University Bound: Highlighting Eythan L.

Each year, our graduating students are accepted to universities all around the world. The College Counseling Office works closely with each student to find universities that best fit his or her goals and interests to ensure that s/he continues to excel. With the University Bound series, we highlight some of their stories. This week's interview showcases Eythan L., a senior in the Bac program, who will be attending Oxford next year.

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Congratulations on your acceptance to Oxford! Can you share with us what made it your top choice? 

Although Oxford is most well known for its PPE program (philosophy, politics, and economics), it remains a prestigious university even for its engineering and science degrees, hence my application there. I think I favored Oxford over other universities partly due to its location: a new country for me and being close to a global city; but I mostly chose it for the doors its network will open for me. One thing I do still worry about however is the UK’s education system being entirely focused on just the major I am taking, meaning that it will be quite tough for me to continue learning all of my languages or to keep up with any humanities.

Do you already know what you plan to study? What types of clubs and activities are you excited to participate in on campus? 

My major at Oxford will be Materials science and Engineering, a fusion focussing on the application of disciplines I love. While I look forward to my classes and especially to the tutorial system (one on one discussions with an expert in the field), I also plan on joining clubs and societies like the badminton club: it has been many years since I last played somewhat seriously and I would like to get back to it. However, I will only have 3 terms of 8 weeks throughout the school year that I will spend on campus. So it seems that most of my time will be spent elsewhere and for that, I will most likely have to find other pastimes (although I am sure I will be overwhelmed by work throughout the entire year).

How do you think your time at LFC has prepared you for success in college?

What I cherish most about my education from the LFC is not the course materials or facts that we learn in classes (which I tend to forget right after my tests…), it is the soft skills that we attain along the way – especially all those around communication and oral ability. In the Bac program, we have a lot of oral exams and presentations that are due and graded. And what I like most about these exercises is that their grading scale is not just based on content, but also on delivery. At the LFC, I also gained the ability to think and make connections quickly, mostly thanks to the OIB curriculum. For example, the English Literature class builds and enriches the ability to make comparisons between different works studied throughout junior and senior years. All in all, Lycee has given me abilities that cannot simply be gained through articles and textbooks, but rather through experience (...and tons of homework).

Do you have any advice for future LFC students going through the college application process?

Summer camps! That is definitely my top advice. I participated in Imperial College London’s Global Summer School during my summers from 11th to 12th grade to discover whether engineering was for me or not and, if so, to find out which branch of engineering I liked most. Funnily enough, although my participation in the summer camp originated from the need to know what major I would later apply to, it ended up as the highlight of my summer. Not only did I confirm my passion for engineering and made progress on my UCAS statement (UK personal statement) thanks to the masterclasses there, but I also discovered campus and university life and made lots of friends whom I still talk to today. 

And on the topic of personal statements, get started on your essays early! I started writing my UCAS in late July and continued making last edits until just a week before the deadline of October 15th (for Oxbridge or Pre-Med applicants). That essay was among my best, as I had worked on it for so long, so I definitely recommend getting started as early as possible. What I like to do before writing anything is to keep a notes tab open and whenever an idea comes to mind, I jot it down for later. It may or may not be useful but you never know, so mark down everything!