Cherwell has learned that Pembroke College currently hosts a £3,995 summer school, the Oxford Summer College, and its subsidiary, the Oxbridge Admissions Programme, which purports to aid “high-achieving students aged 16-18” with their Oxbridge applications. Both courses claim on their websites that “Oxbridge academics” are involved in the schemes, a claim which has been questioned by members of the University.
The two week Oxford Summer College costs £3,995 to attend, whilst the Oxbridge Admissions Programme, a four day residential course, costs £985. On its website, the Oxford Summer College states it “provides expert tuition from Oxbridge academics”. The Oxbridge Admissions Programme claims, “Top Oxbridge graduates and University tutors have designed our course.”
Greg Auger, a St John’s student who ran for OUSU VP for Access and Academic Affairs last term, told Cherwell, “This company is conning applicants. Their homepage consists of a video in which the first sentence claims their course ‘has been created exclusively by Oxbridge academics’. So you might be surprised to discover that James Gold, their founder and director, has no expertise beyond having graduated from Cambridge (though he does plug his MA where he can, despite the fact that this is just a title conferred on Cambridge BA holders after two years). Although I think Oxford could do more, the information needed to make a competitive Oxford application is available freely online. The natural implication is that companies selling application advice are conning applicants, mostly international applicants in this case.”
James Gold informed Cherwell, “Both programmes at the Oxford Summer College are designed and taught by our academic teaching staff. The team at the Oxford Summer College includes those who currently teach at Oxford or Cambridge University, Oxbridge graduates and current undergraduates.”
In #HongKong dreaming of UK education? Visit our seminar tomorrow at #UnitedCentre and boost your applications. https://t.co/LMsnExzMna
— OxfordSummerCollege (@OxSummerCollege) February 6, 2015
In response to the claim that Oxford academic teaching staff were involved in the paid summer school, Alan Bogg, Professor of Labour Law at Hertford College, commented, “I would be very surprised to learn that employed academics in the collegiate university are engaged in external paid employment in the provision of admissions guidance, where potential applicants are paying a fee for the privilege. Quite apart from the ethics of it, it would be an arguable breach of the implied duty of fidelity in the main contract of employment with the University. The University might also instruct its employees not to earn outside remuneration from activities that are fundamentally antithetical to its institutional commitment to outreach and principles of fair access. A failure to obey such an instruction would also be a breach of contract.”
A spokesperson for the University said, “Oxford University is aware that organisations approach our students and staff to work for them, and may use college premises (just as academic conferences and other summer events lease college rooms and facilities). The University does not endorse any commercial operations or publications offering advice or training on our admissions process, nor do we guarantee the accuracy of any such company’s information.”
Gold, the Director of the course, described the Oxford Summer College to Cherwell as “a not-for-profit company with the aim of expanding access to Oxbridge for students from non-traditional backgrounds”. He went on to say, “The first programme is a two-week course aimed at overseas students who want to experience studying in the UK. The focus of the programme is the academic study of two subjects although we do include some Oxbridge admissions advice for the minority of our international students who are thinking about applying to Oxbridge. Most of our international students will be considering applications to top universities globally and come on our course to help them decide if the UK is right for them. We offer scholarships to academically gifted international students from non-traditional backgrounds as we believe that access schemes to top universities such as Oxford and Cambridge should not just be limited to UK based students.
“The second programme is a four day course aimed at UK students who would like to apply to Oxford or Cambridge. Last year, at least half of the places available on this course were provided as full scholarships to students from non-traditional backgrounds and we will do the same this year. To support our scholarship programme we spoke at over twenty non-selective state schools last year as part of our outreach work to encourage more students from diverse backgrounds to apply to Oxbridge.”
Cat Jones, the OUSU VP-elect for Access & Academic Affairs and a student at Pembroke, commented, “I am aware of these summer schools and I agree that they are problematic. There are so many people within Pembroke and throughout Oxford that are working tirelessly to try and break the longstanding link between income and Oxford offers. I personally feel that this is undermined by schemes that claim to increase the likelihood of gaining an Oxford offer if you can afford the thousands of pounds for the course. As a former Pembroke Access Rep, and current Pembroke student, I am uncomfortable with Pembroke lending its facilities and therefore legitimacy to these summer schools.”
Pembroke has previously been criticised for its access record. Between 2011 and 2013, it had the lowest average of state school acceptances out of all Oxford colleges, awarding only 46.2 per cent of undergraduate places to students from a state school background.
When questioned about the summer school, a spokesperson for Pembroke College told Cherwell, “The Oxford Summer College is a client of Pembroke’s conference and events business. Facilities are hired by them under the same terms as apply to all other clients, and Pembroke College is not involved in the organisation of their programmes.”
Pembroke JCR President Ben Nabarro refused to comment, while OUSU VP for Access & Academic Affairs James Blythe had not provided comment by the time of print.
