Friends off to study at Ivy League universities
Two friends from the same Cardiff school have won places at two of the world’s top universities – Princeton and Harvard.
Tom Burr from Bishop of Llandaff High is off to Harvard after “applying on a whim”, while classmate Ben Roberts has a place at Princeton.
The high-flying 18-year-olds are both part of the Seren Network, the initiative to encourage more students from Wales to apply to the best universities.
Ben, from Fairwater, and Tom, from Lisvane, will fly to the US this summer to attend the Ivy League universities.
Vicar’s son Tom was also offered a place at Cambridge University to study theology and religious studies, but said he preferred the liberal arts approach of American universities.
“To be honest I applied to Harvard on a bit of a whim, as I knew that I would regret it if I didn’t try, but I was so shocked when I actually got accepted,” he said.
“I’ve always been fascinated by theology as it opens so many doors into other cultures and ways of thinking.
“I also really like English and drama, and at Harvard I have the opportunity to study a variety of subjects before choosing what I want to major in further down the line, so there’s no pressure to make my mind up straight away.”
Ben said he was “surprised” to be offered a place at Princeton University, and didn’t know that Tom had also applied to an American university until the day before the entry exam.
“Tom and I have been friends for years, but I had no idea that he had applied for Harvard. I had told a few people that I applied, but Tom kept it a secret until the day before the admissions exam.
“He asked me if I was going to Bath the next day for the test, and when I told him I was, he admitted that he was also going, which is when I first found out he had applied to an American university.
“It’s been such a massive help to have a friend to share the experience with, as moving so far away to go to university can be a daunting prospect, but we both hope that we can use our new knowledge of the process to help other Seren students hoping to study in America and to support them through their applications.”
Famous products of Princeton, in New Jersey, include former US president Woodrow Wilson, former First Lady Michelle Obama, Amazon founder Jeff Bezos and Hollywood acting legend Jimmy Stewart.
Famous former students of Harvard, in Cambridge, Massachusetts, include former US presidents Barack Obama, George W Bush, John F Kennedy, FD Roosevelt and Theodore Roosevelt, as well as Microsoft founder Bill Gates and Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg.
Seren activities are designed to stretch and challenge the students beyond the A-level curriculum, giving them the chance to enhance their subject knowledge alongside a peer group of like-minded students.