Rebekka
MJur, MCR
I was born and raised in Berlin and pretty much spent my whole life in that city. Before coming to Oxford, I studied psychology and later law at the Free University of Berlin. I knew for a long time I wanted to do a master’s degree after my undergrad, so I dared to apply to Oxford – more to not regret it than because I actually believed I would get in. But it worked and here I am! (Please, everyone, just dare to apply!)
I started the Magister Juris at the Hall in September 2022, and it has been one of the most wonderful times in my life so far. Outside of my studies I did the cliche thing and joined the SEH Boat Club (a wonderful, supportive community), I also enjoy reading, running and exploring the city in my (limited) free time.
Tell us about your academic life…
My main interests in undergrad were criminal law and criminology, but for the MJur, I took the opportunity to branch out a bit. So, I am doing a lot of different subjects, which I really enjoy because it gives me the opportunity to expand my fields of interest and it led me to develop a new passion – the intersection between Law and Society! I think in law school, women and men are represented quite equally, but I do notice that in some classes, the number of men speaking up in class compared to women is quite unbalanced. Hopefully, in the future that will change, and more female voices will be heard.
Tell us about your favourite memories from the Hall…
I feel so fortunate to have gathered such fond memories of the Hall already, even though I have only been here for two terms. One of them is actually arriving at the Hall to collect the keys for my accommodation and being blown away by how friendly and supportive the porters were (shoutout to Sunny!). It made me feel welcomed instantly and gave me a really good feeling about my future home for the next ten months.
I also love thinking about all the wonderful formals with my friends from the MCR, Carols in the Quad, the MCR Christmas Dinner, early morning rowing outings, winning Blades with the W2 crew during Torpids, and just the endless, wonderful, fun, and engaging dinner conversations at the Hall. It’s a very special place.
How do you feel as a woman at the Hall?
I love the Hall! I know everyone says that about their college, but I am truly so grateful that I ended up at Teddy. The people are wonderful and yes, the Hall Spirit is real. It’s just such a wonderful, supportive, and kind community. Whenever I enter the front quad, it feels like coming home and because the College is not the biggest in size, you are guaranteed to run into a friendly face and start a chat with people you like. But even if you don’t know anyone, you can always strike up a conversation with someone at lunch or dinner and get to know new people. I love the sense of community, especially among all the inspiring women we have, who truly build each other up and support each other’s successes. It’s such a refreshing feeling to have this much positivity in a community. We are also very lucky to have wonderful MCR women’s* reps who organised fantastic get-togethers and this Hilary, a very inspiring Women’s Day Formal. To me, the Hall is a safe space and I hope that everyone will feel the same sense of being welcome here.