The Scholars Programme inspires a love of learning in students aged 8-18, providing practical experience of higher education and helping students develop the skills needed to thrive in academia and their careers.
We’re proud of the impact our programme has on both GCSE attainment and university progression; we’re also incredibly proud of what students have gone on to achieve since taking part in The Scholars Programme. In this vein, we wanted to share student ambassador Abigail’s story with you.
“I went to school in Rhondda Cynon Taff, in the Welsh valleys. It was very small – there’s only one secondary school near me, there weren’t many opportunities growing up there and not many students went on to higher education. My teachers were supportive and encouraged us to go to university, but the financial situation in the school meant that it was difficult for them to take us on university visits.
“When I was selected to take part in The Scholars Programme, I was really pleased with myself and excited to have the opportunity to take part. My favourite subject has always been human biology and, at the time, I wasn’t really enjoying any of my other subjects. I was getting kind of worried that I wouldn’t want to go to college or university if I had to continue learning subjects that I was disinterested in.
“Luckily, the course that I studied was about the neuroscience of memory, which was something I found really interesting. I specifically remember one tutorial where we learned about a study done on mice, and how different drugs affected how well they could remember mazes. It wasn’t like anything I’d learned or done before, so it was great! The Scholars Programme helped me to realise that, at university, you can choose to only learn about the specific topics that interest you, which helped me because I just wanted to study something that I knew I loved.
“My Scholars Programme trips were my first experience of a university. It was good to go with my cohort and be able to imagine ourselves going there. At the time, I was quite nervous university would be really difficult, but the opportunities to speak to students reassured me that university was genuinely achievable. When I came to apply to university in Year 13, I didn’t actually get to go to many university open days due to the cost of travel. It was really useful to have already visited several universities through The Scholars Programme, as I wouldn’t have been able to afford to do that otherwise.
“When I was younger, I really wanted to be a doctor because at the time I thought the only jobs in hospitals were doctors and nurses – I never knew that other clinical jobs existed. Seeing my PhD tutor in a scientific role which had links to a clinical setting was really useful, as I didn’t know it was possible to have jobs in something as specific as neuroscience.
“I’m now studying Cardiac Physiology at the University of Leeds, which is a mix of academic theory and clinical placement. I still found the academic writing somewhat difficult at the start because I didn’t take any writing subjects at college, but the academic writing experience I had from The Scholars Programme helped. It also made me more confident to ask for help.
“Coming to university and speaking to other students, I’ve realised that I had a very different experience from them growing up. I was eligible for free school meals and grew up in a low-income area, and there’s a very clear gap between how many opportunities they got in more privileged areas and how little I got, such as learning several languages at GCSE. The Scholars Programme is so important in bridging that gap, and providing students like me with opportunities which we otherwise wouldn’t get.”
Abigail has since been involved with The Brilliant Club as one of our student ambassadors, where she has taken part in further activities and opportunities with us.
The Scholars Programme helps school and college students from less advantaged backgrounds to progress to competitive universities and succeed when they get there.
To learn more about how The Scholars Programme can benefit your students for university and beyond, it only takes two minutes to make an enquiry.
Stallan’s story: how The Scholars Programme helped him pursue a Sociology degree at the University of Bristol.
Maheea’s story: how The Scholars Programme inspired her interest in healthcare and to study Pharmacy at UCL.