The Seren Jesus College Residential Summer School, our flagship access event for over 70 of Wales’ brightest young students, begins today and promises a week of immersive activities that will give the students an authentic flavour of life at a world-class university.

Over the course of the coming week, the Year 12 Seren students will enjoy a range of activities that bring to life the experience of studying at a top university, including lectures, seminars and tutorials. They’ll also be exploring the city’s museums and attractions, and getting advice on university applications and interviews from Jesus alumni and current students.

 

Jesus College has worked in partnership with the Welsh Government’s Seren programme since 2016. Seren supports the brightest year 8-13 students from Welsh state schools and FE colleges to help them achieve their full academic potential. The College delivers two Seren summer schools for hundreds of Welsh state school students each year: one online and one as a week-long residential. Over a thousand students have participated in the competitive study experiences since 2016, with 406 attending the two events in 2021, and 475 in 2022.

As well as providing the learners with an immersive university experience, the fully-funded summer school also aims to encourage them to apply by showing that they have the ability to make applications to leading universities, including Oxford. The week of activities place an emphasis on academic engagement, and equips participants with the information, resources, inspiration and motivation to make competitive applications.

 

Dr Matt Williams, the College’s Access Fellow, says, “We want to help our Summer School participants to make the best decision for their own future. Of course, we would be thrilled if many of them choose to apply to Oxford, and Jesus College, but we are fully aware that this is not the right choice for everybody. It simply remains the case that substantially fewer young people from Wales apply to Oxford, Cambridge, and other competitive universities around the world. This suggests that many Welsh learners are not considering certain university courses as either obtainable or valuable to them. We want to provide the encouragement, support, information and tools necessary so they can make the best informed decision for themselves.”

Amongst the activities lined-up for this year’s residential summer school are lectures on linguistics, emerging technologies and misinformation, and advances in embryology, as well as a talk on ‘Reasons to be cheerful about the future’. There are also a range of seminars on topics a broad as the future of medical ethics and AI and parenthood, as well as workshops on university applications, interviews and student life, led by current or past Jesus students.

In addition, students will be able to explore the city, tour other Oxford colleges and enjoy an afternoon of activities at the Sheldonian Theatre. They also take part in an essay writing task which is the focus of a special tutorial session on the last day. Matt says, “We’re looking forward to an exciting week with these exceptional young people, and are hugely grateful to everyone involved in the organisation and delivery of the summer schools programme.”  

 

Jesus College and Wales

The College has maintained a strong connection with Wales since its founding in 1571 by a group of Welshmen led by Hugh Price, Treasurer of St David’s Cathedral. Its first fellows were mostly Welsh lawyers and as a result, for centuries, Jesus was known as Oxford’s ‘Welsh college’. Nowadays, Jesus College welcomes undergraduate and graduate students from across the globe, but its links to Wales continue through collaborative activities with the University and other Oxford colleges that are dedicated to improving access and equity in opportunity for school students across the country.

Jesus College’s relationship with Wales has been further enhanced thanks to the support of several Welsh alumni and one very famous Welsh actor. Last year, the summer school series was secured in perpetuity by the generosity of an endowment from Mr Oliver Thomas, a Jesus alumnus. In April this year, Jesus College announced the Michael Sheen Bursary – a new bursary scheme that will provide much-needed financial support for Welsh undergraduate students. The Michael Sheen Bursary has been developed in collaboration with, and is generously supported by, eminent Welsh actor and activist Michael Sheen, and will support students from across Wales.