Onwards and upwards: mature students get ambitious

She is motivated by a long-held ambition to study archaeology and anthropology to “explore how people live, how they find their food, how they organise their families, and all that fascinating human stuff that binds us together”. She is interested in one university only: Cambridge.

“I know I should probably be thinking of an alternative as a fall-back but all my efforts are focused on getting a place at Lucy Cavendish, as I feel it would offer the environment best suited to me and my way of living and working. I feel certain that I would find like-minded people and that’s vital,” she said.

Londoner Milton McGowan (pictured left) left school early and trained as a carpenter. He has become increasingly aware of a need to challenge himself academically and that his intellectual capabilities needed channelling. Four years ago, he met Joe Baden who runs the Open Book programme at Goldsmiths College, a scheme that offers a pathway back into learning to adults who missed out on further and higher education.

Like Dayle, Milton has worked extensively as a volunteer. It is now his aim to go to university to study psychology or sociology. “When I imagine what it would be like to be at university, I feel a tremendous drive to find out how much I can achieve. Getting a degree would put me in a much position to give something back to the African Caribbean community, which urgently needs positive role models,” he said.

Dayle and Milton were among 26 prospective mature students on the sixth Going Further Summer School for mature students, held last week at Lucy Cavendish College. The Summer School, which focused on arts and humanities, gave them a taste of undergraduate life through lectures, seminars, debates and social activities, chosen to give them a rounded experience.

Speakers on the Summer School included theologian Jane McLarty, talking on “Sex and the Early Church”, historian Dr Rosemary Horrox, discussing the Black Death, linguist Dr Bert Vaux, giving an introduction to linguistics, and PhD student, Neil Archer, making connections between “Free Running, French Film and Philosophy”.

Yulia Nemov, who comes from Russia and is in her early 20s, said that the Summer School had been extremely helpful in giving her an insight into what undergraduate study at Cambridge would entail in terms of workload and collegiate life. She is taking A levels at West Anglia College in King’s Lynn and plans to apply to Lucy Cavendish to study law. In addition to studying, she has been working as a volunteer with the Citizens Advice Bureau in Thetford to gain work experience.

“Cambridge has a very special environment due to its unique history. It’s been wonderful to be here for a few days. It makes the idea of studying at Cambridge seem a real possibility,” she said.

For Tony Buckridge, who currently runs a wine wholesale business, taking part in Going Further was another step along the road of applying to Cambridge. “After attending a Mature Students’ Open Day at Wolfson College in February, I signed up with an online tutorial college and am taking A levels in English Literature and French, with a view to applying later this year,” he said.

“I left school after taking O Levels because I was expected to work and support myself but I’ve always, throughout my life, wanted to go to university to expand my mind as far as it will go and move into another culture. Now, at this much later stage of my life, I feel capable to make a big change in my lifestyle; I feel it’s now or never and I’m determined to go for it.”

Honor Ridout, FE Access Officer at Cambridge Admissions Office, said: “This weekend is targeted specifically at those over 21 and has no- upward age limit. It’s open to those at the first stages of considering university, and so each year the Going Further Summer School attracts a fascinating diversity of participants. Those who took part last weekend were no exception and they all enjoyed the stimulation the very varied lectures provided.”

For one participant at least the Summer School served to cement existing ambitions. “I’m now a hundred per cent focused on preparing myself mentally and physically for applying to Lucy Cavendish in 2009. Over the next academic year I will be taking two A levels at South Downs College plus an OU course in study skills. I’m determined to give this my very best shot,” said Dayle.