Over the next three months pupils from more than 200 different state schools around the country will take part in Challenge Days and Master Classes at the University of Cambridge.

The events are held to give pupils in Year-10 and Year-12 an opportunity to learn about the applications process, visit the University, and get a taste of what it might be like to study at Cambridge.

Among the pupils taking part in the first of the Master Classes for the current academic year were a group of nine Year-12 pupils from Bridgnorth Endowed School in Shropshire.

They spent the day in Cambridge, and tucking into lunch at a long table in the dining room at Pembroke College, they agreed that the early start and the three-hour bus journey was worth it. Most of them had never been to Cambridge before and some would be the first in their families to go to university.

Costas Tsieppourdhi, 16, said he was “impressed” by Cambridge, even in the pouring rain. “I want to do some something science-based at Cambridge and really like the sound of the Natural Sciences course because it’s so broad, and allows you to specialise as you develop,” he said.

Euan Dunmore, 16, (pictured centre) hopes to study history. “I’m interested in the relationship between history and international relations – the historical factors that lie behind current world events. I’m attracted to Cambridge because of the type of teaching students get,” he said.

Other students were undecided about subject choice and were keeping their options open. “I have no idea at the moment what I want to study at university – I was just keen to see what Cambridge was like and I think it looks really nice,” said Beth Lautman, 17 (left).

After lunch the students were taken on tours of some of the Cambridge Colleges by current undergraduates who are part of the Cambassadors scheme. This allowed them to ask informal questions about the reality of Cambridge life – such as accommodation, workload and socialising.

The Challenge Days are an important strand in a wide range of initiatives run by Cambridge Admissions Office in conjunction with the Colleges and other University partners to encourage more applications from state schools – and especially state schools without a strong history of Cambridge applications.

Mark Copestake, Schools Liaison Officer at CAO, said: “We’re looking forward to welcoming around 2,000 academically-able students to this year’s Challenge Days and Master Classes. It’s really heartening to see how students’ perceptions of Cambridge change in a visit of just a few hours.”
 

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