A group of Year 9 students were invited to take part in ACE Day at the University of Hull, to further their knowledge of higher education.
ACE stands for 'Aiming for a College Education’ and the event endeavours to encourage secondary school pupils to consider higher education as an option for them.
Alongside students from Oasis Academy in Grimsby, students tackled a full day of activities, based in Staff House.
During the morning, they discovered more about the courses they could do, played university 'Top Trumps’ and heard real life experiences from student ambassadors.
Careers Guidance Officer, Mr Millar, believes these events are very beneficial for Year 9 students who may not yet have seriously considered their futures.
He said, “Pupils in Year 9 are just getting to the point when they are asked to think about what they might like to do as a career.
“Some may have a goal in mind and might not have realised that they need to do a degree to reach it, or they may think that there aren’t any courses that would interest them.
“An informal event like ACE Day gives students the chance to ask questions and find out how accessible university courses are to them.”
In the afternoon, students were given a tour of the campus by student ambassadors and asked to create a poster and slogan to market a particular university, using prospectuses as a reference.
The event had a very positive effect on students’ opinions of university, with the majority who had not previously considered it, now thinking it could be an option for them.
Student comments:
“I love how big the campus is - the library is totally huge!”
“The massive lecture theatre is great. I’d like to have our school lessons in something like this.”
“I’d already thought a bit about university, but this day has made me definitely want to go."