Whitgift’s current Vice Captain and Upper Sixth student; Arjun Gobiraj received a 90% scholarship from Ivy League University, Harvard and an offer to study Medicine at Oxford University.
Arjun commented, “As someone with a fascination for human biology and a desire to work in an industry with interpersonal relationships at its core, the obvious decision was to study Medicine and, hopefully, graduate to become a doctor.” A decision that was further fuelled by the NHS’s hard work during the Coronavirus pandemic.
Unable to visit Universities in person due to government restrictions, Arjun resorted to research higher education institutions online and came across a YouTube video titled ‘Day in the Life of a Harvard Student,’ which initiated his interest in Harvard.He explained, “Harvard, like many other US colleges, is a liberal arts college. These are colleges that develop students’ broader knowledge and intellectual capacities. Harvard is also a research university. This combination would give me the freedom to shape my own course of study. It seemed perfectly tailored to what I wanted to get from my higher education.”
Arjun focused mainly on his UK applications and received support from Whitgift’s 2020 Vice Captain, Zain Peerbhoy, currently studying a BSc in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Ivy League University, Brown.
Arjun received his scholarship offer from Harvard and an offer to study Medicine at Oxford in early January. An email from the Associate Dean of Admissions at Harvard outlining Arjun’s application success was the deciding factor. “Her willingness to make this effort was indicative of the much more holistic and personal approach Harvard takes. It was still difficult to pass on Oxford, a goal I had worked towards for so long, but with great pride and no regret, I committed to Harvard soon after receiving the email. I’m very excited to be moving over to Boston this August.”