Alumni Visit 2026

Mr Groves, Head of Senior, and Mr Markes, Higher Education Adviser and Alumni Coordinator, recently spent a week visiting alumni and universities in the UK. Visits like this strengthen our connections, deepen our understanding of leading universities and ensure we continue to guide our students with clarity and confidence.

Their trip started off at the University of Cambridge, with a visit to Emmanuel College, to discuss the admissions process, interviews and what Cambridge is truly looking for in applicants, as well as how students can best prepare for applying to Cambridge.

They also visited former Deputy Head Girl, Phoenix (Class of 2025) at Downing College, Cambridge, where she is reading Natural Sciences. Phoenix shared how she has settled into life at Cambridge — and, to the surprise of no one who knows her, she is playing 1st team basketball. It was encouraging to hear how well she has settled into life at Cambdige and how RST prepared her for her application and transition to university life.

On their return to London, they made it their aim to spend time with our alumni and hear first-hand about their transition to university life.

Mr Groves met with Mei Mei (Class of 2025) at Imperial College London, where she is studying Biomedical Technology. He also met with Teru (Class of 2025, studyng Mathematics) and Phupa (Class of 2023, studying Bio Chemistry) at University College London for a tour of the facilities. They were also able to catch up with Pleng and Perth (Class of 2025), who are studying International Relations and Law respectively at LSE.

It was invaluable to hear how they have settled into life at university and to reflect on how Rugby School Thailand prepared them through our Higher Education programme, A Level teaching and boarding experience. Our alumni spoke thoughtfully about the similarities and differences between school and university life. They emphasised the importance of being organised, academically resilient, willing to work hard, and able to build meaningful connections with students from a diverse range of backgrounds— qualities they felt had been developed during their time at RST.

As part of the visit to the UK, Mr Groves and Mr Marks were invited to meet with the Head of International Admissions at the University of Oxford. During the visit, Mr Groves discussed how students can best prepare for an application to Oxford, the all-important interview process and the attributes Oxford is looking for within its selection criteria. Conversations also explored Oxford’s distinctive college system and what this means for students academically and pastorally.

They were pleased to tour Exeter College and see first-hand the facilities and environment in which students live and study. These productive discussions directly with Oxford university will further inform the guidance and preparation we already provide to our students. They also reinforce the importance of Rugby School Thailand’s supracurricular programme and our critical thinking initiative, Ask Better Questions, in developing the intellectual curiosity, resilience and academic agility required for success at leading universities.

To finish an exciting week, they were delighted to host an RST alumni gathering in London with around 30 former students joining, ranging from the Class of 2020 to 14 of our newest graduates from the Class of 2025. It was a wonderful evening of reconnecting, sharing memories from their time at RST and hearing about how their first year at university is going.

There was plenty of laughter and catching up across year groups — exactly what you hope to see. When asked what they missed most about RST, the answers were consistent: their friends, their teachers… and of course, the food!

It was a real pleasure to see so many of them thriving at University and we hope that the next visit is just as successful.