Sidney seven take Cambridge to Merseyside schools

The student-led initiative is being organised by Melissa Conboy (pictured second from left front), a final year history student who went to King David High School in Liverpool. "When I was at school Cambridge was a dream – as I thought, an unrealisable one. But I knew that if I didn’t give it a try, I’d really regret it. Applying to Cambridge was much the same as applying to any other university so I had nothing to lose,” she said.

“When I got in I was both nervous and excited – I’d been to a small secondary school and no-one in my family had ever been to university before. I arrived in Cambridge with an open mind and was overwhelmed by how lively, fun, caring and academically brilliant it was. Not everyone owned half of Buckinghamshire. Everyone was different, and I found many people just like me. Looking back I'm so glad that I had the courage to apply."

During the week the Sidney Sussex access bus will be visiting around 15 schools in Liverpool, the Wirral and surrounding area – including Calderstone School, the biggest comprehensive in Liverpool and Birkenhead College, a large 16-19 and adult education college. The bus will also be calling at Goodison Park, home of Everton Football Club, where Magdalene College is running an event for schools in the North West this Wednesday.

Another of the undergraduates involved, Ben Sell (centre back), a fourth year languages student who comes from Kent, is particularly keen to talk to pupils about subject choice and the importance of choosing the right course.

He said: “I applied to Cambridge because I was attracted by the range of options in my subject. It's important to talk to students face-to-face and encourage them to think about subjects they may not have considered or one which wasn't on offer to them at school. I'm studying Ukrainian language and literature this year- something I barely knew existed four years ago."

Denver Sheridan (far left), like Melissa, is the first person in her family to go to university. She went to school in Manchester and initially saw applying to Cambridge as “overly ambitious”. She’s now nearing the end of her second year studying history.

"I applied to Cambridge largely because my teacher told me I was capable of getting in. I thought I had no chance – but it was worth a try. Even when I got in, I thought that Cambridge – or what I thought Cambridge was - wasn’t me. When I got here it was exactly as I imagined: beautiful, old, traditional and academically rigorous. But it was also friendly, full of fun people with lots of things to do, a real laugh much of the time – which shattered my preconceptions,” she said.

“We’re going to Merseyside to talk to school groups and persuade them that, if they are bright and passionate about their subjects, it is worth thinking seriously about applying.”