I am typing this article from a city which I still can’t believe I am in. I am second year student reading History at Lady Margaret Hall, Oxford and yes I still love saying that sentence. It was hard getting here I won’t deny that but there are groups and individuals who have made the journey a little easier.

I first took an interest in Oxbridge when I got a new history teacher at GCSE. Mr Barnard was passionate about his subject and showed me both that I had a skill and that Oxbridge wasn’t just for Eton elites. At 14 it felt like nothing more than a pipe dream and an aim I would sprinkle with clauses- “it’s not like I’d get in anyway”- every time I spoke of it. With no experienced family or friends to rely on steps like the interview and dreaded History Admittance Test seemed like insurmountable obstacles which I would do anything to not face. The Apex programme made the whole process just a little more imaginable for me. I went down to Trinity College, Cambridge (a beautiful if intimidating building) to meet other state school students who, like me, had an aim that felt impossible. We discussed the kind of complex issues which we would have to face at interview and that equally hated subject, student finance. It was more than a basic understanding of the process that I came away with however. It was a heightened sense of confidence in my ability to deal with that process; the towering mountain crumbled slightly and footholds became clearer.

There were some unique challenges in my journey to Oxford which not every student faces but a support base was still there. My profound deafness on my right side introduced me to student support services and later on Disabled Students Allowance. Oxford was immensely supportive throughout this whole progress. I received a vibrating fire alarm at interview and once I gained a place a plan was written up to support me waking, sleeping, working and socialising. I even received radio aid technology I didn’t know existed from DSA to help me face the lecture halls university is synonymous with.

It is sometimes natural to consider something easy once you have surpassed it but I won’t deny it, the Oxford admissions process is stressful and hard. Apex introduced me to the skills I would need throughout my three years here including both formulating and trusting your ideas. There are times when I felt that others social background gave them a confidence I lacked in but what is really needed to help able students succeed is a level of support which validates what they want to say. The HAT (History Admissions Test) was passed with the help of practise papers and, I admit, a lot of work on not getting confused over the complexities of Irish history! Practise is also the key to the interviews but it can sometimes feel like there is a secret code to passing that no-one is telling you. All I can say is find someone who will challenge you and loves your subject as much as you do; your interviewer is both of those things and I promise you they are not wishing for your failure.

One thing I have learnt about advice is that you don’t really believe it until you have surpassed your difficulty and are telling it to others. So I suppose I must just say good luck- and come find me in the Bodleian if you choose Oxford!