Subjects covered by the series will include:

• The Surprising Roots of the Vietnam War with Professor Andrew Preston
• Secrets of Early Modern Prisoners with Dr Elizabeth Foyster
• Early Modern Material Culture with Dr Aislinn Muller
• The Sixteenth-Century Roots of Artificial Intelligence with Dr Tom McClelland
• The Hidden Stories of Women in Science during WW1 with Dr Patricia Fara
• History of Art with Dr Lucia Tantardini

The Secret Histories workshops in 2023-24 take place on Wednesday evenings at 5-6pm.

While it is not compulsory to attend every session, we encourage you to attend as many sessions as you can, including the workshops on topics you haven't come across before. You may discover a new favourite subject!

This online programme is aimed at students interesting in studying an arts or humanities course at a competitive university and who enjoy being stretched and challenged outside the classroom. The programme is free of charge.

The programme is open to all students who are in Year 12 (England/Wales), S5 (Scotland) or Year 13 (Northern Ireland) at a state (non fee-paying) school or college.

You do not need to be taking any particular courses in school or college at the moment, but you might consider applying for this programme if you're interested in any of the following subjects:

• English
• History
• History of Art
• Modern Languages
• Philosophy and Ethics

The programme will not assume any prior knowledge of the above fields, so don't worry if you're not taking these courses at the moment.

Please note: students must obtain parental/guardian permission to take part in this programme. 

Widening participation criteria

In the event of over-subscription, places will be prioritised for students who meet at least one of the following criteria:

• Are care experienced
• Have been eligible for Free School Meals (at any point in the last six years)
• Are, or have been, an asylum seeker or refugee
• Have significant caring responsibilities
• Are estranged from close family members
• Live in an area of low progression to higher education (POLAR4)
• Live in an area of high deprivation (IMD)
• Attend a low-performing sixth form
• Attend/attended a low-performing GCSE school
• Are from an under-represented ethnic group, these include:
  • Black African and Black Caribbean
  • Pakistani and Bangladeshi
  • Gypsy, Roma and Traveller
• Are from any background or region of the UK which is under-represented at the University of Cambridge

Applications to this programme are now closed. You can register your interest here to be notified when sign ups for the 2024-25 programme open.