Spotlight On: Our Alumni

We recently interviewed Peter McCartney an alumni currently in his second year at the University of Cambridge studying Engineering.

What are the highlights of your time at Bow School?

I was proud to be Head Boy and achieved 11 GCSEs and 4 A Levels: I scored A*s in Maths, Further Maths, Physics and Chemistry A-Levels.

In what way did your time at Bow School influence your education and career progression?

My time at Bow really allowed me to explore my various interests. One such example would be when my friends and I showed an interest in ancient history, and our history teacher gave us the opportunity to do a short-course GCSE in our free time, which we found incredibly beneficial to enlivening our love of learning. The teachers at Bow were always labouring for us all to have a deeper appreciation and love for our subjects, and this really shaped the mindset with which I approached applying to university. The teachers were just so ready and willing to help me with extra work, university applications and deepening my desire to learn, which is genuinely invaluable.

What advice on careers would you give to current Bow School students?

Make the most of your teachers whilst you have them. It’s less about what extra qualifications you can get (outside of GCSEs and A Levels of course), but all about using all the spare time you have now to explore your academic interests and really build in yourself a desire to learn more. Also read lots of books!