Record number of uni applications for Pestalozzi

Thirty-four students from Sedlescombe’s Pestalozzi International Village, including some recent graduates who took a gap year, have submitted 303 applications to 79 universities in cities from Bremen in Germany to Cambridge in Massachusetts, Abu Dhabi, Brighton, London and Singapore.

Pestalozzi students, who come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds and study at Sussex Coast College Hastings, often apply for places at universities in the USA.

Many American universities offer full scholarships to young people who would otherwise not be able to afford further education, and Pestalozzi Alumni are currently studying at MIT, Duke and Bucknell among others.

Chileshe Lukwesa, who came to Pestalozzi from Zambia, said: “Applying to American universities is a long and daunting process but it becomes exciting once you learn about all the amazing opportunities there are for students.

“I have interests in many different academic fields and studying in the US will allow me to pursue as many of these as I would like, and possibly even discover new interests!”

Representatives from several universities, including Harvard, Princeton, Dartmouth and the University of Pennsylvania, have visited Pestalozzi in recent weeks to interview students for scholarships.

The prospect of joining the best and brightest at some of the most prestigious universities in the world is proving exhilarating for students.

Chanda Singoyi from Zambia has already secured a place at Bucknell in Pennsylvania.

He said: “I am very excited.

“I believe studying at Bucknell will give me the chance to try the different things I am interested in and get me to where I want to be in the future.”

Pestalozzi Alumnus Joseph Zimba is currently studying Biotechnology at Jacobs University in Germany.

He said: “I chose Biotechnology because I thought it would be challenging and would give me entrepreneurial opportunities to explore.

“I am very passionate about business, technology and making the world a better place and one of the projects I’ve found interesting is the making of food and energy from algae.

“I think this would be of great help to my home country.”