“I definitely want to go here” – Courtney dreams of life at Oxford
Courtney is a year 12 student from Cumbria.
Alongside studying for her A levels, Courtney is receiving mentoring from The Access Project to boost her academic prospects and help her achieve her dreams of studying at a top university.
This March, she visited The Queen’s College, Oxford, for a residential visit with The Access Project — an annual trip giving year 12 pupils their first taste of university.
The Access Project at The Queen’s College, University of Oxford
Over two days, Courtney and her peers explored life at Oxford and took part in subject taster sessions, sampling lectures in history, Italian, tropical medicine, and material science.
Courtney is studying A levels in English literature, history, and politics alongside an EPQ analysing the representation of women in literature. Her favourite subject is history, and she aspires to study it further at Oxford.
She said: “I’ve always been passionate about history. One of my history teachers really brought it out of me, and I’ve carried that on since. I’ve always been better with essay writing rather than STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) subjects, and my subjects all link in with each other. History has always been my top choice.”
“The trip has been really amazing because I’ve never been before but I’ve always said that I really want to go to Oxford and do history because of how passionate I was about it. I know the nature of Oxford is very academic — being able to see it in person has made me realise I definitely want to go here.”
“The student ambassadors and lecturers we spoke to, you can see the passion in them for their subjects, and I think I have that same passion for history. I really enjoyed the lecture because I got to have a taste of what I actually want to do.”
The Queen’s College also treated the year 12 students to a complimentary breakfast, lunch, and dinner, and games in the common room before retiring to their dormitories for the night.
“Meeting new people, socializing with them, and hearing about what other people are passionate about has been really nice.”
Breaking barriers to education
In summer, Courtney will return to Oxford for UNIQ — a week-long university experience at designed to inspire more young people from underrepresented socioeconomic backgrounds to apply to Oxford. Courtney will spend a week living in student dorms as she further explores campus and takes part in more history lectures, seminars, and taster sessions.
The Access Project supports young people from under-resourced backgrounds to make strong university applications, understand their finance options, and boost their chances of placing at a selective university. The Queen’s College, Oxford, helps to fund The Access Project’s programme in Cumbria – meaning students can attend the residential and access university advice for free.
By donating to The Access Project or by volunteering with us, you’re helping the country’s most under-resourced young people find their way to a brighter future.