51Âþ»­

Scores of Year 12 students have arrived at 51Âþ»­ Leicester (51Âþ»­) for the first-ever 51Âþ»­aspire week, designed to encourage more young people to set their sights on a university place.

For the next five days, students from Gateway College, City of Leicester College, King Edward VII in Coalville, Wreake Valley Academy in Syston, Wigston Academy, and Regent College in Leicester will be studying a specially-designed academic module.



During the week the students will get a taste of different undergraduate learning styles with a mix of lectures, workshops, academic skills sessions, tutor groups and digital learning.

By the end of the week, they will be asked to complete three assignments – an academic poster, a group and individual presentation, and self assessment. This will be combined with social events, campus tours and fun activities.
 
More than 60 students are taking part in 51Âþ»­aspire. The event has been put together by 51Âþ»­’s Library and Learning Services, Careers and Employability and #51Âþ»­local.   

Jess Bogic, widening participation manager at #51Âþ»­local, told the students: “You have a unique opportunity this week to gain experience of university life. Make the most of it, and have some fun, too.”

David Parkes, Director of Library and Learning Services, said the aim of 51Âþ»­aspire was to inspire students, build confidence in academic skills and introduce newcomers to life on campus.

He added: ‘The experience you gain here will help you succeed in how you approach your current learning and importantly will introduce you to the kind of skills you need to develop to succeed at University. University is about discovery, growth and developing your curiosity –you’ll get a taste of this from this week’s activities’.

Students who complete the module will earn themselves the equivalent of 16 UCAS tariff points (40 under the old system) which can be used against eligible undergraduate courses at 51Âþ»­.

Sixth formers were determined to make the most of their week at university.

Rikesh Patel of City of Leicester College said: “It’s been quite informative so far, and for me I’m interested in finding out more about what it is like to study Pharmacy, and the level of study that you need.”

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Amman Ram and Krishna Tanna, of Wreake Valley College, Syston, are both due to start their second year of A-level studies. They are both considering a university to study Pharmacy and Economics respectively.

“I’ve found it really interesting to visit a university and I’m looking forward to being a university student for the week,” said Krishna.

“I think this will be a good opportunity for me to see the kind of work university students are expected to do and to find out more about studying here,” added Amman.
 
Nathan Turner, of King Edward VII in Coalville, is taking three A-levels in Biology, English Literature and Psychology. He wants to study modern languages and is already learning Polish, Japanese and Chinese. “I’m definitely looking forward to this week, I think we can gain a lot from it.”