Does Cambridge Uni do Pre-U summer schools other than Sutton Trust

[OneStepMoreFun]

DS2 would like to apply to Cambridge and wants to do a Pre-U Summer School in the subject he;s chosen but can;t find one.

He's at an independent school and has ASD along with some manageable physical disabilities that make him quite shy and self-conscious. He's not an all-rounder which is a disadvantage but is very strong in the subjects he's keen on. He thinks, and I agree, that a summer school would help improve his confidence and his chances as well as help him overcome some of his social anxieties, as he'd be surrounded by people with the same strong interests as him.

But the only ones we can find at Cambridge are Sutton Trust which are exclusively for state school students so he's not eligible to apply.

Does anyone know if Cambridge runs open Pre-U summer schools? I've found some at Oxford, UCL, LSE and Kings, all of which are options, but he'd quite like to spend time in Cambridge itself and get a feel for the place if that's an option.

Thank you

Cambridge does lots of single day taster courses that are open to all. About £20 each last year IIRC? They tend to be in summer term, aimed at yr12, but I think that yr13 can go too.

[[
www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/events/masterclasses]]

Check out the ‘Open Days’ section on each individual College page (there are 31 in total!) and there will definitely be taster days etc that he can attend.

DD found the £20 taster day really useful. We travelled quite a distance for her to attend it (4 hours!) and she found it worthwhile.

She was very lucky as one of the colleges holds an outreach programme for our general area (N Wales and the Wirral) and there was an application process to apply for a free residential visit. She landed a place and spent 3 days at Cambridge, staying for free in their accommodation and having taster lectures, a formal dining experience and a punt on the river Cam. I imagine other colleges target different areas of the country that they are are trying to encourage applications from.

It wasn't means tested or subject to other conditions that make Sutton a no go for DD.

Not sure how you'd find out if that's the case for your area.

Thank you all. He just stumbled across these taster days and there's one this weekend in his subject and another in a month. He's booked for this weekend and really excited.

@DrMadeleineMaxwell - we're not far from London so I doubt they'll seek out applicants form our area.

I completely understand why Sutton Trust summer schools exist (turns out the UCL ones are also state school only) but wish they also had ones for fee-payers.

I know DS is lucky because he goes to an excellent school. But he has other odds stacked against him with physical disability and ASD. He really does need plenty of familiarisation with something before he feels comfortable with it, and a summer school would be the perfect introduction, not just to the subject but to socialising with others who share his interests.

Yes - they do run summer courses - DD's school has in the past sent information through BUT they are quite expensive 4495 POUNDS for two weeks...the link is attached.

www.cambridgeimmerse.com/our-programmes/

I would look at the Debate Chamber courses in London during the summer which are more affordable.

I second the debate society. Dd had a week there in the summer for £500 non residential.

oneteen That is a business which is not affiliated with the University of Cambridge.

Sorry - LadyPeterWimsey - I thought the Op was looking for courses that are run at Cambridge - my post could be misleading.

Cambridge Immense use the Cambridge colleges in terms of accommodation and recruit Oxbridge students for mentors -I have NO idea whether they are worth the fees they ask for....although reviews seem good.

Each college takes responsibility for outreach for specific areas so there should be resources available pretty much where ever you're from:

www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/colleges/area-links

Debate Chamber is good.
There are loads of awful companies pertaining to be run by the university. They are normally the ones that mention experiencing a formal dinner, including some kind of "cultural" tour. Lots of master classes as mentioned. I teach in an independent school and a few of my students have gone to these and found them really useful.
Also loads of online stuff on the faculty pages - essay writing, film competitions etc. Definitely worth looking at.

Eurgh pretending not pertaining

Each College is linked to a particular region of the UK, but also to part of London - they like to encourage good applicants from anywhere. Hope your son has a great time.

Thanks so much for the suggestion of Debate Chamber. I'd never even heard of it. Will get DS to take a look.

@SuperPug - that's great advice. Thank you.

I looked at the Cambridge Immense course but it seemed a bit basic and SO expensive. It does seem misleading. I thought it was run by the university.

DS came back from today's masterclass really enthusiastic. Thanks to all who suggested them.