After 5 years, we say goodbye to Noor who joined us in Year 9. After successfully completing her A Levels, we caught up with her to chat about her time at Ealing Independent College and what she plans to do next.
1) Describe your educational experiences before you came to EIC. When did you join – in what year group were you?
I joined Ealing Independent College in year 9, the first of the cohort! My previous school went up to year 8 only, so the transition to EIC was a smooth experience.
2) Describe your educational attitude before you came to EIC. What were you hoping for when you joined the College?
I have always been relatively studious and enjoyed education. When I joined EIC I was hoping for a place where learning could be more flexible, suited to each child. This was definitely true in EIC. For example, the school helped me to arrange my Arabic GCSE for the end of year 9, helping to clear one subject out of the way. As well as this, since the year 9 and year 10 geography and computer science lessons used to be quite similar in terms of content, and my teachers were happy with my progress, I was allowed to move up to the year 11 year groups for those subjects during the next academic year, meaning I would sit them a year early. This is an opportunity that would be rarely found in a larger school, where students must move through the years in the traditional one-size-fits all manner. I really appreciated this about the college.
3) How did life at Ealing Independent College differ from what you had previously experienced?
Some of the key things that made Ealing stand out was the fact the school was essentially a small community, where everybody knew one another. The teachers were always keen to help and wanted the very best out of their students; I particularly remember going to see my biology and chemistry teachers very often throughout the week, asking for help, which they were always glad to offer. My psychology teacher James was also always so helpful. His lessons always sparked curiosity in me for further reading, which helped me develop my essays greatly, something I think definitely helped me to get an A*. In general, EIC also always prioritised frequent assessments, with students being tested once every two weeks in each subject which would form the basis of our “months mark” grade. This meant I was always pushed to study in small chunks consistently, rather than simply cramming!
4) Explain how lockdown and online learning changed your approach. Did the way EIC supported you through this period help in any way in particular?
Lockdown actually took place in year 9, my first year at EIC. Lockdown and online learning meant that most students had to push themselves towards more independent learning, something quite difficult for younger students. However EIC made this as easy as possible, utilising online systems like google classroom, so all schoolwork and homework was easily accessible. The teachers were always available to contact through email and the regular structure of lessons remained, the only difference being the lessons were on google meets rather than classrooms! This meant that the disruption to studies was minimal.
5) How did you do at GCSE? Were you happy with your grades?
I was very happy with my GCSE grades! I achieved a 9 in Arabic (done in year 9), an 8 in geography and a 9 in computer science (both done in year 10), a 7 in English language, 8 in maths and 999 in triple science (all sat in year 11). The fact the school helped me to clear 3 GCSEs by year 11 meant I could dedicate my time and focus to the core subjects during the final year.
6) Explain how the staff at Ealing helped you through the UCAS process.
During year 13 I decided to take a gap year. Therefore, although I should have been the last of the school’s priorities, since most of my year was working on their applications, Laura (the vice-principal) always emphasised that her door was always still open if I needed any help drafting my personal statement for the next year. She also always pushed for me to attend the medicine interview practice sessions she was holding every week. I will start my 2025 medical school application soon and look forward to the college’s support with it.
7) Have there been any times over the last three years that you’ve found particularly difficult or challenging? How did you get through them?
A-levels were definitely a challenging time for me, and showed me that just because I did well during GCSEs, did not mean the transition to A levels would be any less of a jump. I remember particularly struggling a lot with my science subjects during most of year 12, consistently not achieving what I knew I could. However my science teachers Guillermo and Kashif always believed in me, and their support gave me the confidence to persevere. As well as this, I kept trying to follow the principal Allan’s frequent advice during assemblies – simply improve by 1% every day, rather than all at once.
8) What were you hoping for when results come? What are you planning to do next?
I was hoping I would get A*AA, as this set of results would mean I had a greater range of universities that I could apply for. Thankfully, this is the exact result I achieved! Now, I am preparing my medical application to send in this October, hoping for a year of slightly less pressure where I am able to pursue more projects outside of education.
9) Outside of lessons and learning, how have you contributed to life at the College?
I thoroughly involved myself in extra-curriculars at the College, as I found them so enjoyable. I was part of the magazine club for three years, and was co-editor with one of my close friends for two of those years. I was also part of the student council, where I was head of the mentoring club. During year 13 I took part in biomedical society, which was especially fun, learning and presenting about such a range of topics, like prions and wild mushrooms! Following on from this I took part in dissection club, which was a particular highlight of every week, although it did put me off my lunch occasionally! My friend Aavani and I also built a small GCSE resource hub, filled with advice, tips and resources for each subject, intended for GCSE students to use if they ever feel lost in how to structure their revision.
If you are interested in attending our college, please book a personalised tour and meeting with our Principal Allan Cairns or take a look at the GCSE and A Level courses we provide.
