Immerse Education

My Summer Medical Programme at Cambridge university came about in an indirect way. I heard from friends about an essay competition that would give people a full ride scholarship into a summer programme at Cambridge or Oxford that would focus on the career they were interested in. As a potential medical student, I wrote an essay for medicine titled ‘what makes a good doctor?’ I received a partial scholarship and was able to attend this medical programme in July 2021. Me and the other students in the medicine programme stayed at Sidney Sussex College and our lessons were undertaken by a researcher who had done a phD at Cambridge. We talked about pathways into medicine as well as the intricate biochemistry that underpins medical discoveries, breakthroughs and beliefs. I particularly loved our classes as my huge attraction to medicine is its explanatory power and the way actions are based on principles that have been studied and confirmed. I particularly enjoyed dissecting, learning to suture and practicing gel electrophoresis (which I had learnt about in my IB Biology class). Each day, we also had social activities ranging from movie nights and museum trips to quizzes and rides on the River Cam that enabled us to interact with and get to know the students enrolled in other programmes. It was truly an amazing programme and one of the few things that made being unable to go home for the summer enjoyable.

Last summer I took part in the International Relations programme in Cambridge and I had a wonderful experience! The course was really well structured and it really gave me an insight in what IR is about! We also got to develop a personal project giving us the opportunity to apply what we learnt to a topic of our choice. All the activities proposed, both in the course and outside, were engaging and well organized! Despite the sanitary emergency we had the opportunity of exploring Cambridge...and Oxford and London as well! In the two weeks I spent in Cambridge I made new lifelong friends and got to meet people from all over the world! I would highly encourage everyone to have this experience at least once in their life!

Taking part in the 2-week Immerse medicine program hosted by Oxbridge was undoubtedly the highlight of my summer break. Due to COVID restrictions, I had to attend the course online. Nevertheless, I still felt really involved and engaged. My tutor, who took us through the medicine course was actually a medical student in Cambridge but he was extremely knowledgeable and was able to answer each question thoroughly and beyond my expectations. He also made sure to explain all the concepts that seemed tough in a simpler way which made them easy to understand. With our tutor, we were allowed 1 on 1 sessions before class on specific days which allowed me to ask questions on the content taught that were not so clear but also about any other content I encountered through further reading that I did not understand fully. In addition to the normal lectures we had in the morning, we also had afternoon workshops hosted by admissions officers who helped us understand how to write good academic essays, how to engage in debates, and what is important in submitting university applications. We also had sessions with students of Oxbridge (I had both a first year and final year student) who gave us virtual tours and insights about the two campuses. Learning with Oxbridge's Immerse was really enlightening because I was able to answer questions based on things I already learnt in regular school and also, expand on that knowledge. After the program, I received a really motivating report from my tutor which encouraged me to move forward with my studies in the medical field. I would definitely recommend participating in the Immerse program because it is one of the most enriching experiences out there. It is also very simple to get into. I took part in the essay competition and earned a discount fee on the course. All it takes is genuine interest and passion in the subject.