Current and Prospective Students

Schools and Colleges

Parents and Carers

Professionals

Welcome

Realising Opportunities (RO) is a unique collaboration of leading, research intensive universities, working together to promote fair access and social mobility of students from groups underrepresented in higher education.

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For me, the most important part was knowing that I had a support network at RO

Jessica, Former RO student

Being part of a research intensive university involves me in the most recent research in my subject area… which is crucial for a job market that constantly demands you to be up to date

Nicola, Former RO student

RO has made me become a more independent learner and the experience was amazing

Shih hung, Former RO student

My Realising Opportunities highlight was going to different events … and having the opportunity to try new things, and gain the experience of what student life is like

Rushaa, Former RO student

I had no idea what a research intensive university was before taking part in RO

Raelle, Former RO student

RO has encouraged me to work harder to achieve the grades I want so I can get into a research intensive university

Former RO student

RO really taught me new skills that I can take to university and everywhere in life

Nawaal, Former RO student

My UCAS application was much stronger, but more importantly I feel I gained valuable skills that could be transferred to university

Robert, Former RO student

Gaining a huge insight into academic writing was the prefect segue into university life. I really do believe that RO gave me a head start to life at university and really did open up my eyes

Mohammed, Former RO student

Universities

The RO Partner universities are research intensive universities (RIUs).

RIUs produce high quality research which makes new discoveries possible, and contributes to increased knowledge for the good of society; RIUs seek to address global problems with cutting edge research. Teaching is research-led in a vibrant environment which makes for an exceptional student learning experience.

As such, the RO Partner universities have:

Leading academics and tutors, who are experts in their field.
Vibrant learning environments where new discoveries are being made.
Cutting edge facilities thanks to the investment associated with research.
Top careers guidance and strong links with business.
World-renowned reputations which are highly valued by employers.

The RO Partnership released a comprehensive Impact Report in December 2016 which you can view here. Please note, the figures available in this report will vary from the updated figures throughout the RO website.

You can find out more about our partner Universities by clicking through below:

Research at RO universities

At research intensive universities:

New discoveries are being made
Facilities are cutting edge
Research is being carried out to help address problems in the wider world
Researchers are experts in their fields and their enthusiasm and passion is shared with students studying at the university
Teaching at all levels is research- led or research-informed
There are strong links with business.

Students at research intensive universities benefit from:

Research-led teaching which creates vibrant learning environments
Opportunities to develop transferable skills which are valuable for employment and further study
Investment in cutting edge facilities
Careers Services which are able to establish and maintain strong links with businesses to ensure ongoing employment and development opportunities for their students and graduates
Through their collaboration with business, research intensive universities can also offer companies the benefits of research findings and give students opportunities to develop invaluable skills.

These skills include:

The ability to critically evaluate
Problem solving and analytical skills
Independent thinking
Time management
Communication skills

You can read more about the kinds of research taking place at our partner universities here

Central Team

The RO Central Team co-ordinates the Programme on behalf of the RO partnership.

Barbara Herring

Senior Project Manager

I was the first in my family to go to university and I have a degree in Politics from Durham University. I then studied part-time for a Masters in Global Governance at Northumbria University, whist working as a Progression Coach in a school in Newcastle.

Before joining RO in 2010, I worked in Widening Participation and Student Recruitment at Newcastle University. My role involves having overall responsibility for the management of Realising Opportunities and the work of the Central Team.

Hilary Wilkinson

Project Manager

Before joining the RO Central Team in 2017, I worked for over 13 years in Student Recruitment and Widening Participation at Newcastle University.

I graduated from Northumbria University with a BA Honours in Marketing and during my year out I worked in the University’s Student Recruitment Team. It was this role which introduced me to the area of work which was to become my chosen career.

My role involves the management of RO evaluation, monitoring and tracking, recruitment and targeting of students, and the management of the RO Academic element across all Partners.

Laura Draper

Project Manager

Having always loved learning languages and cultures I always knew that I wanted to go to university and study them. After graduating in 2012 from Newcastle University with BA Honours in French and German I moved abroad to start my first job.

I joined RO in February 2017 after completing a graduate scheme for Higher Education management.

My role involves managing the delivery of key areas of RO and developing the programme to ensure it continues to deliver high quality outcomes.

Charlotte Hamer

Project Assistant (Programme)

I graduated in 2018 from the University of Leeds and like many graduates I wanted to hold on to my student city for just a little bit longer, so I took a reception job working at the university. This led to me moving in to a graduate role at the University’s careers centre focusing on supporting widening participation students. This was my introduction to the widening participation sector, I learnt a lot from this role and it really encouraged me to continue to progress within this area. So one year after graduating I found myself moving to Newcastle to start my role with RO.

My role focuses on managing student queries and communications, maintaining the website and social media and supporting the organisation and delivery of the National Student Conference.

Rena Scott

Project Assistant (Partnership)

Having been a part of Realising Opportunities as a student, I joined the RO Central Team in June 2019. RO gave me the knowledge and confidence I needed to apply for university, and I started my degree in English Literature at the University of St Andrews in 2013.

After graduating, I researched my MLitt at Newcastle University – during this time I also worked as a CV adviser at the University’s Careers Service. After completing my research I went on to work in the International Office at Newcastle, before joining the RO Team.

My role involves providing administrative and technical support to the RO students and Partner Universities; I oversee programme recruitment, database development and data management.

Organisations we work with

At Realising Opportunities (RO) we work with a wide range of organisations to support the RO Programme in various ways. Please follow the links below for more information:

Ansbury are a third sector careers company who provide us with data support.

Brightside is a charity that helps the young people who need it most achieve education and career success. They have developed our ementoring portal and work with us to make sure both RO students and their mentors get the biggest possible benefits from their ementoring experience.

DX Net Solutions provide us with technical and database support.

Generation Medics works with RO to provide medical and health careers information, advice and support for RO students considering a career in medicine or health.

The Institute for Employment Studies (IES) independently evaluates the RO Programme.

The Nuffield Foundation is an endowed charitable trust that aims to improve social well-being in the widest sense. It funds research and innovation in education and social policy and works to build capacity in education, science and social science research.

UCAS provide RO with data support.

We work with the University Clinical Apptitude Test (UCAT) to ensure RO students interested in medicine are aware of and prepared for the UCAT test.

Research and Evaluation

RO has a robust evaluation framework in place to build an evidence base for the work of the Partnership. The framework is focused on gathering a mix of qualitative and quantitative information and evidence from students, teachers, parents, Higher Education Institutions, the national pupil database and UCAS.

The Institute for Employment Studies (IES) independently evaluates the RO Programme.

Evaluation
Report

Evaluation Infographic

Impact
Report

For comprehensive impact and evaluation reports on the RO Partnership please click above.

Professor Ella Ritchie
OBE, Chair of Realising Opportunities, Emeritus Professor at Newcastle University