Is there hope come August 19th?

Gemma Fagbadegun

I enjoyed reading about Andrew Seaton, an Oxford student from a disadvantaged background (first in his family to go to university, receiving free school meals, and home-schooled) and the successes he has had, in The Independent yesterday. It’s nice to hear a positive story amongst all the negative press surrounding university applications at the moment (Just 1% of poorest students go to Oxbridge, The Guardian 5th Aug; Up to 170,000 applicants to miss out on a university place, The Guardian 16th July; New Students face £25,000 debts, The Independent 13th August).

Hearing Andrew’s account, I’m reminded of some the success stories that we have contributed to – Ayisha who is studying Law at Warwick University, Judith who is on her way to completing a History degree at Cambridge, and Francesca who’s currently at Loughborough University. But with the recession and the resulting increase in numbers of university applications recently, our mission is getting harder.

I really hope that, this year, widening participation doesn’t take a backseat as students scramble for precious places.


See Ayisha's story below