Journal 5 – Summer Workshops
Each year I present three Sunday afternoon workshops on university admissions to the students participating in the International Summer School of Scotland. Run by a fellow St Andrews Alumn, this summer school is a great mix of highly academic and seriously fun activities.
I am very pleased to be a regular part of the summer schools. The talks are designed to give the students information on researching and applying to UK universities, opportunities in the USA and I conclude with a brief look at the Rest of the World (although I may have to increase the time on this as more and more options become available). It is heartening each year to see the enthusiasm and interest of the students and this year I even had several students who had attended the previous year. Thankfully they all said they still learned something new, so that was a relief. To be giving a talk at my Alma Mater, and also Yale University, is a great pleasure, especially as sometimes I am giving my talk in a lecture theatre I used to sit in as a student!
Whilst some of the ‘mechanics’ of the process might have altered a little over the years, the students seem to always have the same worries, concerns and misconceptions. Hopefully they can go away from my workshop better informed and better prepared for their journey into higher education.
