Application Support Series 2021

Online Events

Magdalene College regularly hosts free online events for students attending state schools in the UK.

These online events are designed to support students in making a competitive application to university, with sessions ranging from picking a course to interview support. The support and advice will be relevant to students applying to academically competitive universities across the UK, including, but not limited to, the University of Cambridge.

Upcoming Events

October 2023: Admissions Assessment Workshops (Year 13)

November 2023: Interview Workshops (Year 13)

January 2024: Subject Taster Sessions (Year 11-12)

February 2024: 'The Subject Matters': A Level Choices (Year 10-11)

May 2024: Personal Statement Workshop (Year 12)

You can register your interest for any of these webinars.

Past Events

In 2021, our Schools Liaison Officer delivered live sessions alongside members of the Admissions Team and current students, which were recorded and are available to view below. These sessions:

  • Introduce applying to university, student finance, and the quirks of the University of Cambridge.
  • Give in-depth guidance on the Cambridge admissions process, and provide students with the knowledge and tools to support their applications to competitive courses across the UK. 
  • Develop students study skills ahead of their final year, and to prepare them for learning at university.

To get the most out of the programme, we encourage students to view as many events as they can.

Essay-writing Webinars

Magdalene College Schools Liaison Officer lead a webinar series for students in Year 12 (S5 in Scotland, Year 13 in Northern Ireland, or equivalent) who are entering the Magdalene College Arts and Humanities Essay Competition.

The webinars provide advice on the stages of the essay-writing process.

  1. Planning and Researching
     
  2. The Writing Process
     
  3. Refining and Referencing

Planning and Researching Essays

The Writing Process

Refining and Referencing Essays

Kick-starting your Application

Over 50,000 courses? UCAS? Student Finance? Where do you start?

There’s so much information out there on applying to university, it can be overwhelming. In this session, we introduce attendees to applying to university and thinking about the big decisions to be made, including:

  • Tips for picking a course and a university.
  • Applying to Cambridge, and how it differs from other universities.
  • Exploring your subject and writing the first draft of your personal statement.

Kick-Starting your Application

Study Skills: Preparing for Year 13 and Higher Education

This session is designed to support attendees study skills ahead of their final year of school. We discuss the science behind the learning process, how to effectively use revision strategies, and tactics attendees can employ to use their time effectively.

Study Skills: Preparing for Year 13 and Higher Education

Refining Personal Statements

The personal statement is the one part of the admissions process that applicants have complete control over, so it’s important to do it justice.

We discuss what universities are looking for in a personal statement and how applicants can get the most out of their 4000 characters. This session provides hints and tips for how to sharpen up personal statements, and highlight the common pitfalls for candidates to avoid.

Refining your Personal Statement

Admissions Assessment Sessions

Several universities across the UK require students to take admissions assessments as part of their application. In these sessions, we introduce attendees to the assessments, hear from current students, and discuss how to prepare over the summer.

These sessions were delivered in collaboration with Jesus College, Oxford, and St Peter’s College, Oxford.

Preparing for Interview

A number of universities may choose to interview candidates as part of the admissions process. In these sessions, we look at the interview process, what you might expect, how best to prepare, and ask some of our current students about ways to approach the sort of questions that might be asked.

The following recordings are available: