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24
ST EDWARD’S CHRONICLE
Reflections on the EPQ
Beth Reed, OSE, recently wrote to the
Warden about her thoughts on the EPQ: ‘I’m
now in my third year of Medical School at the
University of Southampton and I’m currently
completing a clinical research project as part
of my course. I wanted to let you know that
the EPQ I completed while at St Edwards
has proved invaluable. I am so grateful that I
was encouraged to complete it as the skills
I learned are so useful now, particularly in
referencing, searching for relevant papers
from reliable sources and meeting up with
members of staff to talk through things
one to one. I hope you are still encouraging
A Level pupils to complete an EPQ because
although at the time I felt it was just another
hoop to jump through, it has been one of the
best qualifications I have attained. I have no
doubt that it was also an important factor in
my medical school application.’
Jeptha
Rowan-Hull
After the EPQ briefing session, I had a
vague idea of what I wanted to explore
in my own project. With a growing
interest in human rights, racial ethics,
and my lifelong love of the balladeering
aspects of the New American
Apartheid movement and neo-romantic
epistemological poetry, I decided to
consider the connections between racial
identity and literature. I spent a year
working on my essay, and I learnt two
key things: firstly, the enormity of the
areas I chose to study and how to cut
these down, and also how much joy
it can be to focus on things you truly
love and emotionally engage with. I
got more from this process than in my
preparation for A Level – I was allowed
to wander off on long lyrical journeys
in order to hone my argument and to
develop my own thinking. My research
led, after months of writing, to my final
title: ‘
To what extent was Bob Dylan during
the Civil Rights movement influenced
by Romantic Literature?’
. Writing
my essay enabled me to engage,
enrich and develop all my study
techniques which, in turn, has
allowed me to significantly expand
my vocabulary. In conclusion, the
gains of completing the EPQ are
numerous and I would like to thank
my supervisor, Mr Roche, and the
School for their support.
Jeptha was previously at Abingdon Prep.
From Dylan toTrump
The Extended Project Qualification
The EPQ, taken by all A Level pupils, is a 5,000-word essay or
an artefact on a subject of the pupil’s choosing. Many take the
opportunity to bring original thinking to a subject they plan to
study at university, others simply to explore a topic that interests
them. Below Matilda and Jeptha tell us why they made the choices
they did and one grateful OSE looks back.