College of Social Sciences and International Studies Alumni Engage with Exeter Scholars Students

Exeter Scholars is a free programme giving sixth-form college students from the South West the opportunity to find out more about university, develop a passion for their chosen subject and gain first-hand experience of student life at the University of Exeter. This two-year programme provides opportunities for those students who are academically able but statistically less likely to progress onto Higher Education based on their contextual background. The students at this specific event are studying on one of three separate subject activity strands: Philosophy; Politics and Arab and Islamic Studies; and Sociology, Criminology and Anthropology. The students have completed three academic sessions so far, as well as an interdisciplinary Social Sciences Residential in July, in which all three groups were brought together for a shared four-day residential on the Streatham Campus.

In this penultimate session of the programme, the students were brought together for a panel event hosted by Law School Lecturer Dr Matthew Channon, and joined by panel members, Laura Cornick (BA Flexible Combined Honours 2011), Samuel Fawcett (BA Sociology with Advanced Proficiency in French 2017), Peter Good (BA Arabic and Middle Eastern Studies with Proficiency in Persian 2011 and MA Middle East History 2012), Clara Hawkshaw (BA International Relations 2009) and Francesca Hughes (BA Politics with Study Abroad 2015). Students were also able to discuss Study Abroad and flexible study options as part of this session, which culminated in a networking event over afternoon tea.

Francesca Hughes comments that she was “very impressed with how engaged the students were with considering not only their options for university but also what opportunities they could have further in the future.”

She continues, “I thought the panel format was a really effective way to show the students a variety of opinions and experiences about university and careers, and personally I really enjoyed hearing what other alumni had been up to since Exeter.”

Laura Cornick describes the Exeter Scholars programme and this event as a “great initiative”: “When I was younger I had no idea what I wanted to do. Being able to learn from people in industry, who had studied the subject I was hoping to pursue, would have been really helpful. I hope that the experiences and advice I shared will be of value to the students and help kick-start their thinking about where their degree could take them and what they need to start considering that may help with their future career.”

The students will be completing their final sessions this month, exploring fascinating topics such as Prisons and Parole, Regulating Women and "It's Mindblowing!" A hands-on introduction to metaphysics. Following completion of the Exeter Scholars programme, the students will be entitled to a range of benefits, and those who wish to study at the University of Exeter have the opportunity to qualify as a Senior Scholar. Find out more about the Exeter Scholars programme here.