Preparing For Life
Goals and Objectives
Each student has an initial consultation with one of the Principals to establish goals and objectives, plan a strategy for sitting examinations (particularly important for modular courses) and to ensure that the correct subjects are chosen. They are then assigned a personal tutor who will monitor their progress and give them any help and advice they may need throughout their time at Albemarle.
We have two primary objectives:
- To empower students to achieve exam success by encouraging hard work and independence of thought.
- To provide students with a foundation on which to build, encompassing careers guidance, work experience and life-skills coaching.
Careers' Guidance
Each student joining the college has an initial consultation with one of the Principals to establish goals and objectives, plan a strategy for sitting modular examinations, and to ensure that the correct choice of Alevels and/or GCSEs is made. This is the first stage in a careers guidance programme tailored to suit the individual student.
All students are assigned a Personal Tutor to monitor their progress and provide help and advice on academic as well as pastoral matters. Albemarle's careers guidance programme has been strengthened through partnership with a number of visiting professionals, and our network of university professionals from a variety of fields.
University and Life Skills Seminars
These sessions provide a weekly opportunity for all students to benefit from a range of activities. Visiting academics advise on the UCAS application process; speakers from professions such as banking and finance, medicine, law and publishing outline jobs and career paths; students learn techniques for isometric testing, debating, problemsolving and essay writing.
Preparing for the Next Step
All our A-level students leave Albemarle to go on to study at a reputable university, generally in the UK. We have a range of specialist programmes including work experience, which help to prepare students for university and beyond.
Many students find choosing the right degree course a daunting task so we equip them with the tools they need to make the right choice. We arrange university tours accompanied by Albemarle tutors and through our extensive alumni network, students are able to gain a real insight into many different degree courses at a wide range of universities. All of our senior tutors have close connections with top universities and are available to give advice to students and providing mentoring.
The Principals themselves take an active role in career planning and arranging work experience, essential to setting students on the right path to success. When students leave Albemarle, they remain very much a part of our extended family and can call on us at any time for advice and support.
Specialist Programmes for University Entry
We recognise that for entry onto competitive degree courses like Law, Medicine, Dentistry, Pharmacy Psychology, English, Economics and Architecture, students need more than just a good set of A-level results. With this in mind we have developed specialist programmes to better prepare students applying to these degree courses.
An important element of most of these programmes is suitable work experience and help is given with arranging this; particularly important as a pre-cursor for entry to medical, veterinary and dental degree courses.
We also have a network of professionals we work closely with, who visit the college to give advice and help to students wishing to pursue careers in a wide range of disciplines. These include Phil Moss and Tim Seller, formerly with LSE and Imperial Colleges respectively, Paolo Clemente with Price Waterhouse Coopers and Dr Geoffrey Hillyard, an A&E Consultant who advises on work experience for Medicine.
Our dedicated programmes include preparation for Oxbridge entry, summer Foundation Art programmes and specialist courses preparing students for the BMAT, UKCAT and LNAT aptitude tests, to name but a few.
Specialist Programmes
- Medical Sciences Programme - for students wishing to apply for medicine, dentistry and veterinary science.
- Social Sciences Programme - for students wishing to apply for Economics, Psychology and Law
- Architecture & Art Foundation - for students wishing to do degrees in Architecture, Art & Design, Product Design and Photography
- Oxbridge Preparation - for students applying to colleges of the universities of Oxford and Cambridge.
- Critical Thinking - for students applying to degree courses where aptitude tests are used in the selection process.
- BMAT & UKCAT Preparation - for more information click here.
