Biography
I went to the Geography Open Day in the summer of year 12 and loved it. The taster lectures about nuclear war and climate change were fascinating but I think it was the free college lunch that really convinced me to apply! I wasn’t feeling very confident about my chances after my interview though, so it was a welcome surprise when my offer came through. So far my time at st Hilda’s and Oxford has definitely lived up to expectations. I’ve made some of my best friends at St Hilda’s, and with the river running through I don’t think there’s a prettier Oxford college on a summer evening. There’s brilliant opportunities to get involved with clubs and societies at college and university level. I’ve always loved sport so it’s great to be able to keep rowing and playing cricket, as well as trying a few new ones like Australian rules football. Above all, I’ve loved how friendly and welcoming St Hilda’s is - it feels like a home away from home now.
The Geography course at Oxford has definitely been a big part of the reason I’ve enjoyed my time here so much. I’ve loved how diverse the course material is, ranging from topics like nationalism and fascism to climate science. It sounds a cliché, but it really has made me see the world differently, with the first-year topics on more-than-human and imaginative geographies particularly eye opening. Teaching is a mix of regular departmental lectures and small group tutorials. Providing an opportunity to explore a topic in more depth, tutorials are my favourite part of the course. In second year you get the chance to pick from a range of options which are a great chance to study the things that really interest you. For example, I took a module on ecosystem recovery, which involved designing your own restoration project. Field trips are another obvious highlight. The first year fieldtrip to Dorset is a great way to get to know all your course mates, but the second year trip to Tenerife was my personal favourite!
Positions
- 2nd Year Geography Student
Subjects
- Geography