Maude Croucher.....
....came to Oxford from Cotham School, a comprehensive school in Bristol. She decided to take Classical Civilization A level after a trip to Rome when she was sixteen, and she moved schools after GCSE to a school which offered it. Maude applied for Classics II, our course designed for applicants who haven't had an opportunity to study Latin or Greek to A Level, or at all:
"I decided to study Classics as a result of Class. Civ. A level. I had a brilliant teacher and covered a wide range of topics: literature, archaeology and history. I liked the diversity of Classics. I'd always thought that university would be a bit of a chore, but then I found out I could do this subject I really liked, even though I hadn't had a chance to study the languages at school, a subject I didn't really think of as work at all. So I had to do it. I'd never had any thought of applying to Oxford as none of my friends or people at my school were, it just wasn't really an option I was aware of. But my wonderful teacher told me about it, suggested that I give it it a go, so I did."
She now feels perfectly at home in Oxford:
"The college system means that you have a base of people, some of whom you are guaranteed to like, from which you can build up many different groups of friends. The tutors are friendly too. The tutorial system is one of the best aspects of Oxford life. Having one-to-one sessions where you have to read out your essay is a bit daunting at first but it becomes very rewarding. You can really build up a relationship with an expert in your subject, who takes you seriously. At the moment I'm trying to decide what to do next year after I finish, archaeology or Museum Studies, and I've been able to email dons I don't know to ask for advice, and they give it. In the course of your degree you meet lots of Classicists through university classes and tutorials at other colleges. Nevertheless social life at Oxford is based mainly on the colleges, and that's a good thing as it exposes you to a wider variety of people."
© C@O 2003: Classics at Oxford, Faculty of Classics.
Webmaster.
Last updated:
February 15, 2007.
Ioannou Centre for Classical and Byzantine Studies, 66 St Giles', Oxford, OX1 3LU.