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Murray Edwards College
University of Cambridge

Gateway to success

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    25 November 2020

    Murray Edwards College is delighted to launch a new report outlining the content of the Gateway Programme and what it is designed to achieve. The report shares opinions from former students on the benefits of the Programme, drawn from a research survey conducted in spring 2020.

    Background

    The Gateway Programme is an academic and career-based development programme, which is unique to Murray Edwards College and has been running in its current format since 2010.

    The Programme’s vision centres on ensuring young women from all backgrounds are able to make the most of the opportunities available to them at the University of Cambridge.

    All our Gateway activities are designed to encourage students to be fearless in their aspirations, and to develop the knowledge and skills to make these achievable.  

     

    Research findings – highlights

    Of those who graduated since 2017 and therefore benefitted from the way the Programme has evolved over time:

    • 70% said they would be likely or very likely to mention the Gateway Programme as a reason to study at Murray Edwards College.
    • 75% said their participation greatly helped or helped their study skills and transition to university learning.
    • 44% said their participation greatly helped or helped in their subsequent careers.

     

    Verbatim comments from survey participants

    “The student mentors in each subject (gave) tailored advice about what is expected in supervisions, essays and exams. It was invaluable to talk to someone who had recently been through the same process.”

    “A really good workshop of CV writing skills offered excellent advice…that I’ve been using ever since.”

    “I can confidently say that the summer I spent in China funded by Gateway Challenges changed the whole direction of my career.”

    Thank you

    Many thanks to all the alumnae who took part in the survey and shared their views. Many of the questions asked for free text responses and this wealth of information provided the valuable insights in the report.

    The Gateway Programme relies on the goodwill and engagement of students, the generosity of our donors (especially the Lansdowne Charitable Trust, Ros Smith, Sharon Craggs, Wai San Wong, Sue Corbett and Sarah Canby), the commitment of our alumnae volunteers (especially Sheila Damon) and the support of many other contributors. 

    The College is also grateful to Dr Sara Horrell for conducting the survey research and to Dr Jill Armstrong for analysing the results that form the basis of the report.

    All images courtesy of Winston Sanders Photography.