Lauren’s Story

Name: Lauren

Previous School: Falmouth School

Subjects: IB Diploma

What’s Next: University to study Medicine

My Story

Lauren came to Truro College from Falmouth School and chose to study the International Baccalaureate Diploma. She explained: “I really liked the sound of the IB. I thought the range of subjects you can choose from suited my skill set. I also thought that it would be good socially, and I’d make new friends.”

Lauren studied Biology, Chemistry and Maths at Higher Level, and English, French and History at Standard Level. She found that having such a broad mix of subjects really helped her build a wide range of skills: “I definitely think that even though my higher levels were quite science focused, doing the IB definitely helped me get into the university that I did, because it was good to get those other skills such as essay writing and communication skills from English and History.”

One of the highlights of her time at college was the Eswatini trip. “The highlight of my time on the IB was definitely going on the Eswatini trip last year. That was an amazing experience that I just wouldn’t have had if I hadn’t done the IB,” she says. Another standout memory was the IB residential trip: “We did loads of activities for our creativity, activity and service, such as cooking, walking, gardening – and it was really good because it took place in the first half term, so it was good for us to bond as a cohort.”

With an impressive, near perfect 44 out of 45 point score, Lauren has now secured a place studying Medicine at Oxford University.

Lauren credits her success to the strong support she received from her lecturers and the smaller class sizes. “The smaller class sizes allowed me to form quite good relationships with all of my lecturers,” she explains.

As part of the college’s Medics’ Academy, she also felt well supported when applying to university. She also feels the IB made her stand out to admissions tutors when applying for Oxford: “When I went to the offer holder day, they were saying they wanted people who did more niche things… so I think the IB was quite useful for that.”

Outside of her studies, Lauren also made the most of opportunities to develop other skills through the Student Council, where she helped with publicity. “It was good learning how to communicate with other people, there’s a wide range of people on the Student Council as well. We did stuff like organising charity cake sales for Children in Need last year.”

Reflecting on her time at Truro College, Lauren says, “I think attending Truro College has definitely been good for me. I feel like I’ve made lots of friends, and it’s been good to be in a bigger environment, but then to also have your own little cohort with the IB as well, which is nice.”

Her advice for anyone thinking about following in her footsteps is to: “Be open to experiences such as trips and the IB residential, and to making new friends.”