Rebecca Neely

3rd year, Earth Sciences

For me applying to Oxford and getting in wasn’t the culmination of a life-long dream but an opportunity to study an amazing subject in an environment which encouraged me to be the best that I could be.

At school I had no idea where my life was going and to be honest I still don’t. I chose A Levels that I was good at, that I enjoyed and that I couldn’t imagine my life without. I wanted to save the world; I just wasn’t sure how.

I went to every single careers evening and advisor that came my way and spoke to as many people as possible but in the end it was simply flicking through a friend’s prospectus that showed me what I wanted for the next 4 years… Earth Sciences. It was perfect. It allowed me to me to continue with the science that I loved whilst not forcing me to specialise or narrow my subject field too early on. It’s also one of the most applied science degrees you can think of. Everything you study is directly linked to the way the world works and the way the world will work in the future. We, as a population, have no choice in the matter; we are all affected by the world and the environments in which we live and we therefore have to learn how to make the most of them for now and the future.

I can’t really pinpoint why I chose to apply to Oxford. The course looked amazing but so did many of the others I looked at. The principal difference is one that during sixth form was drummed into me, but I don’t think I really appreciated until I was here and that’s the college and tutorial systems.

Living in a college means that within the first few days you know everyone in your year from a whole host of different backgrounds and course options. It’s socially a very easy place to settle into which means that your efforts are left free to be ploughed into the work. Tutorials are one of the principal teaching methods within the Earth Sciences department and as they’re department rather than college run we have access to experts in every possible area. It doesn’t matter if your reasons for requesting a tutorial are the fact that you don’t understand or that you just really love the subject: the likelihood is that there’s someone there willing to help.

The Earth Sciences department quickly becomes like your second college. With approximately thirty students in each year from eight colleges you quickly recognise everyone in department. This close network is encouraged by the numerous fieldtrips held each year; there’s no better way of making truly great friends than living and working together for two weeks in northern Scotland or southern France. Walk into the coffee lounge or earth science library in the afternoon and you’ll find someone happy to chat or point you in the direction of the most helpful book ever written that will solve all the problems thrown up at you. Everyone in the department has been through it all before and all are willing to impart their words of wisdom to those that follow them.

Any degree course is going to be tough at times but the important thing is balance. For me, the timetabled nature of Earth Sciences means that I can structure my days really easily. Getting up for 9 o’clock lectures may not sound like fun but for me it’s better than sleeping until mid-afternoon only to realise that I’ve wasted an entire day. Within the department the social and relaxation side of life is very much encouraged with many cross year socials arranged each term; if you’re happy and relaxed hitting the books (or rocks) in the library doesn’t seem like such an arduous task.

In so many ways Oxford is just another university, but when you’re here it’s so much more; it’s your home, your freedom to learn, your freedom discover who you are. Very often people think they know a lot about a place because they’ve seen it on TV or they once read an article about it. All I can say is that if you can see yourself sat in your room with your best friends down the corridor, going into a tutorial completely confused but coming out understanding the world that little bit more and having a really great time here, then why not? Why not just give it a go?