Mature students boosted by new Cambridge course

The course, which will be held over two weekends in late summer, will also help other 'widening participation' students, those from schools or backgrounds that have not traditionally sent students to Cambridge. It is the first time a course of this nature, to be called the PREP course, has been made available.

Geoff Parks, Director of Admissions for the Cambridge Colleges, said: “The course is aimed primarily at mature students, many of whom have been out of formal education for a number of years. It will help ensure that they can hit the ground running and cope with the demands of the supervision system at Cambridge from day one.”

The University of Cambridge invests over £3 million a year in widening participation work designed to encourage students from non-traditional backgrounds to apply to Cambridge. “The PREP course will ensure that these students have a successful start on the demanding Cambridge course for which they so clearly have the aptitude and potential,” said Dr Parks.

There are 40 places available on the course, which is already proving very popular. To date Cambridge admissions tutors have nominated nearly 60 students. Mature students, those over 21, have been given priority.

Cambridge is unique in having four colleges that admit mature students only. Lucy Cavendish College, St Edmund's College, Wolfson College and Hughes Hall each have around 100 mature undergraduates, on top of this other colleges also take mature students.

Jane McLarty, admissions tutor at Lucy Cavendish, which is specifically for mature women students, was one of the original proposers of the course. “Cambridge is determined to attract the brightest and best students from whatever background, and equally determined to support those students once here.” she said. “There is a ‘change in gear' from A-levels or access courses to the particular challenges of intensive Cambridge courses, with new skills required of students to cope with the supervision system. The PREP course will support students through these adjustments.”

The course is being funded by a £23,000 grant from the Sutton Trust for at least two years.

It will run in two parts. The first will be an intensive weekend at the University's Institute for Continuing Education. Students will be given assignments to complete, for which they can access support via ICE's Virtual Learning Environment, before returning to Cambridge shortly before the start of term to receive orientation sessions and face-to-face feedback.

The course is free to students.

Case studies

Colin Hughes is a 36-year-old mature student who has been offered a place to read Classics at Wolfson College, Cambridge this autumn. Currently a liaison officer for Milton Keynes Council – where he works with young offenders -- he studied for an AS level in Classics at Adult Continuing Education (ACE), part of Milton Keynes Council's Learning and Development Directorate.

However, ACE was not able to provide a tutor for the full A level, so Mr Hughes decided to teach himself the course and sat the A level this summer. “Getting through the A level without support has been a challenge,” he said. He has consequently enrolled on the PREP course to boost his study skills. “I have been outside formal education for a number of years and certainly need a refresher in academic techniques and essay writing. It is reassuring to know that I can attend the course before taking up my place.”

Nicola Anderson, 22, is a single parent with a young daughter. She will start a degree in law at St Edmund's College, Cambridge this autumn. She dropped out of school after GCSEs and went through a self-confessed “silly teenage phase” before returning to her local college in Yorkshire to gain excellent A levels.

“I am delighted to be going on this course. Given that I have a young daughter I need to be extremely efficient in the way I work, to be sure that I am doing the right things and to be familiar with the latest study techniques,” she said.