On Friday 30th June, a group of students visited Homerton College at Cambridge University.
The day started off with a psychology lecture delivered by Dr Paul Elliott, one of the Admissions Tutors at Homerton college. Students were given a taste of what studying at Cambridge is like. The lecture explored memory, learning and perception. Students took part in an activity where they learnt how to use association to help them remember information when revising for exams.
One of the students at Cambridge then gave us a tour of Homerton College. As part of this, we saw the dining room which had paintings of previous college presidents hanging on the wall, en-suite student accommodation, the shared kitchen, the library and the Junior Common Room.
This was followed by a talk on applying to university, where students received valuable information on writing their UCAS personal statement and the specific application process for Cambridge University.
The day finished with a guided tour of Cambridge. Students got to see Kings’s College and Selwyn College and were surprised to hear that Cambridge was founded by murderers who fled there to escape the consequences of a crime committed at Oxford University. During the tour, students saw current Cambridge students in their robes attending their graduating ceremony, punting and the largest university library (Cambridge students have nicknamed this ‘Mordor’. You can see why from looking at the photo).
This is what students had to say about the day:
“I learnt how the admissions process at Oxbridge is different to other universities” Riya Patel
“I especially enjoyed the segment on how to write an effective personal statement” Joshan Parmar
“One thing I was fascinated by was Cambridge’s library, which has over 8 million books and 100 miles of shelving” Parishi Jani
“I enjoyed learning about the different colleges at Cambridge and understanding the top tips to help get into the university. I now understand what A-levels I would need for my chosen career” Harshini Mehta
“My favourite part of the trip was looking at the library that contains 8 million books including a copy of each book published in the UK!” Sanya Gandhi
“I think this trip was a fantastic opportunity to experience our future options and scenic sites of Cambridge. Our guide was very informative. A big thanks to Ms S Patel for arranging this amazing opportunity” Nikita Patel
I would like to thank Mr Peter Baxter for driving students to Cambridge and back.