Current student Ashley Broadhurst shares her journey to Oxford.
Hello my name is Ashley, I’m a first year studying History and English at Regents Park College. My love for English definitely began at a very young age when I used to nag my family to read to me! At secondary school I realised I loved writing as well as reading and especially loved analysing and evaluating books and that was when I knew I wanted to study English in some form.
My journey to Oxford began very late, I had simply never even thought that someone from my area and background could apply (how very wrong I was) so didn’t even consider applying until the end of September before the deadline when teachers at my sixth form encouraged me to go for it. In that way teachers at my sixth form and indeed my secondary school definitely were my biggest inspirations when applying as they made me see how possible it was and without them I would not have made the application.
Before applying I wish I had known that it is always worth a try and it is always good to just give it a go! Not only that but that you will meet a range of people as the university is so big and it is very likely you will meet people you have a lot in common with. If I had known this before I would have thought about applying much sooner and would not have left it so late!
My favourite thing about Oxford is definitely the college system, I love having a home-base quite far away from home and it is like a second family. The college system allows you to get to know a lot of people very quickly which is especially comforting in freshers week. It also means you make a diverse group of friends with varying interests and has definitely helped me settling in to Oxford life. Once I finish Oxford I hope to go into publishing, writing or education (I haven’t quite decided as Oxford careers service offers a range of opportunities!)