What attracted me to Hertford? It’s down to earth
By Miranda, 2nd year Economics & Management student
There are a few things that drew me towards Hertford. The college is a pretty diverse one (as Oxford colleges go) and I love its commitment to fairness and opportunity. It was also one of the first colleges to become coeducational, giving equal rights to women, and has a reputation for being friendly and balanced.
Aside from the fact that it’s pretty central and conveniently located, what really really attracted me to Hertford was its down-to-earth nature and its small size making it much less daunting. As someone who was raised by a single immigrant mum, I had no previous links to Oxford nor Cambridge, and while I attended a good grammar school, I had limited help with understanding the Oxbridge system. I remember feeling frustrated (to say the least) that other applicants received much more help than I did with applications and also often knew people already here. It can be disheartening to feel that, already at the application stage, you are separated from a particular group of people who might ‘belong’ much more than yourself.
For this reason, I think that Hertford is a great place to apply to, just because it is such a welcoming place. Oxford and its colleges are very much made to seem like grand, daunting, institutions, separate from the rest of the world, and I do remember feeling that I didn’t ‘get’ Oxford, nor understand any of its traditions. Arriving here, however, changed this perception completely, and I now realise that it is a place where you can lead a normal, student life, and do normal things!
Particularly before arriving at Oxford, there was a sense that I had transcended the culture that I was used to and entered a strange and alien one that involved dressing up in gowns and owning high heels. Being from a low socioeconomic and BME background can make for an awkward adjustment, and the statistics about the backgrounds of Oxford students certainly doesn’t aid any worries. However, spending time here has made me realise that Oxford has for a long time been reducing the importance of any traditions and any elitism, leaving simply a desire to educate talented students.
Traditions such as matriculation, formal hall, and college balls are there simply for that reason — because they are a silly tradition, which students have fun continuing though attach little meaning to. The image of Oxford students in long robes is one that is perpetuated by the media but far from the truth, and, if you’re stingy like me, you don’t have a wear your gown that much, as they’re just for formal dinners (and exams)!
