Abigail Eardley (English, 2016)

Abigail is a first-year English student who is enjoying the range of opportunities Oxford and Hertford have to offer.

Oxbridge, for me, always seemed like an unattainable prospect. I thought I’d be lucky to get into any university for a course as competitive as English, let alone Oxford. Particularly coming from a state school background, with health issues, far-from-perfect grades, and parents who hadn’t been to university either.

But after visiting Hertford on an open day, I quickly changed my mind. Hertford, in appearance, is almost as traditionally ‘Oxford’ as you can get. It was immediately attractive to me, but still held those connotations of Oxford that are conditioned into anyone from a school with few Oxbridge applicants: exclusive, backward, boring, old-fashioned. But I researched, and found the opposite. Hertford has one of the highest state-school intakes, English tutors who specialise in modern periods, emphasis on increasing accessibility and a reputation of inclusivity.

I decided to give it a shot, not expecting an offer for an interview (let alone a place), and surprised myself (and probably quite a few others) by getting in. Thankfully, from the second I arrived at Hertford, I was proved wrong in my worrying. The workload is intense, but tutors are understanding, and ask for your best effort, not perfection; there are countless opportunities to take up new interests; students care as much about what kind of school you went to as they do about a Monday 9am lecture. Personally, the spectrum of writing opportunities at Oxford have been unparalleled, and I have been encouraged to take them up.

Oxford might seem daunting, and maybe it’s not for everyone – but I didn’t think it was for me and yet I have had the most amazing experiences in just the first year I’ve been here. Hertford is a college that will push you and support you in equal measure, encouraging you to develop from, perhaps, lacking the self-assurance to even confidently apply to Oxford University, to feeling at home here.