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Antonio has settled in well at Oxford

Posted 12th December 2022
by Antonio

Everyone experiences starting university differently. For most, this is a challenging moment, as everything is so new and overwhelming. For me, surprisingly, settling into the University of Oxford felt smooth and straightforward.
Don’t get me wrong – starting from scratch as for everyone else obviously means having a myriad of introductions with strangers, and adapting to new places, and new teachers, and new habits... But all of this seemed very exciting to me, and seeing things with a positive attitude is one of the factors that definitely helped easing this process.
Academically, I was blessed to have chosen to study Modern Languages, a course that I am completely in love with. This degree enabled me, from the start, to approach new ways of thinking that I simply would not have imagined beforehand. And this meant that, although the workload has been very intense and leaves us little to no free time, it has also been enjoyable. At Oxford (and at university more generally), standards are higher and deadlines have a tendency to be shorter than at sixth form. Therefore it is vital to choose a subject you are passionate about, to keep the motivation going through the most challenging pieces of work. Positively, my tutors have been well aware of this and have always been available to help. This meant that the atmosphere created in class has been relaxed and everyone felt comfortable with the teaching structure.
Socially, fitting in has also been fairly easy. It’s vital to keep in mind that everyone is eager to make friends and there’s not a single reason why they would disregard potential friends. If I could give an advice to future freshers, it would be to be open minded and daring – living on your own can feel daunting but some of your closest friends are just one conversation away and you might never meet them if you don’t take the first step. Living in an Oxford college made this slightly easier as it provided a close knit community. Everyone there proved to respectful of different backgrounds. This created a very inclusive environment, where everyone could embrace their most authentic self.
In a way, the negative stereotypes about Oxford were inaccurate and although it has been hard to live away from my family, the friends I made there created a similar homely atmosphere.
Overall, my first term has been just the start of a promising journey. From “matriculating”, to meeting public figures and joining new societies, this term was also an opportunity to build up on my own passions. Without JVenn, all of this would have hardly even been a possibility. And for this support, I will forever be beyond grateful.

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