatly appreciated, and anyone who has chosen eng lit, politics or economics please let me know so we can discuss it too!!
(edited 3 years ago)

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Hi I also applied to Woodhouse for the next school year and the information above is really useful thank you so much. I was just wondering if you knew more about the clubs and societies there because I've tried to find more information about them but I couldn't. I also chose economics but I chose maths and computer science as well.
Original post by white_roses
Hi I also applied to Woodhouse for the next school year and the information above is really useful thank you so much. I was just wondering if you knew more about the clubs and societies there because I've tried to find more information about them but I couldn't. I also chose economics but I chose maths and computer science as well.

OMG i'm going to compose myself because this is supposed to be professional and everything but i'm so happy someone found all my rambling useful! and also i'm glad iv'e met someone who will be taking economics, iv'e actually heard pretty great things about it and its quite easy so long as you have some common sense (as people say.) as for social life, what i would recommend is going on the prospectus as the first few pages do talk about the clubs, they do give a basic summary of whats offered. basically they have a system call Woodhouse Plus and everyone has to participate, you join at least one of the clubs highlighted in the prospectus to supplement your courses and give you something interesting for uni applications, which ranges from W+ Skills (volunteering, community serving, mock trials) W+ Careers (medicine academy, oxbridge academy, ec.t) and W+ Qualifications (MOOCs, EPQ, AS Level Dance) and again if you want you can do as many as you want. i'm pretty sure you can also learn a language. these will be a part of your timetable and you may have these in place of frees.
then the other non required clubs are more informal and student run, i think the woodhouse football club is pretty legit and they do proper matches, but then there is an LGBT club, feminism club, and so many smaller student led clubs for all sorts of different functions- academic, social. sports, leisure. i can see you are very maths based, and i'm pretty sure they have a coding club and i know the maths department are very hands on so i have no doubt there are many more clubs in that genre too. considering there is about 1200 students with only 2 year groups (everyone is around the same age), it is almost certain there will be at least a few clubs you'll want to try at least. and of course you could always start your own club, which would be a great thing for your CV and personal statements if the club fits well with your future plans.

from what i know right now clubs are still running online since like us the students are doing live lessons. i hope this helped!
(edited 3 years ago)
Thank you so much you're really helpful. :smile:
Original post by white_roses
Thank you so much you're really helpful. :smile:

no problem, i'm flattered and i hope maybe we will see each other there in the near future. good luck with your application!!
I hope so as well. Thank you, good luck as well!
Reply 6
Original post by strawberrynose
READ THIS IF APPLYING FOR 2021/CAN OFFER US ADVICE

hi, i applied for a place in woodhouse college in finchely for the next school year, and i wanted to create a place where current year 11s could chat and discuss what it will be like and give each other advice/ support, and students already there can also give us advice, or answer FAQs. ill be leaving loads of things you may be wondering down below from my weirdly extensive research which MAY not be 100% correct. iv'e found these from reading other TSR discussions and going on the school website/talking to friends. i really want to get in and i know so many other people who feel the same, so this might ease the pressure and let you know more about the place since we didn't get to visit firsthand:smile:

-school uniform is casual and you wont be judged much for what you choose to wear
-STEM subjects seem to be the most popular options and the courses tend to fill up the fastest e.g maths, science, psychology, economics and english lit and history are the most popular humanities
-class time varies from 1 hour to 1.5 hours per lesson, and there are doubles
-the year group is about 600 strong, and students are split into 2 cohorts for assemblies
-most classes are regular sized, their largest class has been about 24 people
-teachers are supportive but you still need to make an effort to ask for help if you need it
-people are generally really nice and not snobby or stuck up
-you will make friends, for some it may take time, but joining a club and being friendly will help you meet lots of new people
-your form will contain people who take similar courses to you
-not everyone there has an einstein like brain (which is a great thing, we can always learn new things from each other that way) so don't feel pressured to always be the smartest in the room, there are still varying abilities and that's a good thing so long as you know what you want
-you do have a chance of getting in even if you miss a few requirements, so don't feel discouraged too soon. quite a few people reject the offers they receive which leaves space for waiting list applicants, so being on the waiting list is not as horrible as you may think
-if you apply on the day we get our results (however that's going to be) you still do have a chance of getting in, though i think november-january applicants are favoured
-you may not always have to arrive at school at the same time every day and you may get to leave earlier than 4:15pm, when the school day typically ends
-there are a lot of classes and people e.g there are 17 chemistry classes in year 12 currently. for some that might be great, for others that might be scary. but everyone gets used to it after a while
-the school library is a great way to study and learn
-you'll get free periods between lessons where you have the choice to go out and/or revise
-the campus is spacey and you wont feel crowded or claustrophobic around campus (hopefully)
-there are lots of extra curricular activities which will make the school experience very enjoyable and are great for personal statements, and a football club (most likely other sports too). so far no netball club, but its quite easy to form your own club at woodhouse and you can meet new people
-when you submited your application will not make an impact on your offer so long as it was within the times specified on the website e.g nov 5th- jan 15th, and results day.
-if you are having really serious home issues or feel like you are being put at a severe disadvantage because of things you cant control, then email or get in touch with the school whilst they are processing your application, they may be able to offer support to you and hopefully even make sure you are given a fair chance at getting in
-there are dance studios, halls and so may other facilities on campus- if you look at the lettings section of the website, you can see pictures and more of the canteen, fields, classrooms if your'e interested!
-on their youtube channel woodhouse are (slowly) posting videos about each subject and have covered most of the more popular subjects so watch them if you've chosen any of the courses

anyone who is currently or recently at woodhouse please give any advice you have down below for us, it is greatly appreciated, and anyone who has chosen eng lit, politics or economics please let me know so we can discuss it too!!

Thank you so much for this, it's really helpful! The application was somewhat difficult, especially for the 'why you want to study here' question as we couldn't see it in person :frown: so I mainly talked about the W+ academies. Do you know how they take predicted grades into account? Because on our applications they didn't ask for it so I'd assume it's all part of the school report. I've chose chemistry, biology and law but I've also considered economics and politics as my third subject choice. I've decided to go with law partly because it's the only school that I know that does it for A level.
Original post by mistyisu
Thank you so much for this, it's really helpful! The application was somewhat difficult, especially for the 'why you want to study here' question as we couldn't see it in person :frown: so I mainly talked about the W+ academies. Do you know how they take predicted grades into account? Because on our applications they didn't ask for it so I'd assume it's all part of the school report. I've chose chemistry, biology and law but I've also considered economics and politics as my third subject choice. I've decided to go with law partly because it's the only school that I know that does it for A level.

literally same, i spent so long trying to figure out what to put on there (for reference i started writing my application on nov 5th and submitted my application on the 11th of jan.) i think like you said the predicted grades are given by your school to woodhouse. for me, i get my predicted grades on monday so i still don't know what i got in my mocks or what my teachers have told woodhosue about me, but they will be looking at them in detail i guess and i'm pretty sure your predicted grades have to be over a grade 5 or 6 depending on the subject requirements to get a offer, but i'm not sure. i have no clue exactly what they will want for the offer, but if your'e a hard worker, you get consistently at/above the requirements at school, show consistent progress and you tried your hardest with the application and proved yourself, i don't see why they wont let you in! i decided to study politics and economics because they are subjects i'm genuinely interested in but i also might take law at university because you don't actually need a law a level to get in and sometimes a law a level is disliked to get into a law degree, though this isn't necessarily true anymore. however, i actually think law seems like a great course and if you take Law you may get on the Magistrates Mock Trial Competition team (iv'e done them before and they are genuinely so amazing and fun) , i'd just rather explore other things before i get into law permanently. the economics and politics departments also have videos on the woodhouse website on the subjects and from friends and family i know that the politics department at woodhouse is the strongest in the borough/North London, which made me feel more confident in choosing them, but again, there are so many pros to law that i would consider researching if you're still confused on your choice. are you choosing to go into medicine or medical law in the future? i like your subject combo, and it gives you an edge :smile:

PS i'm so annoyed we never got to visit the building! that would've been so much more helpful in seeing the dynamics of the school and meeting all the teachers and more, i maybe could've made friends with people who were going to be coming to woodhouse too! its on be of the things that makes this whole situation so scary, but at least we know that if we get in we still have an option to change our courses if they don't work out lol
(edited 3 years ago)
I just wanted to make an addition to the original post:
In a normal year you’ll have 2 1 hour lessons and 2 1.5 hour lessons for each subject. But if corona will still be a problem when you guys come, you’ll have 2 2.5 hours for each subject. That is currently what we do now.
The latest lessons finish at 3.30 in a normal year or 3.45 in a year with restrictions. Everyone has Wednesday afternoon off school and the expectation is that you attend a Woodhouse+ club/activity. Teachers will pester you if you don’t.
Also, every Thursday in the afternoon is subject tutorial, and you approach any teacher and ask them for help with any questions you have
A small correction is that your form classes are not always with people doing similar subjects. I’m in a geography form class and everyone else takes geography apart from me and 2 others. There are also some form classes with random people who take very different subjects.
And yeah that’s it. Hope you guys gets in! Tell me if you have anymore questions as I’m a year 2 student :smile:
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by jaycherche
I just wanted to make an addition to the original post:
In a normal year you’ll have 2 1 hour lessons and 2 1.5 hour lessons for each subject. But if corona will still be a problem when you guys come, you’ll have 2 2.5 hours for each subject. That is currently what we do now.
The latest lessons finish at 3.30 in a normal year or 3.45 in a year with restrictions. Everyone has Wednesday afternoon off school and the expectation is that you attend a Woodhouse+ club/activity. Teachers will pester you if you don’t.
Also, every Thursday in the afternoon is subject tutorial, and you approach any teacher and ask them for help with any questions you have
A small correction is that your form classes are not always with people doing similar subjects. I’m in a geography form class and everyone else takes geography apart from me and 2 others. There are also some form classes with random people who take very different subjects.
And yeah that’s it. Hope you guys gets in! Tell me if you have anymore questions as I’m a year 2 student :smile:

thank you for your contributions and for correcting me! its really appreciated xx

how did you manage to get out of doing woodhouse+? did a lot of people manage to get away with it too? im considering an EPQ but only if i feel it can pull up my UCAS points
Original post by nosestrawberry
thank you for your contributions and for correcting me! its really appreciated xx

how did you manage to get out of doing woodhouse+? did a lot of people manage to get away with it too? im considering an EPQ but only if i feel it can pull up my UCAS points

I do Woodhouse+, it’s just I did Career Ready which is a programme that is not on every week, so I had most Wednesdays free. But I think like 90% of Woodhouse+ is on every week so it’s difficult to avoid. You can obviously not apply to anything, but teachers will give you dirty looks for it lmao.

From what I’ve seen, the people who did EPQs really enjoyed it. Make sure you’ll choose something that you’re passionate about and then it will come easy to you. I just said I don’t think it’s necessary, but I think it’s obviously great if you do do it
Original post by strawberrynose
READ THIS IF APPLYING FOR 2021/CAN OFFER US ADVICE

hi, i applied for a place in woodhouse college in finchely for the next school year, and i wanted to create a place where current year 11s could chat and discuss what it will be like and give each other advice/ support, and students already there can also give us advice, or answer FAQs. ill be leaving loads of things you may be wondering down below from my weirdly extensive research which MAY not be 100% correct. iv'e found these from reading other TSR discussions and going on the school website/talking to friends. i really want to get in and i know so many other people who feel the same, so this might ease the pressure and let you know more about the place since we didn't get to visit firsthand:smile:

-school uniform is casual and you wont be judged much for what you choose to wear
-STEM subjects seem to be the most popular options and the courses tend to fill up the fastest e.g maths, science, psychology, economics and english lit and history are the most popular humanities
-class time varies from 1 hour to 1.5 hours per lesson, and there are doubles
-the year group is about 600 strong, and students are split into 2 cohorts for assemblies
-most classes are regular sized, their largest class has been about 24 people
-teachers are supportive but you still need to make an effort to ask for help if you need it
-people are generally really nice and not snobby or stuck up
-you will make friends, for some it may take time, but joining a club and being friendly will help you meet lots of new people
-your form will contain people who take similar courses to you
-not everyone there has an einstein like brain (which is a great thing, we can always learn new things from each other that way) so don't feel pressured to always be the smartest in the room, there are still varying abilities and that's a good thing so long as you know what you want
-you do have a chance of getting in even if you miss a few requirements, so don't feel discouraged too soon. quite a few people reject the offers they receive which leaves space for waiting list applicants, so being on the waiting list is not as horrible as you may think
-if you apply on the day we get our results (however that's going to be) you still do have a chance of getting in, though i think november-january applicants are favoured
-you may not always have to arrive at school at the same time every day and you may get to leave earlier than 4:15pm, when the school day typically ends
-there are a lot of classes and people e.g there are 17 chemistry classes in year 12 currently. for some that might be great, for others that might be scary. but everyone gets used to it after a while
-the school library is a great way to study and learn
-you'll get free periods between lessons where you have the choice to go out and/or revise
-the campus is spacey and you wont feel crowded or claustrophobic around campus (hopefully)
-there are lots of extra curricular activities which will make the school experience very enjoyable and are great for personal statements, and a football club (most likely other sports too). so far no netball club, but its quite easy to form your own club at woodhouse and you can meet new people
-when you submited your application will not make an impact on your offer so long as it was within the times specified on the website e.g nov 5th- jan 15th, and results day.
-if you are having really serious home issues or feel like you are being put at a severe disadvantage because of things you cant control, then email or get in touch with the school whilst they are processing your application, they may be able to offer support to you and hopefully even make sure you are given a fair chance at getting in
-there are dance studios, halls and so may other facilities on campus- if you look at the lettings section of the website, you can see pictures and more of the canteen, fields, classrooms if your'e interested!
-on their youtube channel woodhouse are (slowly) posting videos about each subject and have covered most of the more popular subjects so watch them if you've chosen any of the courses

anyone who is currently or recently at woodhouse please give any advice you have down below for us, it is greatly appreciated, and anyone who has chosen eng lit, politics or economics please let me know so we can discuss it too!!

Hiii
I’ve applied for woodhouse too i rlly love the look of the college it seems like it will really suit me. My only concern is the distance it will take me 45mins on public transport do u think this will go against me when they look at my application? I really hope not!
Original post by meg_w.16x
Hiii
I’ve applied for woodhouse too i rlly love the look of the college it seems like it will really suit me. My only concern is the distance it will take me 45mins on public transport do u think this will go against me when they look at my application? I really hope not!

Most people take 45 mins to get there already so it’s perfectly acceptable
Original post by meg_w.16x
Hiii
I’ve applied for woodhouse too i rlly love the look of the college it seems like it will really suit me. My only concern is the distance it will take me 45mins on public transport do u think this will go against me when they look at my application? I really hope not!


hiii! wht subjects will you be taking?
i live exactly 45 mins away using the TFL website and it should be fine. i know a girl who lived very close to me who went to woodhouse, and some people travel quite far out of herts like from hatfield ends, as long as you put somewhere under 1 hour they should be cool with it. i don't think it would make a massive difference either way, but who knows
(edited 3 years ago)
Original post by jaycherche
I do Woodhouse+, it’s just I did Career Ready which is a programme that is not on every week, so I had most Wednesdays free. But I think like 90% of Woodhouse+ is on every week so it’s difficult to avoid. You can obviously not apply to anything, but teachers will give you dirty looks for it lmao.

From what I’ve seen, the people who did EPQs really enjoyed it. Make sure you’ll choose something that you’re passionate about and then it will come easy to you. I just said I don’t think it’s necessary, but I think it’s obviously great if you do do it

another question. do you guys use laptops or tablets in class regularly, are you expected to take it to school everyday, and is a lot of work (minus the pandemic) run quite electronically?
Original post by nosestrawberry
another question. do you guys use laptops or tablets in class regularly, are you expected to take it to school everyday, and is a lot of work (minus the pandemic) run quite electronically?

Actually we’re pretty traditional in that regard. Barely anyone works on laptops, we all just do it on paper. However there are always laptops available if you ask, and then you can ask your teachers to use it in their class. So yeah it’s available but no one does it. A lot of the time teachers just ask us to open any documents on our phones while in class
Original post by nosestrawberry
hiii! wht subjects will you be taking?
i live exactly 45 mins away using the TFL website and it should be fine. i know a girl who lived very close to me who went to woodhouse, and some people travel quite far out of herts like from hatfield ends, as long as you put somewhere under 1 hour they should be cool with it. i don't think it would make a massive difference either way, but who knows

I’ve applied for English Lang, Business and Psychology so i’m keeping my fingers crossed that i get in! x
Original post by meg_w.16x
I’ve applied for English Lang, Business and Psychology so i’m keeping my fingers crossed that i get in! x

Hi! Good luck! I've applied for Biology, English literature and History!
Original post by Faz6786
Hi! Good luck! I've applied for Biology, English literature and History!

Good luck to you too! Keeping my fingers crossed for everyone on this thread thanks to the creator for starting it!
Also was wondering how everyone is felling about our GCSEs I got my mock results back today i’ve got mixed feelings xx
Original post by Faz6786
Thank youu!

I had mediocre mock results I got 6 9s, 2 8s, 1 7 and 1 6. I won’t mind if they’re my final gcse results but feel like I could’ve done better especially in psychology!

That’s amazing well done!

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