Easter Residentials for High-achieving Students
Over the Easter holiday, we hosted two residential programmes for prospective applicants from our Cambridge Areas Links of North Wales, Merseyside, and the Isle of Man.
Cambridge Seren Residential
Collaborating with Churchill College and the Seren Network to host the first University of Cambridge Seren Residential (25-28 March).
The Welsh Government’s Seren programme supports high-achieving students from state-maintained schools in Wales to progress to competitive universities. Magdalene’s Schools Liaison Officer makes regular visits to Seren Hubs to deliver workshops to school groups, and so it was fantastic to welcome 108 Seren students and 8 staff members to Cambridge.
Participants spent four days experiencing the life of a Cambridge student: attending academic sessions; exploring Cambridge Colleges; developing their understanding of the university application process; and learning from current Magdalene undergraduates about the reality of living and studying in Cambridge.
The Arts and Humanities group attended sessions on Theology, Law, and Languages with Magdalene Fellows, Dr Simon Ravenscroft, Professor Neil Jones, and Professor Silke Mentchen. Students interested in the Biological Sciences learned about Neuroscience from Dr Kanad Mandke, and attended taster sessions on Medicine and Biology at Churchill College. The Physical Sciences group took part in Dr Sergio Bacallado’s Olympiad-style Maths challenge, and attended a Physics taster led by STEM SMART co-director, Dr Lisa Jardine-Wright.
All attendees enjoyed a chauffeured punt tour, a visit to one of Cambridge’s museums, and time to explore Cambridge Colleges.
Of the Seren Residential participants:
- 58% would be the first member of their family to attend university
- 34% identify as belonging to an ethnic minority
- 35% are eligible for Free School Meals or the Education Maintenance Allowance
By the end of the residential, 98% of attendees agreed that the experience had supported them to set high goals and work towards them. 96% stated that the residential had made them more confident about applying to competitive universities.
Annual Magdalene Residential
The annual Magdalene Residential welcomed 37 Year 12 students from Merseyside and the Isle of Man to Magdalene College (9-12 April).
The group enjoyed a busy and varied timetable of academic sessions. The Arts and Humanities group visited the University Library’s ‘Murder by the Book’ exhibition; a session on ‘careers in the humanities’; and were tasked with producing a group presentation to deliver to Professor Hugo Azerad and their peers. The Biological Sciences group attended taster sessions on Biology and Medicine, and visited the Department of Genetics and the Museum of Zoology. The Physical Sciences group visited the Cavendish Laboratory and the Department of Engineering, and learned about Chemical Engineering from Dr Zach Bond.
One of the highlights of the residential was a fantastic formal dinner arranged by the Magdalene catering team. The students were thrilled to experience an authentic Cambridge student experience.
Of the Magdalene Residential participants:
- 30% live in areas of low participation in higher education (POLAR quintiles 1 and 2)
- 38% live in areas classified as deprived by the Indices of Multiple Deprivation datasets (IMD quintiles 1 and 2)
- 51% would be the first member of their family to attend university
- 32% identify as belonging to an ethnic minority
- 22% are eligible for Free School Meals or Pupil Premium
Before attending the residential, 17% of the participants indicated that they ‘definitely’ believed they had the academic ability to do well at university. By the end of the residential, this figure had risen to 67%.
By the end of the residential, 73% of the participants ‘definitely’ understood the steps involved in the university application process, compared to 17% at the start of the week.