The University of Cambridge has unveiled a new video aimed at boosting applications from rural backgrounds.

The latest in an ongoing series, My Cambridge shows three undergraduates talking about their degrees, and the experiences they have had at the University, over shots of them in their usual daily activities.

Particular emphasis is placed on breaking down myths about life at Cambridge, with students’ non-academic pursuits are highlighted.

Bryn Pickering, a final-year engineering student at Robinson, who took part in the video, said he was “passionate about widening participation in Cambridge.
He said: “I come from a very rural area, where the idea of Cambridge seemed remote.” 

In the past, much of the University’s outreach work has focused on inner-city neighbourhoods. In contrast, My Cambridge focuses on students from rural backgrounds.

Rachel Lister, Head of Student Recruitment and Information, said: “We advertised for participants through a number of the university’s access networks. Our primary interest was to find undergraduates with strong stories to share.

“We are pleased that those who made the final list demonstrate the diversity of backgrounds from which Cambridge draws.”

Heather McKay, a second-year land economy student at Selwyn College, also appears in the video. Discussing her own application and the reservations she had about seeking a place at Cambridge, she said: “As I’m from a state school myself, and had very few contacts to help me through my own application process, I thought it sounded like a project that was right up my street.”

Though she expressed reservations about the ongoing imbalance in the backgrounds of students who apply, she commended the university for “trying to work around the stigma of Cambridge through creating online resources such as this that anyone anywhere can access.

“Many people who haven’t experienced this personally don’t understand how big an obstacle it is for most people to apply somewhere that none of their peers ever have,” she added.

Figures from the Office for Fair Access indicate that 36.7 per cent of Cambridge students in 2013 were from independent schools, the smallest proportion since the early 1980s.