Learning more about life at Cambridge

The annual Cambridge and Oxford Student Conferences will take place in Glasgow, Edinburgh, Newcastle, Manchester, Leicester, Cheltenham and London between March 15 and 29. Many schools will bring their pupils considerable distances to take part.

A well-established part of the calendar, the conferences will give accurate, up-to-date information to potential applicants and offer them the opportunity to meet current students at both universities and ask questions.

Sessions for students will give an overview of courses available at Cambridge, how to make an application, student life and finance, and the interview process. Admissions tutors will be available to talk to both pupils and teachers.

School and College Liaison Officer at Cambridge Admissions Office, Xina Moss said: “The Student Conferences are extremely popular with schools because they provide an excellent opportunity for pupils and teachers to find out more about life at Cambridge and ask anything they like in an informal setting.”

For many pupils, the chance to meet university students will be the most useful part of the day. A growing number of Cambridge students are actively involved as volunteers in initiatives to increase the number of state school applicants to the university. They are keen to return to their home areas to talk to encourage potential applicants.

Among them is Ella Umansky, a former pupil of Highgate Wood School in north London. She is in her third year studying History at Clare College and will be helping at the Student Conference in London on March 29.

Ella has been involved in access initiatives since starting her degree. Last year she took part in a tour of the north-west with the Clare Access Bus which visits schools to give presentations to year-9 pupils.

“At Clare, I'm part of a group of students who run tours of the University for secondary school students, especially those from Tower Hamlets, to give them a clearer idea of what Cambridge is like and help them realise that top universities are accessible to all,” she says.

“I love Cambridge and I'm keen to encourage people from all backgrounds to consider it as a valid option for higher education. I really loved my time at school and I want to make pupils from similar schools aware of the options – including those whose schools haven't sent many students to Cambridge in the past.”

Duncan Ball, who is in his second year at Christ's College reading Biological Sciences, will be helping at the Student Conference in Cheltenham (March 26). He went to the Cotswold School, a comprehensive in Bourton-in-the-Water, Gloucestershire.

He says: “I think access initiatives are incredibly important, and have been involved in several schemes as Christ's JCR Access Officer. I think it is vital to promote Cambridge as an open and accessible university which takes students on the basis of their abilities and not their background.”