Year 10 summer residential: Your Future Your Choice

SummerDo you have students in Year 10 curious about higher education? Our summer school offers students the opportunity to discover what it is like to study at university, in particular a research-led institution like Birmingham. 

There are two broad academic streams - Health Careers and Routes to My Future. Students will stay in a University Hall of residence, follow a programme of social activities and experience a taste of university life. All students are given support and guidance by our student ambassadors who are current undergraduates at the University. This event is free of charge and open to students in West Midlands state schools. 

Health Careers: 14 - 16 July and 17 - 19 July 2019

Students will attend lectures and seminars in health related subjects and so must demonstrate a broad interest in this subject area in the application. The Health Careers residential will be a busy and fun-packed three days offering a taste of academic and social activities that will be open to pupils as a university student. Students will take part in a series of sessions, find out about the health sciences professions and attend lectures and seminars in health-related subjects. There will also be advice on making a successful application to study at university.

Routes to My Future: 14 - 16 July 2019

Students will attend lectures and seminars in subjects such as engineering, law, languages, business and sports science and should therefore have some preference for the humanities/social sciences. If a student is considering university, but not sure what they want to study, the Routes to My Future stream is ideal as it will explore a range of subjects for those who are still undecided on which career path to take. During the three days students will participate in fun, informative and interactive workshops in a range of subjects the University has to offer.

Entry criteria

Students should meet the following criteria:

✔ Student is on track to achieve 5 GCSEs 9 – 5 in their exams
✔ Come from a home where there is no history of parents attending university in the UK or abroad
✔ Attend a local state school, in Birmingham or the wider West Midlands
✔ Parents/guardians/carers are unemployed or in jobs that do not require university-level qualifications
✔ Home postcode shows that the student lives in an area with low levels of progression to Higher Education

If the student is in receipt of, or entitled to, free school meals/pupil premium we will also take this into consideration.

We will also take into consideration circumstances such as disability, long-term illness or time spent in care which may have prevented students from achieving their full potential.

How to apply 

Students need to check they meet the eligibility criteria above and that they're able to attend the summer school on all the correct dates. There are two ways to apply for the summer school:

  • Students can apply for a place directly by completing our Information Booklet and Application Form and giving back to their school. The teacher then needs to complete their section and post this back to us by 9 March 2019. 
  • Students can also choose to apply through AimHigher, who offer a UniFest summer school programme across six universities in the West Midlands (including this one at the University of Birmingham)

You may have some questions about the summer school, if you do please visit our helpful FAQ page. If you cannot find the answer to your question, please contact the Summer School team who will be happy to assits you with your query.