![\"Iris](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0_IMG_7045jpeg.jpg\")
Iris De’Ath from Liverpool is a student at the University of Oxford(Image: Iris De’Ath )<\/p>\n“In my year, there’s one other Scouser, and hearing his voice down the corridor always makes me smile”Iris De’Ath from Liverpool is a student at the University of Oxford(Image: Iris De’Ath )<\/p>\n
Going into my final year at the University of Oxford fills me with both nerves and excitement. The last two years have flown by in a whirlwind. Reflecting on my fresher self, skipping from the streets of Liverpool <\/a>into the quads of Mansfield College, I realise how much my life has changed.<\/p>\n I entered Oxford with a quiet confidence, but I had a lot to learn both academically and beyond the question of \u2018Where am I going to get my nails done now?\u2019. The initial transition wasn\u2019t easy, and what felt like a strange new language at the university didn\u2019t help.<\/p>\n On day one, we were told to buy \u201csub fusc\u201d for matriculation. I had no idea what either word meant. (Matriculation is the ceremony where you\u2019re formally enrolled into the university; sub fusc is the official gown and cap you wear for it.) Instead of semesters, we have Michaelmas, Hilary, and Trinity. And we don\u2019t go home for Christmas; we return for the \u201cwinter vac.\u201d As much as I rolled my eyes at these pretentious-sounding names during freshers\u2019 week, my siblings now roll theirs at me, as I\u2019ve picked them up myself.<\/p>\n It wasn\u2019t just the language, though – it was the conversation. Talk of signet rings, rowing, and holiday homes, all polished in southern accents, filled formal dinners. I was used to serving salt and pepper chicken in Maggie Fu, not being served four-course meals in black tie under chandeliers that look straight out of Hogwarts.<\/p>\n Oxford students are discouraged from having term-time jobs, something they make clear with a contract in the first year. It makes sense; the workload is intense, with weekly essays, tutorials, and lectures. But it also explains why only 14.5% of students come from socioeconomically disadvantaged backgrounds: you (or better yet, your family) have to afford it.<\/p>\n Mine couldn\u2019t. But thanks to scholarships and paid internships over the vac (yes, I\u2019ve adopted the lingo), I was able to get by. Still, being a \u201cscholarship kid\u201d wasn\u2019t something I loved to talk about, especially surrounded by people for whom Oxford was a natural next step, not a bold leap.<\/p>\n That leap was made possible by programmes like Aspire Liverpool, which encourage local students to aim for Oxbridge. After strong GCSEs at St Edward\u2019s College<\/a>, I was accepted on an Aspire trip that turned possibility into a plan. With interviews, A-levels, entrance exams, and personal statements ahead, I was determined to make the most of it – regardless of nerves or Eton boys.<\/p>\n In the first term, I struggled with imposter syndrome. The changes could feel isolating, and often it seemed like nobody else could relate. That feeling is common at many universities, but I reminded myself: I deserved to be here just as much as anyone else. Over time, I embraced the differences and learned that others were feeling the same. My background became something to be valued, not hidden or diluted.<\/p>\n![\"Iris](\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/0_IMG_1767jpeg.jpg\")
Iris De’Ath as Ball President for Mansfield\u2019s triannual ball with her friend(Image: Iris De’Ath )<\/p>\n