Supporting School and Inspiring Students

Schools Liaison Officer Natalie shares insights into her typical week on the road visiting schools in our Link Areas. Working closely with teachers she provides guidance on the admissions process, inspires and supports students towards reaching their maximum potential and encourages students with academic potential to apply to Cambridge.

Every part of the UK is linked with a Cambridge College through the Area Links Scheme giving the school a direct contact at the University. 

Magdalene works closely with schools in our Link Areas of Merseyside, North Wales, and the Isle of Man to provide students with opportunities to engage with the University of Cambridge. Due to the geographical location of these areas, it can be a challenge for schools to visit Magdalene. For schools who are unable to travel to Cambridge, I make regular visits to each Link Area to run workshops on a variety of topics:

Critical Thinking, Metacognition, and Study Skills
Most commonly for Years 9-11, aiming to develop transferrable skills to indirectly raise attainment. Students are encouraged to reflect on their current revisions strategies, and consider applying new techniques to find those which best suit their learning style.

The Subject Matters: A Level Choices
For Years 10 and 11, encouraging students to carefully consider their A Level subject choices based on entry requirements for university courses and careers they may want to enter. I use a range of real-life examples to demonstrate to students the range of career paths open to university graduates, to encourage them to consider university courses which do not necessarily have clear vocations attached to them (e.g. History or Natural Sciences, as opposed to Law or Medicine).

Preparing to Apply to Competitive Universities
For Year 12s. I run this session between October-April to introduce students to the UCAS application process; the nuances of applying to Oxford or Cambridge; and provide guidance on how to begin preparing their personal statement.

Personal Statements
For Year 12s who are beginning to think more seriously about their upcoming university applications. This workshop guides students through the process of writing a personal statement, from taking notes on their super-curricular activities, to building each paragraph, proofreading, and editing.

The start of the week

This week, I travelled to North Wales to deliver sessions for Years 10, 11, and 12 students. I work closely with the Seren Hub Coordinators for Gwynedd and Anglesey, Conwy and Denbighshire, and Flintshire and Wrexham, to organise multi-school workshops. This structure allows me to reach as many schools and students as possible in the few days I spend in Wales.

Day 1

I collect a hire car and spend an enjoyable hour driving along the North Welsh coast. I usually make use of public transport whilst on Link Area visits, especially when I am in Liverpool, however some of my destinations for this week are more rural and so I’ve decided to drive.

My first visit is to Ysgol Friars in Bangor, who have kindly invited Year 11s from nearby Ysgol David Hughes and Ysgol Uwchradd Caergybi to attend a session on ‘Critical Thinking, Metacognition, and Study Skills’. This session contains several activities in which the students discuss potential answers to some critical thinking questions which are based on sample Cambridge undergraduate interview questions. We discuss how they can apply their critical thinking skills to their revision ahead of their upcoming GCSEs.

At the end of the session, I answer a few questions on the most suitable A Level subject choices for various Cambridge courses. Over the last two years, I have supported the Admissions Team during the busy admissions period, which has improved my knowledge of the nuances of the application process and enables me to give informed advice to prospective applicants.

Day 2

The second day of my trip brings me to St Asaph, where I am delivering a session on ‘Preparing to Apply to Competitive Universities’ to Year 12s from across Conwy and Denbighshire. A range of schools are represented within this group, which is excellent.

We discuss some factors to consider when choosing a university; Student Finance and bursaries; and preparing a personal statement. Student Finance operates slightly differently in Wales, compared to the English version with which I am more familiar. When I first started my job, I spent a while getting clued up on Student Finance Wales, so I now feel confident talking to the students about it. Several of these students have been offered places on the upcoming University of Cambridge Seren Residential over the Easter holidays, so I look forward to seeing them in a few weeks’ time!

Day 3

Today I am running two sessions on ‘Critical Thinking, Metacognition, and Study Skills’ for Year 11s from across Conwy and Denbighshire. These take place in Rhyl Town Hall. I have 110 students in attendance for the morning session, and 70 in the afternoon.

All the students engage well with the activities and confidently share their answers with the wider group. While the students are debating some sample critical thinking questions, I use the opportunity to chat with smaller groups of students about the upcoming GCSEs and possible A Level choices.

Day 4

The final workshops of the week are for the Flintshire and Wrexham Seren cohort. The day begins with ‘Critical Thinking, Metacognition, and Study Skills’ for 70 Year 10 students. These students aren’t quite at the stage of considering their A Level or undergraduate subject options, but they participate enthusiastically in the critical thinking activity.

In the afternoon, the Year 12 students arrive for their session on ‘Preparing to Apply to Competitive Universities’. As well as providing information about the application process, I also signpost the students to other upcoming opportunities which may enhance their future university applications. Many students are interested in Magdalene’s Armstrong Arts and Humanities Essay Competition, and I hope to be reading their entries in a few months’ time!

The end of a busy week

And that brings my week of Seren workshops to a close! Visiting schools and students in Magdalene’s Link Areas involves a lot of travel and nights in hotel rooms, but I believe it is a really important part of our outreach programme. Many students and teachers tell me that it means a lot to them that a representative from the University of Cambridge made the journey deliberately to support students from rural North Wales. Seren is a fantastic programme which offers a huge amount of support and opportunities to Welsh students, and which allows me to reach high-achieving students from schools across the country.

I look forward to welcoming 108 Year 12 students from Wales to Cambridge for the Seren Residential in a few weeks’ time!