Our time at Oxford is coming to an end, and its flooooown by. I’ve experienced so much here, and although it was an academic challenge, it’s crazy how much I learned in just 8 weeks. My two tutorials have both developed into studies that I didn’t see coming, where the tutors really accommodated my subjects every week into topics that we both found interesting and relevant. Honestly, I was so worried about the direction of my primary and it being so broad that I wouldn’t know enough for it, but my tutor has managed to transform our time together into a big project where I was able to interview 6 different non-profit organizations and write a publishable paper — something I never imagined being possible in such a short time.
I could go on and on about all the wonderful things we all have been able to experience, but it was also more challenging in ways I wasn’t expecting. So much freedom really forced me to learn how to manage my time smartly, and no two days looked alike in the past 8 weeks (which can also be overwhelming). It’s hard to get to know the local students here since we are doing independent studies and don’t live in the dorms at our respective colleges, but joining clubs and attending college events has helped! I joined the women’s varsity Futsal team, and even traveled to Nottingham for a tournament against other university teams. Getting to know other OSAP students during travel days organized by the program gave us a really nice support system, too. We are all planning trips together around the UK and Europe for when the term finishes (another perk that comes with short terms)!
It saddens me to say we are days away from finishing, and to any UT student who is thinking about applying, do it. If you are scared about the application process, interviews, and the competition that comes with trying out for this program, you never know until you give it a shot. You can always re-apply! I have gotten so many wonderful experiences and connections from being here, and am excited to bring it all back to my UT studies and community.
Cheers from Oxford! xx
Michelle