While some undergraduates starting in the new academic year may
have sleepless nights over mounting student debt, Chris Nation can rest safe in
the knowledge that he can attend university without paying a single penny.
The 18-year-old from Taunton in Somerset has become the
first winner of the Lifetime Scholarship from Cardiff University.
The soon to be undergraduate scooped the prize after being
recognised for his academic abilities and for demonstrating perseverance as he
completed a series of tests designed to unearth the most exceptional applicant
to the University.
Chris fought off competition from 500 other entrants from
the UK and EU, who also undertook online tests as part of the competition’s Thrive
Challenge.
Commenting on the competition, Professor George Boyne, Chair
of the Undergraduate Recruitment Campaign and Dean of Cardiff Business School
said: “It has been a resounding success and we were hugely impressed with the
calibre of the entrants and particularly the six finalists. It was an extremely
hard decision but Chris stood out. We look forward to building on this success
and attracting the most talented students in 2013 and beyond.”
The six finalists were whittled down to one after attending
an assessment day at the Cardiff University as well as enduring one-to-one
interviews, and delivering a ten minute presentation on the subject they wished
to study at university.
The Lifetime scholarship means that Chris will get £27,000
worth of fees, for an undergraduate course lasting three years, waived. The
student also has plans to go on to do PhD with legal practice training, which
would mean that he had completed £50,000 of university education without
dipping in to his own funds.
Chris said: “I always like a challenge and the Lifetime
Scholarship is an amazing prize due to the rise in fees this year. The hardest
part for me about the Challenge was making the video as I shot it in lots of
different locations and then the editing took longer than I had expected. I
wanted to make the video funny but also wanted to show that I have a serious
side – so I tried to make it a good balance of the two.”
Could you use your
presentation skills to win a place on a graduate job scheme?