You can click on the above to go through the Power Point presentation which was given by Mrs Coen about UCAS applications.

YEAR 13 TRIP TO CAMBRIDGE

Some Portadown College students visiting Cambridge University in the summer.

Captivated by the magical backdrop of the opulent medieval architecture, and immediately immersed by the bustling  ‘university atmosphere,’ a distinct feeling of surrealism and awe was felt as the imposing ‘Corpus Courtyard’ presented itself before me. Boasting 650 years of rich history and past students such as the great playwright and poet, Christopher Marlowe, I was dumbstruck by a sense of privilege. To be directly witnessing the splendour was a joy in itself and to be actually staying and experiencing life in a Cambridge College was a humbling honour.

Having not really known what to expect when we arrived, our doubts were instantly erased, as along with 40 other students from schools across Northern Ireland, we were warmly welcomed by several undergraduate students, College lecturers and Fellows. With temperatures during our stay reaching 29ºC, in the hottest week of the year, our exploration of the enchanting city felt like we were walking the cobbled streets of an Italian town, yet an unmistakable and omnipresent sense of wisdom and learning pervaded the world-renowned English city. As well as Corpus Christi we also got to see most of the other 30 Cambridge Colleges, and had several notable experiences including a punt in the river Cam. A ‘high table dinner’ in the magnificent ‘Hogwarts-styled’ dining hall and a ‘Quiz Night’ were amongst the many highlights of our experience and the friendships formed between students from across the country made for a memorable and fun trip. 

However it was the subject sessions that were the primary focus of our stay, splitting into five groups corresponding to what we actually wanted to read at university. I was in the Medicine group, and for two days had the pleasure of learning from a world-leading expert. Mentally challenged to a new level, the intensity and sheer detail involved in understanding a second year, eight-week topic in such a short space of time was exhausting, yet immensely rewarding. To complete the process, we also had to make a presentation to the other subject groups and teachers in the Lecture Theatre adjoining the pub where ‘Watson and Crick’ first announced their double helix structure of DNA, a fitting finale to a demanding and stimulating few days.

The Corpus Christi initiative was an enlightening occurrence that not only affirmed my passion for studying medicine, but provided coveted reassurance regarding the daunting unknown that to most prospective undergraduates is Oxbridge, and indeed ‘university’ as a whole. Essentially it was an entirely invaluable, exciting and exceptionally enjoyable experience.  

Rachel Calvin