New Beginnings

Written by Caroline Hopkinson-Woolley

Phew! Freshers’ Week has finished. Finally. Across the country, that fabled, sometimes infamous fixture in every new student's experience - a heady blend of apprehension-cum-anticipation, adrenalin and, on occasion, unwise antics - has, by mid-October, been replaced by a growing sense of familiarity with the shape and expectations of chosen courses, fresh surroundings and new companions. All being well, the journey into higher education has begun.

 Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic in early 2020, this year’s intake of undergraduates has not only endured hitherto unimaginable disruption to their secondary education but been faced with unprecedented change within the tertiary sector.  The currents of geopolitical change and economic uncertainty have created some choppy waters across British universities which every prospective applicant, using every resource available, needs to navigate. What’s ‘best’, in terms of course, university experience and outcomes, has never been less obvious. That said, it is a voyage on which it is now, more than ever, well worth embarking, with research and learning at UK institutions in the vanguard of progress in all fields of study, no more so than in the development of vaccines against COVID-19.  Eyes on the prize, as they say!

 As the dust begins to settle for First Years, many of next year’s would-be undergraduates at Russell Group universities, including those wishing to study medicine, dentistry or veterinary science, or any degree course at Oxford and Cambridge, will be breathing a nervous sigh of relief.  They will by now have submitted their UCAS applications to meet last week's deadline. For all other courses, there are 3 more months until the final deadline of 22 January 2022.  Every applicant will want to feel confident that they have maximised their potential and, by continuing to work towards the best possible grades, have given themselves the best chance of success.  Not for nothing is it an old chestnut that luck lies where preparation meets opportunity - thank Seneca for that one - but perhaps less familiar, and currently red-hot relevant, is the adage - Napoleon this time - that ability is nothing without opportunity. 

 Widening access, aka opportunity, is currently top of the agenda at every UK university and being implemented with a range of initiatives, from the ever-increasing use of contextual data in the analysis of applications to the introduction of one year, fully funded ‘Foundation’ courses to bridge the gap between school and university for students from under-represented or disadvantaged backgrounds. Here in Cambridge, the University will be admitting up to 50 academically-promising school leavers to its multi-disciplinary Foundation Year programme from October 2022, provided they meet a UCAS tariff of at least 120 points (i.e. BBB at A-Level as opposed to the standard minimum offer of A*AA). It’s just the latest example of the many and varied ways in which the contours of the higher education landscape are, as they always have been, in perpetual renewal.  Thanks to technology, however, it’s a trend that is gathering pace - and the reason why there’s never been greater need for robust, reliable and, above all, personalised guidance past avoidable pitfalls and towards realistic, realisable goals.  When it comes to mentoring, there is no one-size-fits-all and that’s the essence of the challenge. 

 It’s this challenge which demands and deserves the expert attention that all of us at UpGrade are determined to deliver.