A dedicated band of students from Brasenose College in Oxford, and Gonville and Caius College in Cambridge- along with the Schools Liaison Officers from both- made the journey up to the misty dales and moors of North Yorkshire last week for the annual access road trip. The aim of the journey, and of the link scheme more generally, is to give schools a dedicated point of contact within the Universities, allowing students to find out more about applying to Cambridge or Oxford (and selective universities generally) and to help them make a good application. With fourteen school visits in four days, and over five hundred students taking part in sessions, the work done by the Colleges in this week makes up a large part of the outreach in North Yorkshire.

Stokesley, about five degrees colder than the southern climes of Cambridge, was the first stop over, and after taking in the sights and sounds of the town, we headed off for an early night. The next morning we squeezed into a packed classroom filed with eager students. Second year Earth Scientist Sam Cornish, himself and old student of the school and now member of University College, Oxford,  puzzled brains with Fermi questions (‘What is the mass of ice on Antarctica?’), showing students what interviewers are looking for in candidates. Whizzing onto Whitby and Scarborough later in the day, posing by lobster nets, and peering through the now quite thick mist, we presented at a large information evening for schools from across Scarborough.

Caius first year historian, Ellena Duffy, not only provided the essential wheels of the week, but also spoke passionately and honestly to students about her journey from Doncaster to Cambridge, and her experience of studying here:

‘On the whole I felt that the trip was incredibly worthwhile. The students' knowledge of Oxbridge, and universities in general, ranged hugely. Some of the smaller and particularly rural schools were completely oblivious to the benefits of applying to university, and it was great to have them ask questions and get excited about possibly applying. I hoped that I personally helped to dispel some myths about Oxbridge, using my own experience in applying from a school in Yorkshire and having once had similar fears before arriving in Cambridge that the students talked about. I was pleased to be able to talk to many aspiring historians and hopefully I was successful in encouraging them to apply to Oxford/Cambridge.’

Oxford students Hugh and Sid and Sam were equally enthusiastic and mature in their approach to the week, and it is through giving a personal impression of the Universities, providing anecdotes about tutorials and their day-to-day lives as students, that the two Universities seem closer and a more achievable aim to prospective students.  Visits to schools aimed to combine facts about what Oxford and Cambridge are looking for, and how students would go about applying, with a softer focus on what students liked about their Colleges and courses, and for Ellena and Hugh (both Yorkshire bred), why they decided to look south when leaving school.

From tiny libraries with a handful of students, through to large events open to parents and students from numerous schools across the area, the visit gave many people the chance to find out more about the two Universities. Any students who want to find out more should come along to the Open days for the Universities held in early July.

Ingrid Hesselbo, Schools Liaison Officer.