(HE+): Visit to the University of Cambridge
On Tuesday 5th February 2019, a group of high achieving Year 12 students from The Nottingham Emmanuel Sixth were invited to visit Peterhouse College at the University of Cambridge to gain further insight into studying at a highly competitive university. The visit to Cambridge followed the Higher Education Plus Programme (HE+) Launch Event that took place in November 2018 at The Nottingham Council House. Together with a consortium of schools from across Nottinghamshire, the Nottingham Emmanuel Sixth Form works with the University of Cambridge to prepare students for university study.
After a warm welcome, the students received specialist guidance from the University of Cambridge admissions team to explain the Oxbridge application process and how to write a competitive university application. This was followed by a guided tour of Peterhouse College, an insightful Q&A session with current undergraduate students and two master classes delivered by lecturers from the University of Cambridge. The master classes were streamed by subject and designed to challenge the students’ thinking and broaden their academic awareness of topics beyond the A Level curriculum, for example ‘Proteins Behaving Badly’ and ‘Infinity and Beyond’. The content of these master classes incorporated research that students and lecturers at the University of Cambridge are currently investigating. To extend this further, the HE+ students were asked to carry out some research into a subject area they find particularly engaging and prepare a mini presentation to share their findings. At the end of the day, the students congregated in the theatre to present their research to other students in their subject stream before a final farewell from the college.
‘Visiting the University of Cambridge was an incredible opportunity to experience one of the world’s most prestigious universities. The day was both informative and inspiring; I enjoyed hearing the undergraduate students discuss their courses, university life and why they applied to study at the University of Cambridge. The master class exploring ‘The Social Lives of Skeletons’ was particularly thought-provoking and an area of study I haven’t learned about previously. The experience confirmed to me that pursuing higher education at university is what I want to do after completing my A Levels qualifications.’ Simran Sandhu
To conclude the HE+ project, the students will attend a one-day Graduation Conference at The Nottingham Council House in the Market Square, Nottingham in April.
