Chinese students offered insight into Cambridge admissions through ‘Virtual University Fair’

The University of Cambridge webinar formed part of an event sponsored by Ambright Institute of Educational and Scientific Research

The Cambridge session featured Dr Sam Lucy, director of admissions for the Cambridge collegesCambridge Admissions Office

by Natasha Dangoor

This article is 6 years old

Friday May 1 2020, 12:01am

On Sunday (26/04) University of Cambridge academics took part in the ‘Virtual University Fair China 2020’, hosting a webinar which aimed to demystify the Cambridge admissions process for prospective Chinese students.

The event, sponsored by the Ambright Institute of Educational and Scientific Research, was organised in response to recent cancellations of campus visits, overseas research trips and physical open days due to Covid-19.

The Cambridge webinar presented an overview of the University and its colleges, the application and admission processes, and courses open to applicants from mainland China. Participants also learnt about university life in Cambridge and the Oxbridge supervision system.

Professor David Cardwell, the University’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor, and Dr Sam Lucy, director of admissions for Cambridge colleges, spoke directly to prospective applicants across China.

The webinar is one of many in a major non-profit series which promotes various universities across the UK and Ireland.

“The scale of [Virtual University Fair China 2020] goes way beyond that of any online forum with which the University has engaged in its overseas recruitment in the past, and offers a potential watershed in widening participation in mainland China in the future,” said Dr Lucy.

First fully digital Union debate explores global lockdown strategies

Dr Lucy also spoke of the benefits of a virtual approach, stating it offered the potential of “reducing [the University’s] carbon footprint and increasing the efficiency and effectiveness of communicating on a wide scale” which also has “significant potential benefit of the Virtual University Fair”.

President of the Ambright Institute, Sean Zhang, stated that the fair aims to “benefit universities and students”, and thanked Dr. Lucy and Professor Cardwell for participating “despite the disruption the Covid-19 pandemic has caused Cambridge”.

Support Varsity

Varsity is the independent newspaper for the University of Cambridge, established in its current form in 1947. In order to maintain our editorial independence, our print newspaper and news website receives no funding from the University of Cambridge or its constituent Colleges.

We are therefore almost entirely reliant on advertising for funding and we expect to have a tough few months and years ahead.

In spite of this situation, we are going to look at inventive ways to look at serving our readership with digital content and of course in print too!

Therefore we are asking our readers, if they wish, to make a donation from as little as £1, to help with our running costs. Many thanks, we hope you can help!