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Higher education

Talk to other parents whose children are preparing for university on our Higher Education forum.

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Original poster

courses to get a taste of uni life

17 replies

mumahead · 08/02/2015 19:51

Do you have experience of good uni summer schools? Languages and or English/ History current interest. Even politics.

DS wants to get a taste of uni taking part in a summer school.

OP posts:

ragged · 08/02/2015 19:58

Some Unis also offer single Taster Days. Advertised thru local 6th forms or on the Uni website to kids age 16+.

Chudney · 08/02/2015 20:59

My daughter did a week long Classics summer school at Durham at the end of Year 12 and loved it. She felt that it gave her a taste of what university life would be like. She's now in her second year at Durham studying Modern Languages.

Hassled · 08/02/2015 21:02

There's the Oxford Uniq but you don't have long to apply.

lljkk · 08/02/2015 21:24

ooh, I was looking at Uniq & the Sutton Trust programme.
They both seem to be mostly fully funded by the Unis & they both favour kids from disadvantaged schools or backgrounds (as they should)
So is there any point in applying if not from disadvantaged background or school/college? Dd will probably attend a college which seems to send a handful to Oxbridge most yrs, so that's not disadvantaged really, is it? Seems like Uniq has 4000 applications for 850 places, presumably places mostly go to kids from mediocre or worse schools?

Hassled · 08/02/2015 21:45

My DS who is applying goes to a fairly mediocre school (Ofsted is Requires Improvement) with a poor track record re Oxbridge. But Uniq also use Polar 3 data, and we seem to be in a high centile area there, so I don't know where he'll come out - I still think it would be an amazing experience for him, so worth a shot.

lljkk · 09/02/2015 19:37

What is a "poor track record re Oxbridge", Hassled? Never send any, one out of 300 per yr, what?

Original poster

mumahead · 09/02/2015 19:39

thank you. Looked at uniq. interesting.

How about at the end of Year 11 - any charities run courses for this age group?

OP posts:

IKnewYou · 09/02/2015 21:44

The London University taster day program is excellent. Lots of London Unis are involved and there are dozens of courses to choose from. My DCs have done quite a few of them over the years.

IKnewYou · 09/02/2015 21:46

Btw the London taster days are free.

JudgeRinderSays · 09/02/2015 22:28

My son just rung the nearest rg uni up off his own bat and arranged to spend a half term week there following the first year undergraduate timetable is sitting in on everything. There was a bit of an issue with insurance but the school sorted it out

SecretSquirrels · 10/02/2015 15:10

The Sutton Trust ones are aimed at those who would be the first generation in their family to go to university.
UNIQ are very competitive and again supposed to target the less privileged.
Headstart do courses in Y12 at lots of locations and are all STEM based.

The Salters Chemistry camp is great for Year 10s, both my DC went on one of those.

Original poster

mumahead · 12/02/2015 18:34

thank you. Was hoping there were charities for languages/Arts.

Good idea to call the unis?

OP posts:

GentlyBenevolent · 13/02/2015 09:23

DD1 is going on a music taster day at cambridge in March. That's free, aimed at state school kids though, I think. She also went on a week long summer school at the guildhall last summer which cost a kidney but was brilliant and apparently the best exoerience of her life. Sadly she can't do it this year because it clashes with something else (lucky for my bank balance/overdraft though). I think Cambridge runs other outreach/taster days in the arts and humanities.

SecretSquirrels · 13/02/2015 09:47

Yes Cambridge taster days are called the masterclasses. Open to all with a small fee and it lots of subjects.

GentlyBenevolent · 13/02/2015 10:06

The music event DD1 is attending is totally free. Obviously the travel costs make it double dear but that's not their fault really.

springrain · 16/02/2015 23:39

DD did languages taster courses at Reading and Leeds unis in July of Y12, they were 2 day courses. She enjoyed them both. I found them by a bit of googling after having had a form sent home for a Sutton trust style course at our local uni she would have liked to go on but she obviously didn't qualify for as not disadvantaged. I think she applied for them both at Easter, but was cutting it fine so now would be a good time to get organised.

JudgeRinderSays · 17/02/2015 10:36

I am not sure taster lectures give you a true picture.They are after all in 'sales mode'.As stated upthread DS has arranged to go to a weeks worth of real l first year undergraduate lectures.He was expecting it to be over his head to an extent, but very disconcerted that the 'real' students could not follow it at all!!

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