My Woodhouse Philosophy

Ishmael Tikly
Ishmael Tikly
 
Ishmael Tikly came to Woodhouse from Highgate Wood School and lives in Finsbury Park. He is currently studying philosophy, history, and mathematics in his second year of A level.
 
“I chose philosophy because my original aim was to do a Philosophy, Politics and Economics (PPE) degree and my initial thought was that to study philosophy at A level would be a good stepping stone.
 
I could have studied philosophy at my previous school, but I wanted a new environment with people that actually wanted to study. At Woodhouse, everyone comes here because they want to be here, and I thought that it would be an enthusiastic learning environment. Also, my sister came here, really enjoyed it and is now at Oxford university.
 
I didn’t study GCSE philosophy although my GCSE religious studies touched on it, but didn’t go into any depth about the ideas. There’s a lot of content to learn now, but the teachers teach you very concisely.
 
One of the things I like about philosophy is how it applies to my other interests.I am a big film fan and I love how themes in films like Blade Runner of ‘what it is to be human’ have been tackled in my philosophy class - connecting the two is quite fun. Politics, culture, history - philosophy relates to all of it... it’s everywhere
 
There is a lot of group discussion –our tables are arranged four on a table facing each other, not in rows – and most lessons are devoted to us discussing the ideas we’ve been taught and us finding out for ourselves what’s good about them and what’s bad, their strengths and weaknesses. It’s a good atmosphere and I think it’s why people do so well at the subject here.
 
I’d say most people in the class think about what we have studied and what we are going to study outside of the class, and a lot of people bring in ideas of philosophers and philosophies that we don’t already study and try to relate it to the course content, which is an aspect I enjoy.
 
Our teachers provide us with plenty of extra resources, we’ve a Google classroom page devoted to lectures and podcasts that gives us extra information about the subject. And you can have a discussion with the teachers about things which aren’t actually covered in the course and they’ll give you advice on which things to look at about philosophers that you may want to look deeper into.
 
I think Woodhouse is a very healthy learning environment. Everyone is friendly and the resources are amazing. With all the computers, libraries and study areas, there’s no way I can’t do all the necessary research in study periods and the teachers are very helpful - even those who don’t actually teach you.
 
None of my friends came to Woodhouse with me, and I was concerned that it would be a problem, but I found people that I had things in common quite quickly, mainly in my philosophy class.
 
At degree, PPE was the plan, but I’ve now decided to opt for philosophy and theology instead. I think that incorporates what we’ve been studying in philosophy with ethics and also some aspects of theology that we haven’t studied, but have been sort of hinted at on our course and which I want to delve more deeply into.
 
I’m applying to Oxford University, SOAS University of London and LSE, because… why not? I’d always hoped to apply to Oxford. My philosophy teacher had been very supportive with my application, she’s given me a lot of resources and help with my personal statement and my EPQ.
 
The teachers and resources here are spectacular. My EPQ is about comparing Confucius and Kantian ethics and the western and Chinese approaches to philosophy, trying to show that not only are they similar but the complement each other in some ways. My teachers have given me a lot of support with it.
 
For extracurricular, I practised archery for eight weeks in the gym, it was really good fun and I was happy to have the opportunity to do that. I also went on the Berlin trip with the history department which was good and it tied in well with all the cold war stuff we are studying. We did a walking tour of the city, which was agonising but at the same time enjoyable.
 
I’ve definitely changed since coming to Woodhouse, I guess due partly to the philosophy course. I think about the world in a different way and try to incorporate what we’ve learnt in philosophy in a more universal sense. I’ve gotten taller too.”