Two days in the life of a university student

Over 50 Year 10 pupils from the West Midlands, Worcestershire and Staffordshire moved into halls of residence at the University of Wolverhampton to experience living and learning as a student.

The pupils enjoyed a round the clock programme of activities, including drama workshops, theatre technical production and a visit to a restaurant and cinema. Living in Halls also meant it was an authentic student experience for learners, including making their own breakfast and be ready on time to get to their first ‘lecture’.

The main focus of the Unifest 2010 programme was to encourage learners to work together on a drama production which was performed in front of a live audience after only two days.

They worked within a real theatre environment with staff from the Arena Theatre in Wolverhampton. All aspects of production were covered including scenery making, costume design, script writing, lyrics for music and lighting and sound production. The final performance was delivered to parents and pupils from a primary school.

Melanie Brown, Partnership Officer, University of Wolverhampton said the event, held from June 27 to July 2, was positively received by the students involved, many of whom were the only representative from their school.

She said: “It was brilliant to see how much the learners achieved in two days. Their final performance showed real effort and creativity. Many learners left with a new confidence in their skills.”

Schools and Colleges Liaison at the University has been running Summer Schools for a number years in partnership with Aimhigher in the West Midlands. The initiative encourages learners with little or no parental background in higher education to attend a residential programme and experience the potential benefits of university.

ENDS

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