Daniel

Daniel Dipper grew up in Peterborough. He was the first in his family to go to univeristy and one of the first from his state school to apply to study at the University of Oxford.

I first visited Magdalen after I was encouraged to attend an Open Day. I instantly fell in love with Magdalen and its beautiful grounds but if I’m honest I initially thought it wasn’t somewhere I’d fit in and was unsure I’d get the support I needed, particularly with having a disability. Thankfully the Outreach team were running lots of incredibly helpful events talking about the application process and the financial support available and there were current students for me to speak to too. I’d say this was the turning point for me where I started to see myself studying at Magdalen, where it began to feel real.

My head of sixth form then encouraged me to apply for the UNIQ Summer School programme and I was fortunate to be offered a place. Later I was also a participant on the inaugural Opportunity Oxford programme which is a post-offer holder scheme that helps to smooth the transition to university for students from lower socio-economic backgrounds. Many of my closest friendships were forged on this programme.

Outreach was crucial to my journey to Oxford – without it I would never have considered applying. It made Oxford an option on the table.

Access and Outreach interventions have changed my life. I am so grateful for all the opportunities that have been opened up for me and future generations.

I realised that Magdalen was a place where I could explore academically, have fun, and most importantly see myself develop and grow.

The Access and Outreach initiatives really set me up for success in my first term by giving me a much clearer idea of what was expected of me. Now that I have come to Magdalen, I am keen to give back for all the opportunities that I had access to. I’m now an Access and Outreach Ambassador for the College. Being involved is truly inspiring and it is great to hear how keen so many students are. It reminds me of my own journey as many of their questions and concerns were ones I held when I was in their position.

Anybody who has the ability should have the opportunity to apply to somewhere like Magdalen. It is about knocking down barriers and encouraging people like me who had never considered applying. Access and Outreach interventions have changed my life. I am so grateful for all the opportunities that have been opened up for me at Magdalen. Thank you.