Claire
Law, 3rd Year
Applying to Oxford was never really on my radar. I think it’s the same for a lot of students from Northern Ireland. Oxford seems so far away and so different from everything you know. It’s hard not to think of the stereotypes that go along with Oxbridge and think that you’ll never fit in or even make it here. Even when I did apply – the whole thing seemed like a pipedream. I had the attitude that it was only 1 out of my 5 choices and at least I could say that I’d tried. When I got my offer to interview, that was the first time it seemed possible – that I might actually be able to do it. I owe a lot of that to my old history teacher, Mr. Clements. He really pushed me not only to work hard at my A-levels but have the confidence to back myself and apply for these things. The confidence he taught me to have in myself is something I still hold on too – It’s something I want to pass on to the next generation of Teddy Students from backgrounds like mine.
I know it’s a cliché, but I really do love my degree. Before coming to Teddy, I hadn’t studied Law and I was a bit apprehensive as to how I’d find it/ manage to keep up. The Oxford workload can be pretty intense, but when you love the subject and it’s genuinely interesting to you it really doesn’t feel so bad. We’re also lucky that the tutors at Teddy Hall are top tier, there’s really no one better to be learning the law from. Studying Law at Teddy has opened my eyes up to so many areas of law I hadn’t really considered before. Something I love about Law is how you can see the subjects that we discuss in tutorials play out in the ‘real world’, particularly in criminal law and administrative law you can really see how statutes and case law can have a huge impact on our society.
Starting at Oxford in 2020 meant that we were all massively affected by COVID. The bubble system was a huge part of our start at Teddy Hall. I got very lucky with mine (shout-out to Staircase 8). But even during COVID we all got to know our college community as a really friendly one, its true when they say you can barely make it across the quad without stopping for a chat with a friend. The atmosphere at Teddy really did a lot to encourage me to run for JCR committee with Yaz. We were lucky enough to be elected as Access Officers and I really enjoy getting to reach out to prospective students from backgrounds like our own and make sure that everyone has access to the Hall and gets to experience the community we love so much!
Thinking to the future, in truth I don’t really know what I’m going to do after my degree. Thankfully, I am second year and at peace with that. If you had told 17-year-old me that I didn’t know what my next step would be after uni – I would have probably been hyperventilating in a corner somewhere. But now I am happy to take my time and figure it out. So, I don’t know what I’m going to do after next year, but I do know what I’ve learned at Teddy, academic and other, will help carry me to wherever I want to go.
My favourite memories of the Hall have been every single W.O.T.H. night. (With an honourable mention to Mr. Woth-wide). Nothing beats the feeling of running around Oxford in ridiculous costumes with the Women of the Hall.
What do you think when you hear ‘Women of the Hall’?
I think of Hall Spirit and the community it builds. I remember one of the third years telling us that “Hall is Home” during freshers’ week. At the time, I thought it was a bit cheesy, but they couldn’t have been more right. The Women of the Hall really did a lot to help me settle into college (shout-out to my two wonderful college mums!). The friends I’ve made here will be friends for life. The sense of community between the Women of the Hall is something truly indescribable. Its best felt on W.O.T.H. nights, once a term every woman of the Hall gets together and heads out into the town wearing some kind of ridiculous costume. I can honestly say there’s no one I would rather have a night out with than the Women of the Hall.