Undergraduate Offer Holders Welcomed to Pembroke Community

On Thursday 18th March the College for the first time hosted a virtual welcome event for undergraduate offer holders.  We were delighted that 97 of our offer holders were able to attend, tuning in from 11 different countries and representing a total of 36 different course combinations.

Those who gathered were welcomed by our Master Sir Ernest Ryder, as well as the Academic Director and our JCR (undergraduate student body) President.  They were then able to join small group sessions with current students and tutors in their subjects to find out more about what to expect when studying and living at Pembroke.  There was plenty of time to ask questions and get to know each other a little.  Further events will be held in the coming months to build on these new relationships and answer more questions.

Nancy Braithwaite, Academic Director, said: “This year’s offer holders have had an unusual application experience.  In most cases they have not had the chance to visit Oxford or the College.  We did our best with virtual open days last year, but we really want our offer holders to have the chance to get to know some people in Pembroke and to get a better feel for what their own experience might be like.  We are looking forward to their arrival and will be here to support them in settling in and going forward through their course.  For now, we hope that they are excited about the opportunity to join our community and to continue on their academic journey with us.”

Offer holders gave their feedback on the event afterwards, saying that they found it helpful to have a chance to ask questions and find out more about Pembroke.  One participant commented ‘I walked away with a great impression of Pembroke College and am excited to begin my studies in October. The atmosphere is clearly very friendly, intellectual and supportive.’ Another participant remarked ‘The tutors were so enthusiastic and welcoming, it was a relief to see them and be able to introduce ourselves in a less formal way than the interviews.’

We hope that offer holders enjoyed and learned a lot from the event, and that this and future events will help them to feel welcome ahead of beginning their studies at Pembroke.