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 Emily’s story with you.
“I went to an all-girls Catholic state school in Birmingham, and there was definitely pressure to do well in your exams and think about your career path. I’m so glad that my school spoke about it and actually showed us the importance of thinking about your future because otherwise, as my parents didn’t go to uni, I probably wouldn’t have thought about it or gone through with it because I had no idea how to do a personal statement or UCAS.
“When my teachers first told me about The Scholars Programme, I didn’t think it was for me because I thought your parents needed to have gone to university to be able to help with applications and stuff. I think I thought that you had to come from a more privileged background than me and was worried that I wouldn’t fit into the stereotype of a student. Now, looking back, it’s so surprising that I would even have had those thoughts in the first place, but I didn’t really know anyone who had been to university, so I didn’t have any role models to tell me differently.
“I took part in the Scholars Programme a few times and each time was really different, which really helped me to choose my degree. One of the courses that I studied was about prostate cancer, and I remember really struggling with that one, because it was all to do with diagrams and math that I had never heard of. I think as a school student, I always used to pressure myself to do well from the first time, but The Scholars Programme taught me that it’s OK to ask for help. I think lots of people have that self-imposed barrier when it comes to asking for help which stops you reaching your full potential. In the end, I actually really enjoyed the course because it was so different from anything else I was doing at the time.
“I think the idea of going to university really clicked at my graduation event at Oxford when I saw my mum getting emotional as I stood with my certificate and cap. Like a lot of people who’ve got parents who’ve immigrated here, it was important for me to show my parents that their sacrifices and all the dedication had been worth it. I was really proud of myself because, even though I had really struggled and I was really out of my comfort zone, I’d finished it.
“When I visited a university, it was definitely different to what I expected because anything I had heard about university came from Ukraine and the experience there was completely different. I remember just walking in and seeing a huge campus and so many students and I was like ‘Wow, there’s so many people here and surely they can’t all be the same’ because, up until that point, I think I still thought there was a certain type of person that went to university.
“Taking part in The Scholars Programme made me realise that I wanted to go to university and helped me to see that it could be a realistic opportunity for me. I’m now studying the Dual LLB / Juris Doctor (JD) with the Chinese University of Hong Kong at the University of Exeter, and, without The Scholars Programme, I don’t think I would have had the same determination to get where I am now.”