Local student accepted into Cambridge for PGCE

Local university student Lauren Lopez has been accepted into Cambridge University’s Masters in Critical Approaches to Children’s Literature.

Ms Lopez is currently at the University of Kent in her final year of study towards a BA in Comparative Literature and is writing her dissertation on the topic of Children’s Holocaust Literature.

“I decided to apply for teacher training at Cambridge due to the University’s high standards of research and teaching,” she said.

“Cambridge is the top-ranking University in England for education, and after years of maintaining high academic standards, I was encouraged by my lecturers at the University of Kent to apply for a place on the English Literature PGCE in Cambridge University, along with the Universities of Oxford and Exeter.”

“After weeks of nerve-racking interviews, I was offered places at each of these Universities.”

“However, I did ultimately decide to accept the offer of a place at Cambridge.”

She opted for Cambridge mainly because it offered a Masters in Critical Approaches to Children’s Literature.

“This is an area of particular interest to me, as I am currently writing my Dissertation on the topic of Children’s Holocaust Literature, and hope to continue my research in this area beyond my undergraduate studies,” she said.

“Additionally, Cambridge structured the PGCE course in a way that allowed students to begin taking an active role in classrooms only a few weeks after the beginning of the course.”

“I found this much more attractive than spending the entirety of the first term within the university learning theory, as I am excited to take an active role and really dive into the role of teaching, even though this might be more challenging.”

“Especially after spending the best part of a year in lockdown, I am longing to engage with such a purposeful career.”

When she received the news that she had been accepted she couldn’t believe it and recalls that she kept going back to check the email detailing her offer to make sure she had not imagined it.

“I received the news during the middle of lockdown, so as with most things that happened last year, it was not the moment I had expected,” she said.

“But I was able to share it with my fiancé and received many wonderful messages and calls from my friends and family.”

“Ultimately, it was a truly special moment, as I have worked very hard, from my GCSEs to A Levels and now my undergraduate degree where I am on track to obtain a First, and it finally felt like all those years of hard work had paid off.”

Her course will begin in September, and while she expects that it will be extremely challenging and demanding where she will need to balance school placements alongside assignments she is keen to get started.

Once Ms Lopez completes her Masters in Critical Approaches to Children’s Literature she aims to continue her research and study by undertaking a PhD.