Shadowing Days

Target Schools run a shadowing scheme for over 200 Year 12 students each year. This is a great way for potential applicants to experience the Oxford teaching style and see what being an Oxford student is really like.

Shadowing Days are aimed at Year 12 students (16/17 years old) who are thinking about applying to Oxford from a state school with little or no history of sending successful applicants to Oxbridge, and those who come from backgrounds with limited progression to higher education. Each student will be matched to an undergraduate studying a subject similar to the one that the student is interested in, and will then ‘shadow’ that undergraduate for the morning, going to their lectures and tutorials. During the afternoon, students will receive lunch and a tour in an Oxford college, as well as an application workshop. This is all completely free. We can also offer a limited number of travel grants to those who would be otherwise unable to afford to make the journey.

 If you are a current Oxford Undergraduate and would like to be a Target Schools shadow volunteer it's really easy to sign up.

Firstly you need to complete our online Shadowing Days training. This will explain how a typical Shadowing Day operates and will equip you with all the safeguarding information you will need. Once you have been trained we will automatically add you to the volunteers mail list where you can sign up for a Shadowing Day.

Go to Training Module

If you are considering applying for Oxbridge but maybe no one you know has gone there before, or you'd be one of the first from your school to go, or you feel you aren't the 'type of person' who would go to Oxbridge then we want you to come to a Shadowing Day.

We will match you up with a current Oxford Student doing the the course you are interested in. They will meet you in Oxford and take you for a day in their life, you'll attend lectures, see the city, and maybe even go to an Oxford tutorial. For lunch you will eat in the hall of an Oxford College with the other Sixth Formers and we'll finish the day off with a workshop on dispelling the myths and misconceptions of what Oxbridge is really like.

The Shadowing Day is completely free with the lunch included. We also have a small pot of money to assist with travel cost to Oxford for those who need it.

We are really looking forward to meeting you!