The Paradox of Progress: Gender Disparity in Higher Education
Getting into university is an amazing milestone, but have you ever stopped to think about who is actually running the show once you get there?
Give an Hour, Grow With It: How Mentoring Adds up to More Than a Degree
When you picture university life, mentoring might not be the first thing that comes to mind. But giving an hour a week to help someone through a hard process turns out to be one of the better ways to build your own experience too, alongside making a real difference to theirs.
Dismantling the First-Gen University Gap
Around the world, students sit at their desks, working late into the night and studying for exams. They motivate themselves with a simple message: “If you just work hard enough, you will get in.”
This is the narrative constantly fed to us by parents, teachers, and the media.
But is it actually true for everyone?
The Application Trap: Why Record Numbers Are Only Half the Battle
More higher education applications are coming from England’s poorest areas than ever before.
This is a milestone worth celebrating. It shows the message is finally getting through: higher education is for everyone.
But if we stop the conversation here, we are missing where the real work actually starts.
5 Questions with Beni Mautner
Meet Beni, the Global Director of Technology at Project Access!
Beni is the Global Director of Technology at Project Access. He came on board as an Engineer about two years ago and handled most of the tech stuff at PA for a bit. After a while, he joined the leadership team and helped make the switch to using more in-house tech solutions, starting with moving the Talent Team’s operations to PA’s own platform—which now handles a lot of the daily workflows and data.
5 Questions with Nilay Ersoy
Meet Nilay, the former Head of Country Operations!
Nilay Ersoy is a student at Harvard University, double majoring in Government (Data Science) and Economics.
She currently was working as the Global Director of Country Operations at Project Access, where she worked to strengthen communication and collaboration across Country Teams and the international team. Nilay’s journey at PA began in 2022 as a mentee applying to U.S. colleges, which inspired her to join as a Mentor and Outreach Officer for Team Germany after her admission to Harvard.
5 Questions with Dina Pöllänen
Meet Dina, the Head of Project Access Team Finland!
She’s currently studying Biochemistry at Imperial college London and joined Project Access after attending Team Finland’s Bootcamp in 2022. Dina started as an outreach officer before stepping up to the role as the head of the team.
Meet the Team: “Hard Work Can Take You to New Heights”
Meet Iris: Our Global Director of Programs and a Finnish-American competitive climber who once told her local CVS cashier she’d make the Olympics. Now at Harvard, she shares how the same grit that took her to the World Cup circuit helped her craft a powerful university application story.
Project Access Wins International University Access Organisation of the Year Award
Project Access has been named International University Access Organisation of the Year 2024 and received the UK Excellence in Social Mobility Award for its work supporting underrepresented students. With over 5,000 mentees across 140+ countries, the charity offers free, one-to-one mentorship to help talented students access top universities.