Tell us about your Sutton Trust UK Summer School experience…

A week at Warwick University–what more could you ask for? I’m Agithan, a South-Londoner, studying at Wilson’s School, and let me tell you about how special my experience was taking part in the economics stream at the Sutton Trust Warwick Summer School.

As days went by in the lead up to the summer school, I felt much more nervous but at the same time thrilled and excited that I would be meeting new people who shared the same passion I had towards studying economics at Warwick.

As a Londoner, I was afraid that I may not fit in to the Coventry lifestyle and dreaded the idea of not making new friends. How I was so wrong in thinking that. Upon arrival at Coventry station, I was able to instantly mingle with other students on the programme where most were on different streams, such as politics and physics. People I met on the scheme were very friendly and everyone was more than happy to talk to one another.

The highlight of the week had to be the ‘We Are A Knockout’ challenge on the first day. This was a fun, entertaining activities session that allowed us to bond with other people on our stream and created a lively atmosphere where everyone was participating. Nothing like anything I had experienced before, this challenge incorporated team exercises and games that drew out our inner child. The thought of being at university was lost in my mind during this session, which really highlighted that this summer school was not just about education but to have an enjoyable experience. Throughout the week, we would work on group-based projects and listen in on lectures delivered by an academic.

I think what really hit me is that attending an hour and a half lecture at 9am in the morning was no walk in the park, which meant that this experience prepared me for the worst to come at university. The mentors and staff could not have been more helpful and welcoming as they would do all they could to aid us in our projects and also alleviate many concerns and questions raised about university life.

Warwick university did an amazing job in organising this summer school to ensure that we, as students, benefitted most from speaking to university students and lecturers and to allow us to also experience the ‘non-academic’ and less stressful side of university. By the end of this week, I had made many new friends from different parts of the UK and honestly, I wish I could do it all again.

Notably, the most important fact I took away from my time in Warwick is that going to university is a once in a lifetime opportunity and this summer school cemented my aspirations of going to Warwick to study Economics.