'A week in the life' of a Pembroke student: Access Week 2024

Over the first week of August, Pembroke was home to 100 Year 12 pupils who experienced ‘a week in the life’ of a Pembroke student as part of our OxNet programme. 

OxNet runs six academically-intensive programmes for pupils from our target regions of West London, the North West and North East of England, each aiming to help students to prepare for higher education. The Access Week residential marks the end of the OxNet year and sees students take part in tutorials, lectures, day-trips and workshops, culminating with an awards ceremony and the Joseph Owen formal dinner to celebrate pupils’ achievements.

The week is an opportunity for students to develop new skills as well as to think beyond the curriculum and explore the variety of subjects and interdisciplinary learning they can engage with at university, all while showing that they can feel at home in an institution like Oxford.

We’re lucky enough to have had a number of OxNet alumni go on to join us as Pembroke students after their A-Levels, but the programme is designed to develop pupils’ academic ability, curiosity and confidence as they apply to their chosen universities and colleges, wherever they may be.

OxNet alumni have gone on to study at top universities across the country and further afield, with a number ending up at Pembroke and other Oxford and Cambridge colleges. One former pupil, now an undergraduate here, shares:

“When I first began the programme, I was so excited to receive my first university-style reading list (I had no clue what this looked like beforehand!) and I remember thinking how brilliant it was to have the opportunity to engage with my subject outside of my college classes. […] OxNet made me realise how much more there was to academia than GCSEs and A Levels, and I started to explore subjects that I truly enjoyed. At first, it was slightly nerve-wracking as I wasn’t too sure how to approach a university-style essay, but the preparation that OxNet provided beforehand gave me a strong foundation. After writing my first OxNet essay and realising how much I enjoyed it, the ambition finally started to kick in!”

Former OxNet pupils are often among those Pembroke students who take part in Access Week as Undergraduate Mentors, giving their time to support participants pastorally and academically, offering feedback and helping with essays and problem sheets. 

This year, Access Week coincided with the 400th anniversary of the College’s Foundation Day, when an oration was given by a Pembroke student on the official opening of the then new College. To mark the occasion, Access Week pupils experienced a re-enactment of that oration and took part in a 17th century music and dance workshop with musical group Passamezzo, who led the entertainment in full period dress. Read more about the Foundation Day celebrations here.

We wish our 2024 OxNet cohort all the best as they enter Year 13, and we look forward to meeting out next cohort early next year. Find out more about our access and outreach initiatives here.