James Farr is celebrating his accomplishments! The 18-year-old, who attended The Joseph Whitaker School’s Sixth Form in Nottingham, became the first student from his school to be offered a full scholarship to Harvard University.

He was also offered a place at Princeton, Oxford, Cambridge, University College London and the University of York. The pupil told Nottingham Post, “My gut is saying, Harvard. I quite fancy the adventure of going to America.”

James’s mother Suzanna, who was born in Hyson Green, said, “When he got the acceptance email, we looked at each other and said, ‘You have got to be kidding me.’

The 52-year-old continued, “He’s a normal working-class lad. It’s mind-blowing.”

Andrew Jacques, Head of Sixth Form for The Joseph Whitaker School, was pleased for their star pupil: “We’re proud that it’s not uncommon for pupils here at Joseph Whitaker to receive offers from Oxford and Cambridge. However, it is unprecedented for a student to be holding offers from this many prestigious universities, including Harvard and Princeton in the US.

James hopes his accomplishments will inspire others to apply for top universities regardless of their background.

He said, “The main thing is being authentic with your application.”