Ellen and Katie outside Craigmount High School Edinburgh

Ellen Slack is the Schools Liaison Officer for Selwyn College. As part of Cambridge University’s Area Links scheme, each college is responsible for developing good relationships with local schools in particular areas. One of Selwyn’s link areas is Scotland. This is Ellen’s diary of a recent schools tour.

It was wonderful to meet so many bright and thoughtful students during my trip and have the opportunity to speak to them about their futures

Ellen Slack, Schools Liaison Officer, Selwyn College

“In 16 days I have travelled over a thousand miles, spoken to over 900 students and 47 teachers from 37 different schools across Scotland. Visits stretched as far south as Moffat, in Dumfries and Galloway, and further north than Aberdeen into Elgin, Moray.

For some of my visits, my aim was to discuss the benefits of university with students, introduce the unique aspects of the University of Cambridge, and encourage them to aim high in their plans for the future. For others, usually with older students, I focused on providing more detailed information about the application process to Cambridge and reminding students that it really is all about their academic ability – there is no mystery!

On my first morning I visited St. Joseph’s Academy in Kilmarnock. I spoke to 100 of their students from S3, S4 and S5 introducing the role of a university, the advantages of attending a top institution like Cambridge, and how to make informed subject choices over the coming years.

I was very pleased to receive an invitation to visit Moffat Academy in Dumfries and Galloway, particularly as this was a school Selwyn had not visited before. S4 and S5 students attended for a presentation about the teaching system at Cambridge and how supervisions are a very different way of learning to what you might experience at another University. The group asked a number of good questions about college choice and entry requirements. It was great to speak to two students afterwards who are very keen to make an application to Cambridge over the next couple of years, so that I could offer more focused advice.

In Edinburgh, I was very lucky to have Katie Forbes to help with my visits. Katie studied History at Selwyn College between 2008 and 2011 and is now studying for her Masters at the University of Edinburgh. She grew up in Glasgow and Inverness and was very keen to talk to students about her experience of studying at Cambridge.

One of the schools in Edinburgh we visited was Craigmount High School. Pupils from 8 other local state schools also came along to listen to the talk. Katie and I spoke about how the students could make an application to Cambridge and in particular provided information on how they could make themselves a competitive applicant, and discussed what interviews would be like. We also encouraged students to attend the Oxford and Cambridge Student Conference in Edinburgh in March. The event will be a fantastic opportunity for students to find out more about both universities.

Katie shared her own personal experiences of applying and studying at the university as a Scottish student, which was very valuable for the students listening.

Since returning back to Cambridge, I have had the opportunity to reflect on my time in Scotland. Despite challenging weather conditions during my trip (at times I wasn’t sure if I would reach my destination due to the snow!) all visits took place. It was wonderful to meet so many bright and thoughtful students during my trip and have the opportunity to speak to them about their futures.

I am now really looking forward to my next event in Scotland in April, a series of Seminars organised by Selwyn and Pembroke Colleges to take place in Aberdeen, Glasgow and Edinburgh.

These sessions will provide students with the opportunity to speak to Admissions Tutors in greater depth about admissions, provide an opportunity to ask further questions, and explain how candidates can best prepare over the coming months.”


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