Fifty first year students have been given a chance to shine as the University of Bath's newest Gold Scholars.

Established in 2017, the Gold Scholarship Programme has so far given 150 undergraduate students a golden opportunity to study at Bath. Supported by generous donations from the University's alumni and friends, the Programme aims to ensure that students from a wide range of backgrounds can benefit from a University of Bath education.

Getting quizzical

The new Gold Scholars had the chance to get to know each other, and meet some of the second year cohort, during two GSP-exclusive pub quiz evenings following Freshers’ Week.

The Scholars also had a chance to learn more about the Programme as part of their Welcome Day. First year attendees had the opportunity to meet members of V-Team and find out more about the exciting volunteering opportunities open to them at the University and in the wider Bath community. Year 2 Scholars reflected on the skills they had developed since starting university and set new goals for the year ahead.

Meeting the Mentors

Gold Scholarships offer more than just financial support. The programme also helps students make the valuable connections they will need to succeed beyond Bath by introducing them to a pool of talented Gold Mentors.

The Mentors come from a variety of backgrounds and hold experience in everything from social work to founding start-up companies. Each Mentor brings a different perspective and their own unique advice to the role. This year, the Scholars were fortunate to be joined by a number of University of Bath staff, from across academic and administrative departments, who had committed their time as new Gold Mentors.

The Gold Scholars met with their new and returning Gold Mentors at a special networking reception held at The Edge on 6 November. Professor Bernie Morley, Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, congratulated the new Scholars:

You exemplify the things that we’re really looking for in Bath students: tenacity, talent and drive.

He welcomed the returning second-year scholars back to Bath, and shared just a few of the incredible projects they had been a part of over the summer.

  • Two scholars were awarded highly prestigious ACU Global Summer School grants giving them the opportunity to study biotechnology at Nanyang Technological University (Singapore) and learn more about urban sustainability and building a green society at the Chinese University of Hong Kong.

  • A number of Gold Scholars have volunteered as mentors themselves, supporting primary and secondary school pupils in London through the IntoUniversity Mentoring Scheme. The Scheme teaches University students how to plan and deliver tailored, one-to-one mentoring sessions and pairs them with a mentee.

  • Thanks to the Gold Scholarship Summer Opportunities Fund – established through the generous support of alumna and Gold Mentor Kate Aldridge (MSci Mathematics & Physics 2012) – one scholar undertook a two week chemistry lab project with The Cresswell Group, an organic synthetic research group at Bath. Alongside academic excellence, support from the Fund also enabled her to pursue her athletic ambitions and attend rhythmic gymnastics training camps.

Professor Morley then introduced the evening's first guest speaker and new Gold Mentor, George Griffiths (BSc Biology 2019). George is the Founder of Expo Education, a project that helps students get free tickets to world-leading conferences through volunteering. The project has helped students at the University of Bath, including current Gold Scholars, to gain access to cutting-edge conferences dedicated to everything from artificial intelligence and cyber security to finance.

George encouraged the Scholars to embrace honesty when building their networks and to swap "I can't do this!" for "I don't know this yet" when meeting new people and approaching unfamiliar situations. He invited Scholars to approach the evening's networking with an interest and enthusiasm for learning new things.

The reception's final guest speaker was Margaret White, the newly appointed Patron for the Gold Scholarship Programme. In her new role, Margaret will use her extensive experience in education to publicly advocate for the Programme. She closed by explaining to guests why she had chosen to become a Gold Scholarship Programme advocate:

I am so delighted to be Patron of the Gold Scholarship Programme here at the University of Bath. I believe it to be one of the most innovative and comprehensive schemes of its kind in the UK in enabling young people to connect with an excellent university education in ways that might otherwise not be possible.

Find out more

Find out more about our Gold Scholarship Programme and get to know some of our Gold Scholars on the student blog.

If you're interested in learning more about becoming a Gold Mentor, please contact Liz Simmons (Scholarships and Bursaries Enrichment Manager) at gold-mentors@updates.bath.ac.uk.