Mature students learn about the opportunities on offer at Cambridge

More than 40 people attended the event and were able to put their questions to admissions tutors and students from the four mature Cambridge Colleges: Hughes Hall, Lucy Cavendish College, St Edmund's College and Wolfson College.

A series of short presentations giving an overview of the admissions process, and offering advice about preparing for interviews, culminated in brief talks given by four mature students, one from each of the Colleges.

Each speaker had different tips for those thinking of returning to education, with their advice based on their own educational and career backgrounds and personal circumstances. All emphasised that although studying at Cambridge was a real challenge, there was plenty of support available, whether academic, pastoral or financial.

Helena Rubinstein (pictured far right), who is in her first year studying Social and Political Sciences (SPS) at Lucy Cavendish, has returned to full-time education to take a second degree, after a successful career in marketing which involved travelling all over the world.

She had prepared for her application to Cambridge by taking a sociology course at the Open University. “The course was good preparation for SPS and helped me get back into the swing of writing essays,” she said.

“It is tempting for someone who has had a demanding job to assume that being a student is bound to be easier. I'd say that it most definitely isn't - and my advice to mature students would be to ‘treat it like a job' in terms of both hours and level of effort.”

Many of the questions put by participants focused on practicalities such as juggling studying with family life, organising child care, and regulations about residency during term time.

First year undergraduate, Hassan Hamad (pictured far left), who is studying Computer Science at St Edmund's, described moving to Cambridge with his young family. He left school after GCSEs, returning to education in his mid 20s to study for A levels at Swindon College, while working nights as a porter to make ends meet.

He said: “Terms at Cambridge are short but you work hard. I've told my wife that for eight weeks each term I am married to Cambridge! Once I graduate, it will be her turn to return to college. Initially we saw our move here as a question of short term pain for long term gain, but in fact we are all loving life in Cambridge.”

Hassan praised the University Accommodation Service and Childcare Office for doing a great job in supplying information, not just about accommodation but also about schools and nurseries.

Another participant, Natalie, who comes from north London, is interested in languages. She left school eight years ago at the age 16, and is determined to take up the opportunity open to her of having a second chance. “I had a horribly tough experience at school and now I want to take a degree as a route to making progress in my career,” she said.

Several attendees remarked that they were encouraged to learn about the diversity of routes taken by the undergraduate speakers, who helped break stereotypical images of Cambridge students.

Katrina Ffrench (pictured centre) worked in the retail industry before returning to college to study for vocational qualifications, and then A levels. Now a student of SPS at Hughes Hall, she is proud to be the first in her family to go to university.

At college Katrina was identified as having a specific learning difficulty affecting her visual memory and auditory skills. She said: “I tend to use obstacles as a motivation, and my diagnosis made me determined to apply to Cambridge where I get specialist support from the Disability Resource Centre.”

The event, which included afternoon tours of the mature Colleges, was coordinated by Honor Ridout, FE Access Officer at Cambridge Admissions Office. She said: “Mature students add a valuable dimension to the life and studies of the University, and one the University wants to encourage. Mature students come with varied experiences and the determination to make the most of their opportunities.”

Other chances to visit the mature Colleges will occur through the spring and summer, and will culminate in the ‘Going Further' Summer School in July. For details, see the events section of the University's Admissions website (see sidebar).