Meet a 1st year Medic

Ei - 1st Year Medicine Student

Hometown: Kelham, Nottinghamshire

Ei - 1st year Medicine student

'The community at New College is close-knit and I felt very supported making the big (and somewhat daunting) transition from home life to university life.'


Preconceptions of Oxford

Like many other potential applicants, I found the idea of studying in Oxford quite daunting; the very name of the University is weighted with expectations of prestige and great academic excellence. Before applying, I worried that I would not be able to keep up or that everyone around me would be more capable.

However, I was able to take part in an outreach programme in Year 12 that debunked many of the myths surrounding Oxford and emphasised to me that anybody who is passionate about their subject has the potential thrive here. I am especially thankful to my family and teachers for their constant support and inspiration that motivated me to apply to Oxford.

Choosing a college

Having applied to Oxford in 2020, I was unable to visit any colleges in person and instead, I took part in virtual open days to choose a college. New College really stood out to me for its beautiful gardens and impressive medieval architecture - which I can now say is even prettier in reality than online! After living in a small village for many years, I was also excited to meet and make friends with lots of new people from all over the country so the large undergraduate community at New College really attracted me to applying here. Another great advantage of New College was its central location; being just a short distance to both city centre and the medical department, I would be able to walk everywhere easily. 

New College & Oxford University

My first two terms in Oxford have been incredible and I feel very lucky to be a part of New College. When I first arrived, I was immediately struck by the friendly atmosphere in college. The community at New College is close-knit and I felt very supported making the big (and somewhat daunting) transition from home life to university life. I am really looking forward to the years to come at New College and hope that along the way, I will be able to encourage more students to apply here as well. 

My experiences of Oxford and New College have been so positive and I feel very lucky to be able to study in these beautiful surroundings with enthusiastic students and tutors. Whilst Medicine is a lot of work, the medical students from all year groups form a welcoming community to support one another over the next six years.

Life outside work

Outside of academics, there is still lots of time to enjoy all that Oxford has to offer like its clubs and societies. In my free time, I love Ballroom and Latin dancing and competing all over the country every term with the wonderful University Dancesport team. University societies are a great way to make friends from other colleges, try something new, and it doesn’t have to be competitive!


I would say that New College is one of the prettiest and most importantly, friendliest colleges with a large but close-knit undergraduate community full of lovely people, regardless of their background. I really feel that I have settled into college life and look forward to encouraging more young people to apply to Oxford and New College as a Step Up Ambassador.