HEAPs Cambridge Residential

One of the best opportunities that Heaps offered us was the chance to have a Cambridge University Residential stay for four days in the Easter holidays.

After arriving, having lunch in the Corpus Hall and checking into our rooms, we participated in an Apprentice Challenge that entailed several tasks such as collecting specific objects that could only be found in one or two shops all over Cambridge! It was a great opportunity to meet new people and being able to solve problems in a team that you have never worked with before. Our team working skills were also challenged that same Sunday evening where Future Foundations arrived at the McCrum Theatre, using their powers of persuasion and skills to allow students to notice that taking on leadership roles does not always have to be daunting, but rather exciting. We were then sorted into Pastoral groups where we were able to explore what we had learnt and discuss what we would do differently in the future as a result of the day’s activities.

On the second and third days, probably the most intense two days out of the whole of the Cambridge Residential, all students attended subject sessions. I attended the English subject stream, as a small portion of what we were learning would form part of my revision for my English exam. Analysing poetry with PhD students and lecturers was very exhilarating although I nearly fell asleep in two of the ½ hour sessions! The style of teaching at University particularly surprised me as many lecturers were reading off a sheet of paper for the whole hour, a form of teaching that no year 12 students would have experienced at Sixth Form. The most daunting activity of the subject sessions was the presentations that we had to prepare in groups of three. Presenting our ideas on specific poems that we had chosen was incredibly uncomfortable, particularly as we had to present in front of specialists of English Literature at Cambridge! However, it did go better than expected!

I learnt tonnes of new skills in the four days- the Formal Hall Dinner was particularly exciting and a brilliant end to those four days at Cambridge! Many students fell in the river while Punting, which was probably the most memorable experience!

Meha Sachania