Off the back of a fun-filled and enlightening trip to Oxford yesterday, today participants could choose between taking a break and exploring London or immersing themselves further in a variety of tailored workshops and talks at the Academic Fair.
The London participants were led by a team of mentors and Dylan, the St Catherine’s College Manager – straight after breakfast they bundled into a coach to head down to the UK capital. The first stop was the Victoria and Albert Museum, a hub of intellectual inspiration centred in the historic borough of South Kensington. From here, participants were able to engage in self-guided activities that included London landmarks such as Harrods, Westminster Abbey, the London Eye, the Houses of Parliament, Big Ben, the London Dungeons and the Tower of London. A particularly popular point of interest was Imperial College London, a top UK university which is located just a few blocks away from the V&A Museum. Following a pizza picnic dinner in front of the Albert Memorial, participants returned to Cambridge to prepare for a new week of academic sessions and activities.
Back in Cambridge, those attending the Academic Fair were treated to a series of talks and interactive workshops aimed to provide participants with valuable information and insider knowledge of the various aspects of applying to university. The day commenced with Reiss delivering a workshop on how to construct a personal statement – a crucial aspect of any university application. This was followed by two side by side talks, where participants could choose to hear James speak about applying to study for a degree in the sciences or to listen to Maia deliver her insights on how to go about applying to study humanities. In addition to this, students looking to study mathematics were treated to an external speaker’s experiences of applying to Cambridge, as well as his advice for taking the notorious STEP examination. Later on in the day, one of our own mentors, Shefali, put on a debate and public speaking workshop, as well as a talk focused on the LNAT exam to demystify this entrance test for the students. After a successful day of back-to-back sessions, participants were able to enjoy some free time before being joined in the evening by their peers back from London.
All in all this brought a busy, yet enjoyable, weekend to a close, and with it the first week of an academically intense, vibrantly exciting and memory-filled Immerse Education experience.