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For the first time we invited summer school participants to send us diaries of their Cambridge experiences. We’re giving prizes to the best entries in six different summer school categories and will be publishing the winning diary in each category over the next few weeks.

We start with the diary of Samadul Haque, 21, a student at Bradford College who will take his A-levels next summer. He wins the category for participants in the FE Summer School and the Going Further Summer School. He will be the first in his family to go to university and hopes to study politics or philosophy.

We liked Samadul’s diary for its honest description of the challenges he’s overcome and for the passion and enthusiasm that shine through his account. He’s pictured above wearing the Cambridge ̽��ֱ�� sweatshirt that’s part of his prize.

̽��ֱ��word that comes to mind when I look back on my childhood and teenage years is despair. I’m a British Bangladeshi and was brought up in Bradford. My parents came to work in the textile industry but the mills eventually collapsed, and my father was out of work. Neither of my parents speaks English. Although they passionately wanted me to succeed, my parents had no understanding of the British education system.

I did well in first and second school (as they were then termed), especially in maths, but in upper school, things began to go wrong. At school I was subjected to much racial abuse and I started truanting, spending days wandering the streets. Between the ages of 14 and 16, I missed so much school that my parents were threatened with fines and I was put on a programme to remain in education, albeit two days a week. I felt terribly isolated.

I left school at 16 and was under pressure due to financial constraints. My city is rife with drug crime, and upon countless occasions I was tempted, in my young age and naivety, by offers from drug dealers to make “easy money”. Had it not been for the values my parents taught me, I believe I would have easily gone down that miserable route. I ended up spending the next four years in various low-paid dead end jobs in order to support my family.

Devoid of any satisfaction from working in these jobs, I would regularly relate my dream of one day returning to education to my colleagues. During this period, although I physically abandoned education, my heart and soul remained in it. I read many books (Malcolm X’s autobiography was a favourite as I felt I could relate to him on so many different levels) to fill this emptiness.

Eventually my family regained financial stability. At this point I rushed to my local college, Bradford College, and enrolled to do A-levels. I didn’t then know what universities to consider, or even which subjects to read, except that I yearned to dedicate my life to helping people. I remember longing to leave behind a legacy through which people would continue to benefit even after I die. Never in my wildest dreams however did I ever consider Cambridge.

At college I passionately submerged myself into studying, and it was a real motivator to be getting A grades in my essays and the Government & Politics exam I took in January. Then one ordinary day I was encouraged by a progressions tutor, Tina, to apply for a fully subsidised summer school at Cambridge. I was thrilled that I was considered and I promptly completed the application. However, I perceived Cambridge as exclusively elitist, beyond the reach of people like me and my friends, irrespective of our credentials, potential and aspirations.

Upon reading the acceptance letter I was filled with overwhelming jubilance. My friends at college were excited for me but they informed me of the aristocratic social setting to which I would be subjected. A popular warning was that I would feel out of place surrounded by grossly snobbish attitudes from patronising characters. Their warnings consolidated my existing stereotypes of Cambridge as a place full of public school��students in blazers, shirts and ties, all from upper class families in professions such as law and medicine.

Eventually the date of the summer school arrived and I embarked on what I saw as an ambiguous odyssey. ̽��ֱ��four-hour journey provided me more than sufficient time to worry about what lay in store. As the train approached Peterborough, my nerves overwhelmed me to the point that I almost returned home. To occupy my thoughts I began to read one of the set books for the A2 politics course (Heywood’s Political Ideologies). I told myself that if I missed the summer school, I’d live to regret it.

In no time, I found myself standing outside the porter’s lodge at Lucy Cavendish College paying the taxi fare from the station. ̽��ֱ��porter was wonderfully friendly but looking round at the other summer school students at the introductory session, I thought I spotted all the stereotypes I’d imagined and my heart sank. However, by the end of the first hour, everything had changed. I was made to feel incredibly welcome, my room was practical and spacious, the food was filling and delicious - and most importantly, the staff were both exceptionally helpful and wonderfully courteous.

During the next few days I met people from all walks of life. ̽��ֱ��other people on the summer school came from different parts of the globe including South Africa, each with their own unique stories and by default contributing to mine. Remarkable life experiences permeated every conversation, each group respecting the other. Everyone gelled and it felt as though we had known each other for much longer. This may be due to the fact that we all shared the desire to better our lives and the world, people who couldn’t take the conventional route for whatever reasons, and sought a second opportunity. In these few days alone I met the most amazing personalities. Friends I now claim forever.

̽��ֱ��taster sessions we attended were tremendously captivating. I found myself actively engaged and couldn’t stop asking questions. For me, the session on philosophy triumphed as it was the most congenial and informative. None of the professors were locked in ivory towers, but socialised with us as equals. They pitched their teaching at a level that enabled us to fully benefit. This I felt was an admirable gesture which I won’t forget.

We toured the city and different colleges and experienced life at Cambridge through local activities such as punting, theatre etc. We met Cambridge students and admissions tutors, hearing their stories and heeding their advice. We were free to ask anything as everyone was approachable. ̽��ֱ��entire experience was delightful and invaluably beneficial, almost surreal. It will be with me forever.

Ever since I was 16 or so, my target was to graduate from a university. I knew I had the ability to get a degree and to make a positive contribution to the world. In the past year my life has changed dramatically. It’s my ambition to work in human rights to help people that’s motivating me to succeed. For this reason I’m helping with a project for homeless children in Bradford and also joined the Bradford Civil Rights Youth Project. My family and teachers are extremely proud of me.

Thanks to the experience of attending the Going Further Summer School, I’ve reconsidered my prospects and I’m aiming even higher. I now aim for Cambridge, one of the best universities in the world.

We’d like to thank all those students who sent us their diaries and wish them best of luck for the future. Don’t miss the chance to read the next prize-winning diary next Friday.

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