Shropshire college's university preparation programme to be extended

Details of this year’s Concord College university preparation programme, now in its fifth year, and complementary scholarship opportunities were released today.

By applying for a university preparation course from August 2 for two weeks, local students will benefit from seminars and workshops led by top university lecturers and industry professionals in their chosen discipline.

Concord’s university preparation programme aims to provide advanced and in-depth insights and academic support, including course selection and applications, to students with higher education aspirations.

For the second successive year the courses, including medicine, engineering and EFAB-M (economics, finance, accounting, business and management) will be delivered online to students aged 16-18.

Concord’s senior administrator (summer school & university preparation) Sharon Connor said: “Courses are carefully chosen and adapted to meet the trends of top university applications as well as successful or emerging industries which are in demand.

“Last year Concord was pleased to offer a number of scholarships to students from Shrewsbury Colleges Group and Ludlow College to develop educational outreach and university support.

“In previous years students enrolled have included Concord sixth formers, external students from Shropshire and across the Midlands as well as foreign exchange students, some from as far as the USA.”

Boost

Concord’s assistant principal (careers and university admissions) Dr Rob Pugh said: “We continue to see evidence that the uni prep courses give participants a significant boost in their university applications.

“From the Concord students who have attended over the past four years 49 per cent have gone on to gain places at Warwick, UCL, Imperial, Cambridge, LSE and Oxford.

“A further 25 per cent of participants gained places at other medical schools while others have done so at prestigious colleges in the US, including Ivy League.”

He added: “By experiencing the style of undergraduate learning, students mature in both their academic skills and outlook and it is exciting to see that university admissions teams are recognising this.”

Former attendee Marius Lau, 18, studied EFAB online in 2020 and is currently taking his A-levels. He said: “During the two weeks I was able to listen to lecturers across different institutions and a wide range of topics were covered.

“I found that the personal statement review by a university lecturer allowed me to understand how universities would like applicants to present themselves in their personal statements.”

Lucy Hampton, 20, a former Concord student and ex-university preparation attendee, said: “The university preparation course helped me to find specific subjects in which I was interested. The course also helped me identify the topics which I enjoy, such as career pathways, and want to pursue in the near future.”

She is now studying PPE at Oxford University.

To apply for a university preparation course, students 16-18 should visit concordsummer.com/courses/university-preparation-age-16-18