Former Head Boy of The Wallace High School, Philip Carson, is preparing to commence his studies in Churchill College, Cambridge, where he will read Natural Sciences.
Philip, from the Filterbeds, will join only three others from Northern Ireland as new undergraduates of the College later this month.
Philip explained,” I visited Cambridge in July 2004 and looked around some of the more traditional colleges in the City centre. However when I did a bit of research , the idea of studying at Churchill really appealed to me. It is situated on the outskirts of the city. As I’m from the country I think I’ll find it easier to settle in to an out of town location, rather than living in the city centre.
Churchill was founded in the early 1960s and 70% of its students are reading Natural Sciences, Maths or Engineering which obviously appealed to me. It’s also the National Memorial to Sir Winston Churchill, holding all the Churchill archives for the nation. As one of the “new colleges”, Churchill has taken all the best parts of a Cambridge education and developed ideas of its own too.
The college motto is simply “Forward”, which sums up its attitude. With only 430 undergraduates it should be relatively easy to get to know everyone – living on campus should also ensure that I settle in quite quickly.”
Philip had to undergo quite a rigorous selection process before receiving his offer, which was conditional on achieving straight A grades at A Level.
He added, “Wallace’s new Vice Principal, Dr Napier, was very supportive of my application as was our Principal Mrs McBride. I thoroughly enjoyed the weekly discussions she arranged prior to my Churchill interview. Being selected as Head Boy also gave my confidence a boost – having spoken at Prize Day just before my Churchill interview undoubtedly made the experience less daunting. I know I’ll miss Wallace – I’ve had an amazing seven years.
Highlights include the French Trip in 2001 and winning the UK World Wise Quiz. But it has to be said that my Upper Sixth year was truly fantastic. The form group got on really well and the Senior Prefects made a great team. I hope we can all stay in touch.
I really appreciate all the wonderful opportunities which Wallace gave me and I’d encourage all current pupils to make the most of their school years. I hope to make it home for Prize Day in October but if not, it’ll be good to catch up with everyone during the Christmas holidays.
Leaving home will also be quite difficult – though I’m sure my 15 year old sister will be glad of a bit of peace and quiet in the house!
At the moment I’d love to become a pilot but I know that my Natural Sciences degree will keep my options open. To be honest I just want to make the most of the next three years of University life!” All at Wallace wish Philip well and look forward to hearing of his progress at Churchill College.
Last modified: October 16, 2007
