"We have to break down misconceptions": Widening participation in Law

Jesus College Law student Georgia King has recently featured in an extended article by the University describing her pathway to studying at Cambridge.

Georgia went to a large state school in the West Midlands and was the first person in her family to apply to university, after taking part in several widening participation schemes at Cambridge. While studying for her degree, she has mentored prospective students from similar backgrounds to her, providing support and advice and encouraging them to apply too.

In Georgia's words:

"In many ways, Cambridge is a different world to the one I come from. My dad’s from the north east and he’d known one person who had gone to Cambridge. He was worried that everyone at Cambridge would be from a very different background to us, and that I might struggle because of that. It did feel like stepping quite far out of my comfort zone; none of my friends at school were applying to Cambridge. Some have gone on to other universities and some are getting jobs where we grew up. It’s quite funny because when I go home, my friends sometimes introduce me to other people by saying: “This is Georgia, she’s at Cambridge!” That’s how different the two worlds are."

Reflecting on her pathway to Cambridge, and her interaction with the CUSU Shadowing Scheme and the Cambridge Sixth Form Law Conference, Georgia said:

"I went on a lot of different access schemes and residentials, and doing that made it feel much more doable. I spoke to so many people from similar backgrounds who were already at Oxbridge. One of the initiatives I took part in was the Shadowing Scheme, run by Cambridge Students’ Union. That was helpful, because actually coming to Cambridge made it all seem more real. I came to Cambridge a couple of times. I also got a free place on The Cambridge University Sixth Form Law Conference. It would never have seemed possible, but doing all these different schemes – which were free to attend, with travelling paid for, and organised at the University - made it seem possible. Without them, there would have been a huge barrier."

Inspired by her experiences, Georgia has subsequently involved herself access work at the University. She is on Jesus College’s student union committee, and has been an ambassador and a mentor since she arrived. She has also been a mentor on CSU’s Shadowing Scheme. She has taken part in Q&A sessions with students at her old school, seeking to break down misconceptions and encouraging them to apply.

Speaking about her time at the Faculty, Georgia said:

"I’m halfway through my degree and I can’t believe how fast the time has gone. I’m already thinking about the next stage of my career; I’m looking at going into commercial law, down the solicitor route. The careers advice at Cambridge has been great. The University has a law society and all the different colleges have law societies too. When you study Law, you’re taught by people who are lawyers, and at Jesus the Master runs weekly careers sessions, bringing in people from different fields to give talks. There’s also a careers team at the College, and a Careers Service at the University. It’s great to have that support and it be so accessible – it’s easy to reach out and ask for advice with a job application, or ask the best way to prepare for a particular interview. I’ve got an internship lined up for the summer, and after that the next thing will be applying for a permanent job and hopefully having that lined up for when I finish university!"

Read Georgia's full story