Don’t talk yourself out of applying

For a large part of my life, the idea of going to Oxford University was in my eyes an entirely unattainable, abstract concept on a pedestal that was far too high for the likes of me.

Throughout my time at my local secondary school, I had resolutely discarded applying to Oxford as an option. With no actual evidence, I completely subscribed to and believed all of the stereotypes about it – full of posh Etonians, a place of constant and unrelenting hard work, complete lack of social activity, and so on – and convinced myself that Oxford wasn’t for me.

What I wanted from university was the same as anyone else: a good and valuable degree, but also an enjoyable three years that I would always look back upon happily. I feared that going to Oxford, if I somehow managed to get a place, would mean three confined years of constant reading, writing essays, and spending most nights sleeping at a desk in a dimly-lit library, alongside people with whom I had nothing in common. Writing this article now, it’s hard to believe I was so close-minded, simply based off an idea of 'Oxford' that had zero grounding in reality.

After being pleasantly surprised by my GCSE results, I was gradually persuaded to visit Oxford on an Open Day; I am very thankful that I did. Coming up to Oxford completely erased my misguided perceptions of the university, hence why I would urge those who are still on the fence about an Oxford application to visit if you can, and absorb as much as you can.

For myself, the repeated assurances by the students and tutors at each of the colleges that I visited that Oxford was not as archaic as I had assumed was highly persuasive. It became clear to me that the university almost couldn’t care less about the background of an applicant: Oxford simply wants those who genuinely care about a subject, and will do well in their exams. There is a drive to ensure academic ability and interest are the sole factors in determining who gets a place; since coming up, it has been transparently clear that there is in fact no Oxford 'type'.

Although I finally managed to recognise how foolhardy I had been to dismiss Oxford, this realisation came a little too late. My first year of sixth form was, to be quite blunt, a train wreck. Realising this, I chose to restart sixth form entirely; while I knew this would mean I could achieve better grades and get into a good university, it seemed to completely write off any chance of making it to the dreaming spires.

However, despite me having to take a less-than-direct route through sixth form, admissions staff at the various colleges that I visited on study days still suggested that it was worth applying, and I think this is where an important point comes to light: even if you think that you’ve in some way closed the Oxford route off to yourself – perhaps due to a few dodgy exams, feeling like you haven’t read enough, that you don’t stand as much of a chance as someone else from your college, or whatever else it may be – it’s only by applying that you can know whether or not you could get a place, and that is definitely a chance that is worth taking.

The vast swathe of the negative ideas people have of Oxford University are false, and I myself am a clear example of this, and you learn that as you discover more. One of the most significant and damaging misconceptions is that if you aren’t from the 'correct' socio-economic background, you can’t get in. Quite simply, that is not true. Since getting a place and starting last October, I’ve been stunned and surprised to find that Oxford is full of an immense variety of different personalities from diverse backgrounds; all of the fears that for a long period had led me to turn Oxford into an impossibility in my mind have been resolutely proven wrong.

Don’t let the media representation, the stories you’ve heard in the common room, make up your mind for you. Visit Oxford, read the prospectus, look at the college websites, and decide for yourself.

Rob
First Year History