UCL welcomes pupils from more than 80 Schools for its inaugural Shape Your Success Programme
13 December 2023
Shape Your Success is a brand new event series for Year 13 students from underrepresented backgrounds, featuring guidance and advice on university life and the application process.
Last month UCL welcomed 165 participants from over 80 UK schools for its first ever ‘Shape Your Success’ programme. Tailored for Year 13 students from underrepresented backgrounds, this is a series of online sessions in which students can benefit from guidance on the UCAS application process and learn more about university life.
Delivered collaboratively by UCL’s Access and Widening Participation team, Student Funding and Student Support and Wellbeing teams, Year 13 students participated in six online webinars to learn more about university life. This ranged from learning about degree choices to receiving advice on writing personal statements, students also developed their money management skills and learnt about the various types of support available to them at university.
Attendees also had the chance to hear from current students, with UCL Student Ambassadors sharing their own tips and guidance on applying to university as well as their personal experiences of studying at UCL and how they found the transition to university.
One student who participated in the programme said:
“I’m just glad you can give support to students like me who need the extra push. Thank you.”
Another student said:
Thank you for the opportunities that UCL are offering students that need a bit of guidance like myself.”
UCL Access Officer, Esra Celik, said:
“This new initiative was established to extend our Information, Advice and Guidance (IAG) offerings for Year 13 students from underrepresented backgrounds and ensure that these students feel supported during the application stage. As a team, we are pleased with the engagement and impact the first ever Shape Your Success series has had, and hope to deliver and expand the series for future cohorts."
Shape Your Success will continue to run next year after its success in 2023. To learn more about this year’s event please visit the dedicated webpage. You can also get in touch with the team at wp.taster@ucl.ac.uk for any queries about the project.