Outreach at Catz: Ali’s story

Originally from Iraq, Ali Jassam (2020, Maths) grew up in London and attended the Chelsea Academy, a coeducational Church of England secondary school and sixth form with academy status.

“I always knew I wanted to study Maths or Physics at a top university. Once I heard about Cambridge for the first time in Year 11, studying at the University became one of my main goals. I wanted to become a theoretical physicist and I thought Cambridge could help me achieve this aspiration, thanks to the amazing lecturers, resources and other students I might encounter.”

One of the main ways Ali turned his dream into reality was thanks to the Chelsea Academy’s established relationship with The Access Project (TAP), an educational charity that supports students from disadvantaged backgrounds to access higher education, through a unique combination of tuition and in-school mentoring.

TAP is also one of the organisations that St Catharine’s partners with to achieve our access and outreach goals. The College typically hosts two Year 10 trips for TAP each year and one Year 12 trip in collaboration with Newnham College, and donates £1000 each year to support travel costs associated with these trips to Cambridge.

Ellie Baird, TAP’s University Events & Student Enrichment Manager, comments, “We are so proud of students like Ali who work incredibly hard and achieve their dreams of attending a top university. TAP have been working with Catz for the past 4 years and the College’s support in key parts of our programme through trips and our Oxbridge Society has been invaluable. I am particularly proud of how we designed our trip to include mock supervision for our students to give them the experience of what studying is like and support them with their application and interviews. We are running our Oxbridge Trip again this year virtually, and are so happy to be working with Catz again!”

Ali was able to join a TAP trip to the College in Year 12, which included the chance to experience mock supervision with current Catz students. It was a life-changing visit for him:

“Honestly, I fell in love with Catz during my visit. The tour of the College itself was amazing and it felt very cosy. Everyone I met was really friendly and nice – especially the PhD Maths student who had volunteered to lead the mock supervision and encouraged us to think about trickier maths problems, which I found challenging and inspiring in equal measure. The insights I gained that day helped me throughout the application process and interview stage, as well as during my first few weeks of undergraduate studies.”

Before he returned to Catz for his admissions interview, Ali participated in interview workshops organised by TAP to provide an idea of the conversations that might happen on the day. He found these immensely useful as a way to overcome his fears and prepare for what could happen on the day itself.

“St Catharine’s support for outreach activities is so important because a lot of applicants in my situation might be deterred from applying because of their circumstances, and they might not realise that the College simply want brilliant students and support is available. Ultimately, these activities help to level the field and support the best students, by overcoming the different barriers to applying, interviewing and accepting a place.”

Advice from Ali for applicants

Now in his first year at Catz, Ali has kindly offered advice for anyone thinking about applying:

• “For anyone applying for a Maths degree, practice makes perfect. Graph sketching is an important skill and you can make up very weird functions to try. I’d recommend completing a few practice STEP papers and challenging yourself with harder Maths before the interview. Try to understand the entire A Level syllabus and master the different concepts involved – be aware of how things work and why they work.”
• “Despite all my preparation, I was extremely nervous in my interview. I know this is easier said than done but try not to let nerves get the best of you. It can help to vocalise what you're thinking with the interviewer (some ideas are always better than none) and remember that the College wants you to succeed and will try to work with you, not against.”
• “Regardless of your subject, take up all the opportunities you can to find out more about the application process, whether that’s through a programme like TAP, resources produced for applicants or your own research. There’s a wealth of information available such as the video produced by the University of Cambridge with four successful applicants sharing their experiences.”

​​If you thinking about applying, please reach out and contact the College’s admissions team with any questions or concerns. We are always happy to hear from applicants and provide advice.

• Megan Walsh, Undergraduate Admissions Administrator (undergraduate.admissions@caths.cam.ac.uk) – For specific questions about an application to Cambridge (A Level combinations, grade requirements, application paperwork or processes)
• Kathryn Singleton, Schools Liaison Officer (slo@caths.cam.ac.uk) – For general advice on preparing to make an Oxbridge application (advice on exploring an academic subject beyond the school curriculum; advice for parents, guardians, and teachers; insights from current St Catharine’s students about life at Cambridge)