Emma
A-level subjects:
Biology, Chemistry, Maths (2018)

I’m currently in my first year studying Biology at Oxford. Throughout my time at Tormead I didn’t really know
what I wanted to study at university but I knew I enjoyed science. Still a little unsure what I wanted to do, I
took a gap year and during this time applied for and was offered a place to study Biology at Oxford.

My experience showed me the importance of the course you choose to study. Regardless of the university or the
college this is fundamentally the most important thing. You need to really love your subject if you’re committing 3/4
years of your life studying it!

Although slightly disrupted by the pandemic, my experience so far at Oxford has been incredible. A key
element of Oxbridge style learning is the tutorial/supervision system (they are the same thing but have
different names at the different unis). Part of the interview process is to see how you would benefit learning in
this setting and for me chatting about a subject I love with an expert in the field is a lot of fun.

The collegiate system enables you to be part of a smaller community and Oxford is a great city. Despite the high
(but manageable) workload there’s also plenty of time to socialise and enjoy yourself!