“When you look around Cambridge you see signs of history and prestige, and think about the famous people who have worked here, and you go wow! Then you look again and see that the students all around you are just like you, not posh or all from public school.”
“When you look around Cambridge you see signs of history and prestige, and think about the famous people who have worked here, and you go wow! Then you look again and see that the students all around you are just like you, not posh or all from public school.”
These are the thoughts of Joe Gosling, 16, a pupil at Magdalen College School in Brackley, Northamptonshire, as he tucks into a plate of biscuits in the dining hall at St Catharine's College. He is one of 70 sixth-formers who spent four days at St Catharine's last week, doing a range of activities designed to demystify Cambridge and raise aspirations.
There is nothing that could replicate the experience of actually being at Cambridge and staying in a Cambridge College to break the myths about the university being elitist, according to these pupils. From a range of different schools in Leicester, Northamptonshire, Bedfordshire and London, they have bonded quickly.
Cem Turham, 17, has visited Cambridge once before — though most of these pupils haven't. Cem, who goes to Wyggeston and Queen Elizabeth College in Leicester, comes from a Turkish family and came to Cambridge in June to take part in a GEEMA Open Day, organised for ethnic minority students.
“It's great that Cambridge has all these initiatives and is running events for students at state schools. It makes you realise that the University isn't just for rich people or people who go to selective schools — it's for everyone. I feel that I'd fit in here — it's a good mix of formal and informal,” he said.
Joe is planning to apply to Cambridge to study engineering and Cem to study social and political sciences. Both said they felt much more at ease with the environment after spending a few days at the University.
The St Catharine's summer school was organised by Hanna Weibye, Schools Liaison Officer for St Catharine's and Pembroke Colleges. Hanna said that she was thrilled by how quickly the participants bonded and how positively they responded to the challenges in the programme.
“We hope the participants got the strong message that Cambridge is for everyone with the required academic ability, regardless of background or circumstances. We also hope that the programme was intellectually stimulating - and of course fun!” she said.
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