Now that Session 1 is over, Immerse welcomes brand new participants through the Cambridge College University doors. During this 2 week programme, participants will be staying at Sidney Sussex and St Catharine’s College.
After unpacking their suitcases and memorising the surprisingly difficult route to their room, the Immerse students have really started to settle in. Following a hearty cooked breakfast in their colleges, the Immerse participants started their first academic sessions in their prospective groups, where they managed to gain an awareness and insight into their chosen subject. Despite the challenging nature of the lessons, the students thoroughly enjoyed them and are already keen to start their assigned homework. In their mentor families, the Immerse students went out to the city centre to buy some lunch.
Afterwards, the Catz and Sidney students were able to meet and enjoy a communal picnic in the sunshine in Sidney’s beautiful gardens. This is when friendships really started to blossom, both within their mentor families and without! There were also a few nail-biting rounds of badminton and table tennis between the students, with the mentors joining in (and often losing!)
Once the students finished their second academic session, they were able to rest their picked-at brains during a walking tour of Cambridge. The students were able to admire the majestic buildings and picturesque cobblestone streets whilst being told fascinating facts and anecdotes about the colleges and their respective alumni. Who knew that Isaac Newton actually invented the cat flap? How did Caius students manage to get an Austin Seven car onto the roof of Senate House in 1958? Did Oxford really agree to give Stephen Hawking a first-class honours degree in exchange for his departure to Cambridge? These are only a selection of some of the interesting questions which were answered on the revealing walking tour!
To finish the day, the students were taught how to get the most out of their Immerse experience in an enthralling session put on by one of our returning mentors, Shefali. The students were all encouraged to keep an open mind, speak to as many different people as possible and to even keep a diary of their Immerse experience. We’re all excited to see them incorporate some of this advice in the coming days and weeks!
