Joel's Dash To Cambridge

Hi, thanks for stopping by!

My name is Joel, and I have a mad idea to see if I can raise enough money to pay my university tuition in less than 3 weeks, if you're interested, please keep reading...

I'm an employee of Edinburgh Sheriff and JP Court, a graduate from the University of Edinburgh (2.1 English Literature and Classics) and am determined to take up my offer to study Senior Status Law at the University of Cambridge.

I have until September to raise £22,640 of tuition to study at the University of Cambridge. Although it is an extremely steep hill to climb, with your help I hope to fulfil my dream of being able to study at Cambridge.

Please donate anything you can, even a small amount can go a long way to helping me reach my goal!

Donor Rewards

Up to £20 - Thank you message

Up to £50 - Video thank you message + Thank you message

Up to £100 - Thank you letter mailed to you and all below

£200 and over - Suggest a challenge and all below

Milestone Challenges

As a bit of fun, for each milestone I shall complete one of these challenges! All shall be recorded and shared publicly.

£500 - Shave Head:

£750 - Play saxophone upside down:

£1000 - Leg Wax

£5000 - All Day Sack Race

£10,000 - Row 15000 meters dressed as hot dog

£15,000 - Punt across Cambridge dressed as clown

£20,000 - Bungee Jump (I’m scared of heights)

Full Amount - London Marathon in Chicken suit

Usage of funds

Money raised from this campaign will be exclusively directed towards the payment of tuition fees for the first year of my Cambridge undergraduate. In the unlikely event the initial goal is surpassed, additional funds will be spent on maintenance costs i.e. living expenses, accommodation, learning resources.

My motivation

I became very interested in the law over the course of my first undergraduate degree. I took online courses, and read books like the Secret Barrister and Against The Law to nurture my learning, but I ultimately wanted a much deeper understanding. My job at Edinburgh Sheriff Court has helped me gain practical experience, but my desire to study at Cambridge comes from a sincere place of wanting to learn more about the law, and dreams of one day being called to the Bar as a Barrister. The legal pathway is a notoriously expensive one. I had hoped to fund my degree through scholarships, but unfortunately virtually nothing is available for someone studying my course.

Context (short version)

Having exhausted all other possible funding routes, crowdfunding is the only means left I have of being able to take up my place. The figure I have to meet is vast, but with your help, you would give me the chance to become the first in my family to study an undergraduate at Cambridge, and access a life changing education.

Context (longer version)

The Senior Status Law degree is an undergraduate degree in Law offered by Cambridge which is completed in 2 years rather than the usual three, and is offered only to those who already completed an undergraduate degree. It is very competitive but also costly. Unfortunately there are no government loans available for second undergraduate degrees with a few exceptions. Additionally there are next to no scholarship programmes available either as I have painstakingly discovered over the course of many months. I am now in a position of precariousness. If I cannot pay the tuition by early September my place will be withdrawn. In such a small timeframe it's an immense challenge, but I hope by getting the word out I might get some support.