SIR — I am writing this from my flat in Syktyvkar, Russia, after a day's teaching.

Since arriving here I have made new friends, learnt about provincial Russian life, and got TEFL teaching experience, all whilst improving my Russian skills.

I am here as part of my degree at the University of Cambridge and couldn't be happier with the arrangement. Soon I will be taking my finals and then heading out into the world of work which, though increasingly uncertain, looks a whole lot more hopeful with a degree under my belt.

Three friends of mine recently graduated from my university and Oxford and are living lives enriched by the experience. Another opted for an Open University course and has recently received a job in the sphere she has long been working towards.

What do we all have in common? We studied at West Somerset Community College.

"What if" is always a question asked in vain, but when it comes to education you can be fairly sure that it plays a big part in shaping your life.

To say that the college is not an academically focused institution is a disrespectful distortion of the truth. Of course, it doesn't churn out Latin-spouting Oxbridge stereotypes, but were it such a dire school I sincerely doubt my friends and I would have got to where we are today.

The college incorporates into its varied curriculum effective ways for the top students to stretch themselves, such as fast track maths - my year was the first to complete maths A level a year early, thereby freeing up my timetable to allow me to complete five full A levels.

Not only this, but there are also attempts to raise the sights of those who are uncertain about their direction or ability - for instance, a trip to Cambridge in lower sixth, organised by the school, was directly linked to my desire to apply there.

However, there is more to a school than statistics on Oxbridge entrants.

West Somerset Community College has an extraordinarily broad catchment area and therefore has to cater for a diverse range of interests and abilities, which it manages to an impressive standard.

As with any institution, there is room for improvement - but what is the whole new vocational centre if not an improvement?

My old school did well by me and I have no doubt it is continuing to do so for those students who wish to wield a pen instead of scissors.

Alice Martin,

West Somerset Community College student 2008.