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The opinions in this article relate to the personal experience of the author Oxford has always had a reputation for being inaccessible and elitist. From societies like the Bullingdon Club to the trope of the Tory PPE student, this reputation is not entirely unfounded. And coming from a public school like Westminster, I was ashamed […]
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At the start of term, I had the pleasure of interviewing Ibrahim Mohammed, better known as Ibz Mo, for our ‘Student Spotlight’ series. Educational Influencer, YouTuber, Cambridge graduate, lawyer in the making, and now Oxford postgrad, Ibz’s resume is undeniably impressive. However, what really marks him out is his inspiring story and character. Anyone who […]
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Image description: two students looking at some papers. Oxford’s yearly admissions statistics have recently been released, and on examination there are certainly things to celebrate: 68.4% of new undergraduates are from state schools. The ratio between students from the parts of the UK most likely to advance to higher education and those least likely has […]
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The University Congregation has voted to abolish the Graduate Application Fee by 419-380 votes. The £75 application fee, which had been criticised as undermining access and diversity efforts by discriminating against those from low-income backgrounds, will be phased out by 2024-25. The vote was on the resolution: ‘To commit the University to the abolition of […]
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Image description: a photograph of Christ Church, taken from the meadows I realised how alone I was in my application to Oxford when I was mistakenly taken away from a lesson one morning to sit the TSA. For admissions to Geography in 2018, no admissions test was required. Through no fault of their own – […]
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Image description: an aerial view of London, and the river Thames flowing down the centre of the photo. “To attract and admit students from all backgrounds with outstanding academic potential and the ability to benefit from an Oxford education.” This is the first commitment of the university’s 2018-2023 Strategic Plan. While Oxford is far from […]
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Access initiatives at Oxford spend a lot of time trying to portray an equality across colleges. This includes their culture and what they have to offer which can help students decide what space is right for them. This is problematic and here is why. Growing up in East London, I always had ethnic minority peers […]
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Aged 17, I sat through a morning’s worth of application talks in the medical school lecture theatre, having been driven down to Oxford on a total whim for the last September open day. Undeniably terrified, but quietly fizzing with excitement, I diligently wrote down every plummy word that fell out of the presenting tutors’ mouths. […]
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Image Description: Oxford student jumps joyfully in front of the Rad Cam 5th week is now well underway, and although 5th week blues often set in about now and we begin to miss home, I for one am greatly missing Oxford. Nevertheless, there’s plenty to be happy about and lots of positive news from all […]
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Oxbuddy, a new access initiative to pair potential Oxford applicants from disadvantaged backgrounds with current students, was launched on Tuesday. The scheme aims to increase the chances of a successful application by demystifying the process and offering practical advice to pupils for whom it is otherwise hard to come by. PPE undergraduate, Olly Boyland, who co-founded […]
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Tilly Rose, the founder of That Oxford Girl, provides free resources for upcoming and current students at the University of Oxford through her blog, social media and her book, which we talked about in a 2019 interview: https://www.oxfordstudent.com/2019/05/07/that-oxford-girl-tilly-rose-on-access-at-oxford-and-her-new-book/. We chat to Tilly again about what has changed since the publication of her book. Tilly also […]
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Image description: Magdalen tower For the first time, 69% of Oxford’s offers have gone to people from state schools. This may sound good, but that means that nearly a third of places have gone to an elite group. Said group representing 7% of the population. To some people this is not an issue. People have […]
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Image description: Magdalen College Improving access to students from more disadvantaged backgrounds has rightly become the priority for Oxbridge admissions. After all, no young person should be discriminated against “on the basis of the class they were born into”. The upper echelons of higher education should be open to all inspiring, budding young intellectuals and […]
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Imposter syndrome is an idea spoken about a lot in Oxford, especially during the start of the academic year. It’s the feeling that you don’t quite belong here – that your offer was a result of a mistake and someone else should have been accepted instead. Imposter syndrome is not unique to Oxford, but the […]
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“I believe law should be accessible to applicants from all backgrounds”. With this awkward statement I began my unsuccessful application to the LawSoc General Committee in Michaelmas 2018. I remember toying with what to put next, how best to project my identity in the 50 words I had to impress the faceless arbiters of my […]
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Image description: The bridge of sighs at Hertford College, Oxford. Oxford University has recently announced two new access schemes which aim to encourage academically talented students from disadvantaged backgrounds to apply for, and thrive at, Oxford. These follow other recent developments in Oxford’s access work, such as an expansion of the successful UNIQ programme, and also […]
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London and South East are still the areas with the highest level of Oxford admissions Computer Science admitted the highest percentage of state school students with Classics coming out the lowest Mansfield admitted more state school students and students from economically disadvantaged areas than any other college 9.8% of women in Computer Science while 79.3% […]
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Oxford University’s world-renowned Gardens, Libraries and Museums (GLAM) have been awarded 11 PhD studentships through the Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) programme. The Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC) Collaborative Doctoral Partnership (CDP) offer cultural and heritage institutions the opportunity of hosting doctoral researchers based at UK universities. The scheme […]
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Image description: Students at Keble College ball in 2008. An Oxford ball epitomises the stereotypical ‘Oxford’ experience- lavish and luxurious, these ‘unforgettable’ nights are a somewhat of a rite of passage and are a central part of many student’s social calendars. With names that sound like Apprentice teams, balls come in all different shapes and […]
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