School visits to Magdalene

Magdalene regularly hosts school groups for day visits to the College, which provide invaluable opportunities for students to visualise themselves living and studying in a university setting in the future. Magdalene School Liaison Officer, Natalie, gives a breakdown of a typical school visit.

Facilitating visits to Cambridge contributes to breaking down barriers to accessing Higher Education and disproving outdated stereotypes about the University of Cambridge and its student body.

The majority of school visits to Magdalene come from our Link Area of Merseyside, or local Cambridgeshire schools via the Connect to Cambridge partnerships.

Today’s visit was from Deyes High School in Liverpool, who have brought a small group of Year 12 students from their ‘High Flyers’. Students were selected by their teachers for the trip based on their academic attainment, whilst also taking into account the University’s Widening Participation criteria.

Many school groups who visit from Liverpool choose to stay overnight, however Deyes have travelled down for the day, which meant a very early start for the students! Thankfully they remained engaged and enthusiastic throughout the day, although we expect it was a quiet bus journey home!

I began the day by setting up Cripps Seminar Room 3, where many of our smaller school visits are hosted. I load up the day’s presentations, which are tailored to the group size, year group, and the specific aims of the day. From discussing the plan for the day with teachers in advance, I know that the group haven’t started preparing their university applications, so my sessions will focus on introducing the UCAS application process and personal statements. All pupils who visit Magdalene receive a souvenir notebook and pen, which serve both to take notes throughout the information-packed sessions, and as a memory of their day in Cambridge!

I meet the school in the car park and brought them into Cripps Court. Today, I am also joined by Emma, who was recently appointed Schools Liaison Officer at Clare College and is shadowing today’s visit. When the students are all settled, we begin a few quiz questions to see what they know about university, with the aim of building on that knowledge throughout the day.

We discuss some of the reasons why students choose to apply to university, as well as factors which may deter students from applying – most notably, the financial cost. I talk about Student Finance and the bursaries available at Cambridge in almost every session I do, even with younger students in Years 10 and 11. Finances at university are a major concern for most Widening Participation students, and so I aim to provide reassurance that university should be accessible for all, irrespective of your financial background. I regularly draw on my own experiences as a former Cambridge student and recipient of the Cambridge Bursary.

As the Deyes High School group are in Year 12, we focus on the steps involved in the UCAS application process, and the additional stages which are specific to Cambridge. I introduce the students to ‘super-curricular activities’, which will form the basis of their UCAS personal statements. The students brainstorm some super-curricular activities they could explore over the coming months, including undertaking work experience; listening to podcasts; or trying out problem-solving questions on websites such as NRICH.

After a short break, we are joined by five Student Ambassadors – current undergraduates at Magdalene who dedicate time out of their busy schedules to support our outreach events. The Ambassadors represent a variety of subjects and year groups, and are a fantastic help with school visits. Each Ambassador takes a small group of our visiting students on a tour of the College, whilst answering questions about their course and life in Cambridge. The students get to see the lovely New Library, the accommodation, chapel, and the dining hall. The tour ends in Ramsay Hall, where the Student Ambassadors are invited to join us for lunch. Often, the visiting students have more questions and enjoy talking to our Ambassadors in an informal setting. The school groups are always impressed by the quality of food in Ramsay – a huge thank you to the catering team for supporting our outreach events!

After lunch, the students attend an academic taster session led by a postgraduate student. Involving MPhil and PhD students in outreach events is a new initiative for this academic year, and has proven extremely popular. Today, Dillon Lewis (MPhil Physics, 2023) explains the range of fields and disciplines which are encompassed by Physics; the routes into studying Physics at university; and potential careers for Physics graduates. This group comprises lots of keen scientists, who had plenty of questions! The aim of the academic taster session is to give the students an insight into the range of subjects they could study at university, and the style of teaching they could expect. Other recent visiting school groups have heard from postgraduate students in Archaeology, Neuroscience, and Biochemistry.

For the final activity of the day, I take the students on a short walk to Emmanual College, where two Student Ambassadors kindly show us around their college. Wherever possible, I try to make time to see a second college during school visit days, to show the variety of environments that make up the University of Cambridge. The Ambassadors and I point out the differences between Magdalene and Emmanuel, such as the size of the Colleges and the regularity of formal dinners, but also the similarities, such as the beautiful gardens and on-site accommodation.

After leaving Emmanuel, I take the group back to Magdalene via King’s Parade and Trinity Street, for a few minutes of sightseeing outside some of Cambridge’s most famous colleges. There is also time for a visit to a souvenir shop, to pick up some Cambridge-branded stationery, notebooks, and fridge magnets to remember their trip!

Back at Magdalene, the final task of the day is to collect some feedback from the students and teachers. I have a short online survey which the visitors can access by scanning a QR code on their phone and spend a few minutes evaluating the extent to which the visit met the stated objectives, and any suggestions for improving future visit days. The students are also given the opportunity to sign up to our student mailing list to be notified of upcoming opportunities including residentials and Open Days. The mailing list is another new initiative for 2023-4, and currently stands at 2,600 students.

It's then time for the students to get back on their bus and make the journey home to Liverpool! I return to the Academic Office to catch up on some emails; document the day’s events on the Higher Education Access Tracker (HEAT); and read through the feedback.