Rosie

Rosie is in her third year of a BA in Law. Thanks to our Access and Outreach programme, she was given a preview of Oxford that encouraged her to take up her place at Magdalen.

I’m from Bradford and in my community Oxford and Cambridge are seen as very ambitious places to go, but because I had always done well at school, my teachers encouraged me to apply. They did all they could do to help, but because my school didn’t have any experience of Oxford admissions, they didn’t realise that I needed to take the LNAT (National Admissions Test for Law). Luckily, I figured it all out before the deadline.

Before applying, I got to take part in an Oxford outreach programme, which facilitated the discussion of different aspects of the humanities. It was like a tutorial on a bigger scale; I found that I really liked that style of exploring the topic and that was what convinced me that I would like Oxford and its teaching style. Taking part in this programme demystified Oxford for me and made me feel that I’d be happy there.

I came to Magdalen with some preconceptions about what the other students would be like, but that just fell away as I got to know people. I grew up in the same house all my life with all my family, and I didn’t really know much else outside of my little bubble of Bradford. I feel like going to Magdalen has really expanded my world view and I’m less likely to pigeonhole people like I would have before.

The best thing about Law at Magdalen is the people; we have our own College Law library, which is like a living room for the lawyers. It’s a hard degree, but you’ve always got someone to turn to if you’re struggling. I want to be a barrister when I leave, and am planning to go and live back at home after Magdalen while I raise the money for Bar School.

Since being at Magdalen, I have been able to give back by helping with the Access and Outreach programme. I want to show prospective students like me that an institution like Oxford is within reach. Access and Outreach gives them the information and confidence to take that first step, which can lead to life-changing experiences.