Get In Cambridge

Victoria Ayodeji graduated from the University of Cambridge in the summer of 2021 with a degree in Geography. During her time here she got involved in various outreach activities and served as her College’s BAME officer. She took part in the University’s first Instagram live as part of the Get In campaign. Here she shares her experiences of getting into Cambridge.

I grew up in East London and was schooled in East London too. I was the second person from my school to come to Cambridge; the first came to Cambridge to study Geography too.

Public speaking, confidence and self-belief

I have a background in public speaking, first starting when I was 12 and winning a school speaking competition which was on the theme of the London 2012 Olympics. At age 16, I was invited to speak in front of 2,000 people at the Theatre Royal in London at the 15th Birthday Celebrations of one of the UK’s biggest youth charities. This, alongside other opportunities I cultivated for myself during my time at school, helped to build my confidence and self-belief and by the time I sat my GCSEs I ended up with one of the best results in my year. I performed significantly better than I was predicted by a few of my teachers and for me this was a turning point and encouraged me to continue working hard in school.

Google, networking and mentors

When I was in school there were different charities that helped me through my university application: the Social Mobility Foundation, IntoUniversity, Target Oxbridge and the Sutton Trust. It was by pure chance I stumbled across the work of the Sutton Trust, Target Oxbridge and IntoUniversity through a google search one day after school in 2015 (which is funny when I look back on it as the work of these charities has truly changed my life). My school had only ever sent one person to Cambridge before so each day after school I’d gotten into the habit of researching on Google, looking for any free programmes that could help me with applying to Oxbridge.

Through Into University and Target Oxbridge I applied for a mentor and was paired with an Oxbridge Geography Graduate. I was also fortunate to meet a great mentor and Cambridge Geography Graduates through networking during a work experience programme I applied to with the charity Career Ready when I was in Year 12.

Due to my proactivity, I was lucky to have a lot of exposure to people who went to Cambridge, who all encouraged me to apply to Cambridge. These mentors helped me with my personal statement and later my interview, all for free.

It was through a google search that I came across the Sutton Trust summer school’s programme. I decided to send in an application for the one at the University of Cambridge and didn’t think I’d even get accepted onto the programme but…in 2016, I was selected to attend the Geography Summer School at Queens'​ College, Cambridge. Five years later…in 2021, I graduated with a degree in Geography from Queens'​ College, Cambridge.

A full circle moment

The Sutton Trust Summer School was really eye-opening for me, not only because it gave me the ability to experience taster lectures and seminars but also visit the different Cambridge Colleges and see which one, I’d like to apply too. The programme was also a great opportunity to meet other like-minded and ambitious students from across the UK.

In the summer of 2021, I worked as a Student Ambassador for the Cambridge Geography Summer School, which for me was a lovely full circle moment. I met an alumnus of the Summer School programme who took a gap year before studying at university. This inspired me to take a gap year which was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made as it allowed me to intern at five very different organisations and travel to California. This helped me with gaining a better understanding of my strengths, interests and passions before starting at university.

Alongside my degree, I was involved with a wide variety of access and outreach work with highlights being my role as a Cambassador and joining the Queens’ College JCR as the BAME Officer. During my three years at university, I was fortunate to have been the recipient of five awards which included being nationally recognised with the Outstanding Achievement Award at the House of Lords for the UK Student Social Mobility Awards and was selected as Powerful Media’s Top 100 Future Leaders.

Most recently, I became one of the global winners of the prestigious McKinsey & Company Achievement Award. Today, I’m the first Chair of the Career Ready Youth Advisory Board and one of the members of The Sutton Trust Alumni Advisory Board, working closely with the trust to advise on their social mobility work and to develop ways to support the 50,000-strong Sutton Trust alumni community.

I’ve closely mentored 40 young people with their application to university, almost half of which have successfully applied to Oxbridge. There’s a great quote from Marian Wright Edelman, the African-American Writer, who says: “You can’t be what you can’t see.” Seeing people from a similar background to you, whether that be geographically, culturally, or in any other way, makes you feel much more comfortable and able to achieve more.

Never let your background stop you

I believe there’s a lot of power in sharing your story as you never know who you are inspiring along the way. I’ve spoken to hundreds of students in schools across the UK and the response has always been overwhelming. Students send messages to me on social media saying how impactful it is to have a positive role model from a similar background to them.

I’ve been invited to speak on several podcasts to share my journey and I am a content creator on LinkedIn sharing my advice and insights to help other young people step out of their comfort zone! For example, at university I learnt how to DJ and if you told me at age 16 that I would learn how to DJ at university I probably wouldn’t have believed you.

When I visit schools and speak at access and outreach events for young people from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds I often say: definitely never let your background stop you. If you let your background stand in your way, you might not be able to achieve the things you really want and are passionate about and instead might settle for less – you deserve more and you can aspire to more.

Always tap into any good support networks available to you, whether that be teachers, friends or family members who believe in you and are advocates for your success.