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A day at the University of Essex

On 23rd November a group of Croxley Danes Sixth Formers who are studying for their Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) travelled to The University of Essex. This trip involved a welcome talk from the university and then sessions on several of the taught elements of the EPQ which are needed in order to successfully complete the qualification. Our students were able to experience sessions led by university tutors, giving them valuable experience and insight into university life.

Below is an account of the day written by Ariana H in Year 12.


Upon arrival at the University of Essex, our group of CDS Sixth Formers were greeted by Morgan Cassie who led us through the University to a lecture hall where she gave us a welcome speech and explained what the University of Essex offered. Following this introduction, we were introduced to a PhD Tutor, Lily Cheung, who explained two key objectives with regards to how University students are firstly expected to develop their research question and secondly how they are expected to develop their research skills. In terms of the first objective, Ms Cheung gave us a clear indication as to how one might identify a good topic for our upcoming EPQ including identifying our research question.

Regarding the second objective, we learnt what characteristics are important for a researcher to adopt, such as being able to communicate well with others in a group, working diligently and researching the chosen topic extensively by dedicating time and effort to the research while balancing our lives between study and rest. By the end of the morning session, we had a great flavour of what University life was like and how we could begin to adopt some of the practices that will be required during our further education. It was a highly informative introductory session.

After lunch, we reconvened for our second session with Lily Cheung this time focusing on academic writing and academic referencing. For our academic learning session, we were taught about the style of writing and the type of language that is used by and is expected of University students when writing essays.

During this session we took part in an activity where we were asked to label the aim, method, result and discussion in a test. In addition, we were given a checklist that we could use when writing essays to ensure that we were able to meet all the criteria and requirements in future.

Following the session on academic writing, we moved onto academic referencing. In this session we learnt about the dangers of plagiarism and were shown how to properly reference text that is used when using a variety of sources such as articles, books, websites and more.

At the end of these informative sessions with Lily Cheung, we were taken on a tour around the wide-reaching University campus with Morgan Cassie. She showed us the student accommodation that is offered at the University as well as the business building, the food court and cafeterias.

Upon our return back to the lecture hall, we were introduced to our final session of the day which focused on critical thinking led by David Briggs, who was the Director of blended learning and digital innovation in Essex Pathways. He explained that critical thinking is when someone makes clear, reasoned judgements. The session focused on how to build a critical argument. Moreover, we discussed and learnt about the characteristics of a critical thinker, such as maintaining objectivity, reasoning and having critique; which is where one can look at the positive and negatives, as well as being evidence-based. We learnt that to be evidence-based one should think about who said X and why they said it as well as where and how they said it.

What was the context?

Following this thought-provoking session with David Briggs, we were taken on one last tour around the campus where we walked around the surrounding fields which had lush tall trees. We viewed the outside of the library and continued on to be shown the sports building where we were able to observe games that were being played outside. Our tour ended back at the car park where our visit had started. We all thanked our hosts for their hospitality and time before departing back to our school.

Following this trip and the experience we were lucky enough to receive, there are a few takeaways that are key to remember and share: we all have the ability to achieve our dreams and chosen professions. With a balanced attitude, commitment and dedication, everyone is able to aim for a University of their liking that will lead us each along the pathway of our chosen profession. It is important that we all make the effort to visit a variety of Universities and speak to as many Lecturers and University students as possible so that we are clear on the expectations and the key criteria that Universities are looking for within their potential new students. Once this is clear, we can begin to work towards achieving this and hopefully securing a position at one of our chosen Universities. I wish everyone the very best on their individual journey.

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