I have recently returned from two weeks touring schools in Scotland on behalf of Selwyn College. It was an epic trip during which I travelled over 1400 miles and met with 600 pupils and 26 teachers from 18 different schools. As part of Cambridge University’s Link Area scheme, each college is assigned local education authorities within which they work to develop relationships with local schools. For Selwyn, one of these link areas is Scotland. The college has established fantastic links with schools all across the country, which I was keen to build on during my tour. The goal of the trip was to engage with students who might not otherwise have any contact with Cambridge University, and to raise their aspirations towards aiming as high as they possibly can.

I met with a diverse range of groups. In years S3-S4 (aged 14-16) we talked about the idea of university, the benefits of being a graduate of a top institution like Cambridge, and how to make informed subject choices in the coming years. With the older S5 groups (aged 16-17) I focused more on how Oxford and Cambridge work differently to other universities, the application and interview process, and how to submit a competitive application.

On the first morning in Glasgow at Shawlands Academy, I think I was the least exciting visitor since Channel 4 were also in school to interview the students about their thoughts on Scottish independence. With this debate dominating the news during my visit, I can gladly say that I was warmly welcomed north of the border and my message was very positively received in all of the schools I visited! Another highlight of my time in Glasgow was a visit to Springburn Academy. This school has an average progression rate to Higher Education of less than 25%. The school is evidently exploring ways in which they can raise this figure, in particular through starting to encourage the more able students at an early age. I spoke to the top achieving pupils in S4, who were all bright, engaged, and listened well.
Further afield was Earlston High School, just off the A68 in the Scottish Borders and well on the way to Northumbria. 51% of their school leavers typically progress to Higher Education, and many cross the border due to their closer proximity to universities in the north of England. At Earlston I met with 18 S4 and S5 pupils who were seen to have the potential to achieve 5 A’s in their upcoming Higher exams. This is a typical level of achievement for candidates who apply to Cambridge with Scottish qualifications (see http://www.cam.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/requirements/#scottish). Their teacher encouraged them to ask questions after the presentation and from this developed a number of important discussion points. We talked through the teaching system at Cambridge, notably how supervisions are beneficial and are different to what you might experience at other institutions. Another student asked if your college choice affects how and what you are taught within your course, which allowed me to explain the college system further and the moderation element of the Winter Pool within the Cambridge admissions process. Christina Fleming, the teacher with whom I arranged the visit, remarked that ‘the explanation of the college system was very useful as this is the area that causes the most confusion for our students’.

At Queen Anne High School in Dunfermline I think the students were both surprised and pleased when I explained to them that mock interviews had been filmed and were available for them to watch on the admissions section of the Cambridge University website (www.cam.ac.uk), and on the CUSU Alternative Prospectus Website (www.applytocambridge.com). The Depute Rector at Queen Anne explained to me that this was the first time they had chosen to introduce university guidance this early for some of the pupils, but that they would definitely do so again in future years.

I was pleased to receive an invitation to Crieff High School, which is situated in a fairly rural area of Perth and Kinross. Going out to rural locations where the students would otherwise be unlikely to meet with a representative from Cambridge University definitely made my trip feel all the more worthwhile. I spoke with a group of S3 and S4 pupils, who asked loads of great questions, mostly about what university is like and the sorts of things to consider when choosing a university. Some of the fourth years also had specific questions about Cambridge itself. The teacher present, Calum MacFarlane, said ‘I was glad that the pupils were made to feel at ease and questions were encouraged’. When we spoke further, I found that the school has a lot of Medicine and Vet applications, but none to Oxbridge in the past and this was something he was keen to develop. We discussed ways in which students can gain vocational experience in these fields in order to strengthen their applications. Whilst Cambridge assesses most subjects entirely on academic merit, Medicine and Vet are two subjects where Admissions Tutors like to see some form of work experience in order to demonstrate that the candidate has thought about the ‘care’ side of these professions.
One of the last stops on my tour was to Banchory Academy, a quite academic school about 30 minutes north west out of Aberdeen. I spoke to a mixture of S4 and S5 pupils, the group were quiet throughout the presentation but came up with a brilliant array of questions. They asked about everything from choosing a college, to how teaching is organised in Cambridge between the colleges and faculties. Students stayed behind at the end to ask me specific questions about how many people are taken on the Medicine course each year, and whether it is possible to specialise in Scottish Law with a Law degree from Cambridge. I talked through the student finance system and how loans are taken out and paid back through the Student Awards Agency Scotland, as well as the extra support available to lower income families in the form of the Cambridge Bursary. I was delighted to find that those students with realistic grades and the potential to apply did not seem deterred by the rise in tuition fees, the distance from home and the financial considerations that come with this. They really seemed to understand that university would be an investment in their future, and a manageable and worthwhile one at that.

Reflecting on the trip since I got back to Cambridge, I am pleased to have the opportunity to work with Scottish schools, having met so many engaged students who were grateful for the chance to talk to someone in person about their choices in the future. I look forward to my next event in Scotland, which will be a series of more formally structured half day ‘Cambridge Information Seminars’ for students and teachers, held in Glasgow and Edinburgh in March. These seminars are being run jointly by Pembroke and Selwyn Colleges. With the Colleges’ Admissions Tutors present, students and teachers will be given the opportunity to ask more in depth questions about how applications are assessed, and how best to prepare candidates for applying.

Laura Carter, Schools Liaison Officer.

If you interested in finding out more about the University’s work with Schools, please contact Laura.  Email: lc449@cam.ac.uk.   Telephone:  01223 767 839

Writing at the end of Grad Week, thinking back to revising and actually doing our finals seems so long ago, although only three weeks previously we still had last exams still to endure. Easter term (or more ominously Exam term) in Selwyn leading up to exams is never anyone’s favourite time, but amongst the late nights and persistent hand cramp from note making there are moments that can be remembered fondly, that made that intense part of the term bearable. The hard work of both Sarah Stamford the librarian and the Selwyn JCR in providing weary workers with copious cake and tea must be mentioned and the bonding in the hall queue when most of Selwyn arrive for their dinner at 5.45pm cannot be forgotten now most of the undergraduates have left and the hall queue is filled instead with conference guests.

Hours in the library soon however (although it didn’t seem it at the time!) turned into the last exam and being covered in cava (or champagne if you were lucky!) by friends on your exit from the exam hall into an exam free Cambridge. This is when the fun really starts, culminating in May Week, the obscurely named week in June when all the college May Balls and garden parties are, and students can finally let their hair down and enjoy Cambridge without work. Below, the street leading to Trinity College can be seen at 5.30am with dazed yet happy revellers in ball gowns and dinner jackets heading back to bed after a night of hog roasts, champagne and fantastic live entertainment to name but a few of the delights of a May Ball. Nights (and mornings!) like these will never be forgotten by those fortunate enough to attend, whether as a guest or as a worker.

Now for all of those who have completed their final year at Selwyn we have Grad week to look forward to. This is the week leading up to our graduation ceremony on the Saturday in which we make plans to punt to Grantchester, go out every night, visit all the colleges and do many more ‘Cambridge’ things before we leave, and end up doing maybe only one or two of them as seen here-

With Graduands Dinner in Selwyn Hall tonight, and many people’s family and friends arriving tomorrow in anticipation for the graduation ceremony bright and early the following day, our time is running out. But whether you have spent Grad week recovering from the fatigue of May Week, out doing all the things you planned or just spending some last precious time with friends you will see less frequently once we are all BA (Hons) Cantab, the last few weeks of our Selwyn life will without a doubt have created lasting memories for us all. Thank you Selwyn.

Andy Norman and Emma Garner (2011 Year Reps)