Academia 23: My University of Cambridge Summer School Experience
Hello my beautiful friends!
As you may know, I attended a summer school at Trinity College, Cambridge for 4 days last week (I posted about this summer school on my Instagram and Instagram story). In this post, I am going to review my experience. For reference, I attended the Women in STEM summer school, which was a free summer school opportunity for state-educated girls with an interest in studying a STEM subject at university.
Of course, a major focus of the residential was learning. Over the 4 days, I attended 4 lectures and 1 supervision (mine were all maths-based) as well as visiting the Cavendish Laboratory. All of the topics discussed in the lectures were beyond the A Level syllabus, so I found them fascinating because I acquired new knowledge, which truly challenged my mathematical thinking. Despite the lectures being presented by (very intelligent) academic staff, I found them easy to follow and not intimidating at all. If you'd like more information on specific topics covered in the lectures, feel free to contact me.
In all honesty, I found the supervision slightly intimidating. This is probably due to my supervisor being both experienced and very, very clever (I researched her and I am in awe of what she has achieved). Nevertheless, I feel the supervision was very beneficial. During the supervision, we went through a problem sheet that we had completed the day before and my supervisor challenged my thinking in a positive way, which helped my development of the questions.
Visiting the Cavendish Laboratory was another great experience. I found the university labs very impressive and we experienced a nanotechnology exhibition, which was also interesting and a fun way of extending my physics knowledge.
As well as academic activities, there were plenty of social activities. There were organised group activities, such as a quiz night, and plenty of opportunities to explore Cambridge unsupervised in a small group. On the first night, we went punting, which was both relaxing a good opportunity to chat and break the ice.
I am a very anxious person, but I found it easy to make friends mainly due to being surrounded by like-minded people, who were (conveniently) very friendly. I am in contact with all of the girls and I know that I will remain in contact with them. Honestly, I have made some friends for life. I recommend taking the contact numbers of everyone you meet on your summer school, if you do attend a one, because you will probably meet people who have a similar goal to you and will consequently surround you with so much positive energy.
Equally, I'd like to show my appreciation for the staff and student helpers. The staff and student helpers were also very kind and answered any questions you had. I believe they contributed hugely to this summer school being such a happy place as well as well-organised.
The majority of the residential was hosted at Trinity, a beautiful college, which myself and many of the girls fell in love with. We stayed in first year accommodation, which was modern, roomy and all rooms had ensuites. We were also provided with food, which was tasty and never failed to fill me up. We ate our food in the hall, which matched with the grandeur of the college. I felt positively towards my surroundings.
Another bonus of the residential was meeting Ibz Mo! I have been watching his YouTube videos for the longest time, so meeting him was a dream come true.
Overall, I'd recommend trying to attend a summer school. Not only is it an amazing experience, it is a strong topic for discussion on your personal statement because it shows your keenness to learn outside lesson. Check out university websites throughout Year 11/12 as universities often host their own summer schools, many are free, and I'd recommend the UNIQ and Sutton Trust summer schools too.
I hope this blog post has been both interesting and useful. Feel free to contact me regarding any further questions about my summer school experience and summer school in general.
As you may know, I attended a summer school at Trinity College, Cambridge for 4 days last week (I posted about this summer school on my Instagram and Instagram story). In this post, I am going to review my experience. For reference, I attended the Women in STEM summer school, which was a free summer school opportunity for state-educated girls with an interest in studying a STEM subject at university.
Of course, a major focus of the residential was learning. Over the 4 days, I attended 4 lectures and 1 supervision (mine were all maths-based) as well as visiting the Cavendish Laboratory. All of the topics discussed in the lectures were beyond the A Level syllabus, so I found them fascinating because I acquired new knowledge, which truly challenged my mathematical thinking. Despite the lectures being presented by (very intelligent) academic staff, I found them easy to follow and not intimidating at all. If you'd like more information on specific topics covered in the lectures, feel free to contact me.
In all honesty, I found the supervision slightly intimidating. This is probably due to my supervisor being both experienced and very, very clever (I researched her and I am in awe of what she has achieved). Nevertheless, I feel the supervision was very beneficial. During the supervision, we went through a problem sheet that we had completed the day before and my supervisor challenged my thinking in a positive way, which helped my development of the questions.
Visiting the Cavendish Laboratory was another great experience. I found the university labs very impressive and we experienced a nanotechnology exhibition, which was also interesting and a fun way of extending my physics knowledge.
As well as academic activities, there were plenty of social activities. There were organised group activities, such as a quiz night, and plenty of opportunities to explore Cambridge unsupervised in a small group. On the first night, we went punting, which was both relaxing a good opportunity to chat and break the ice.
I am a very anxious person, but I found it easy to make friends mainly due to being surrounded by like-minded people, who were (conveniently) very friendly. I am in contact with all of the girls and I know that I will remain in contact with them. Honestly, I have made some friends for life. I recommend taking the contact numbers of everyone you meet on your summer school, if you do attend a one, because you will probably meet people who have a similar goal to you and will consequently surround you with so much positive energy.
Equally, I'd like to show my appreciation for the staff and student helpers. The staff and student helpers were also very kind and answered any questions you had. I believe they contributed hugely to this summer school being such a happy place as well as well-organised.
The majority of the residential was hosted at Trinity, a beautiful college, which myself and many of the girls fell in love with. We stayed in first year accommodation, which was modern, roomy and all rooms had ensuites. We were also provided with food, which was tasty and never failed to fill me up. We ate our food in the hall, which matched with the grandeur of the college. I felt positively towards my surroundings.
Another bonus of the residential was meeting Ibz Mo! I have been watching his YouTube videos for the longest time, so meeting him was a dream come true.
Overall, I'd recommend trying to attend a summer school. Not only is it an amazing experience, it is a strong topic for discussion on your personal statement because it shows your keenness to learn outside lesson. Check out university websites throughout Year 11/12 as universities often host their own summer schools, many are free, and I'd recommend the UNIQ and Sutton Trust summer schools too.
I hope this blog post has been both interesting and useful. Feel free to contact me regarding any further questions about my summer school experience and summer school in general.
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