Rory Maddinson had already completed a full UCAS application and was in the final months of studying for his A-levels when, through a chance discovery, he realised he could do university very differently.
An avid young historian, he was searching his school library archives in Cheltenham when he stumbled across the details of a century-old scholarship programme which twinned his sixth form with the University of British Columbia, in Vancouver. The opportunity was not advertised, and none of his friends knew anything about it – but he didn’t let that put him off.
Though he’d never been to Canada before, or even considered studying abroad, Maddinson jumped at this sudden opportunity. He filled in an application directly to the university, including a personal statement about his achievements, and within weeks he had an unconditional offer to study an arts bachelor’s degree. It was a relaxing prospect compared to the three A grades he needed to meet the entry requirements of his UK choices.
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Not only that, the scholarship award covered the whole cost of his four years of study: tuition fees (worth around $47,000 a year for international students), flights, visas, accommodation and a stipend for living costs too. “It was a ridiculous bursary,” he says. “Because it was so ridiculous, my mum was worried. She thought it was some sort of organ harvesting scam, but I was willing to take the risk.”
