Degree Complete: A Reflection of my Time at Oxford

Last week I received my degree results and I'm thrilled to say I'm going to be graduating with a First Class MEarth Sci degree. That's kinda unreal to say when this time three years ago I was sobbing over the fact I got 69% in my prelims and it didn't round up to a first (looking back I was being rather dramatic but it was a big deal to me at the time). I'm really proud of the work I've done this year, especially my master project which got a solid first class result which I am super happy about! Now, my BodCard (our Oxford Uni ID) expires tomorrow and in August I will officially graduate from the university and no longer be a student which is kinda scary. What comes next is still somewhat in the works but I have every intention of continuing this blog to explore the Earth Sciences and the next steps in my career . Before that though, I thought I would have a look back at my time in Oxford and the past four years of my life.

Some Oxford photos form my Camera roll: Radcam view from the Bod Library window, Teddy Hall library, and the exams schools in the snow taken out of my first year room window.

So this is a bit of a mammoth post to even begin with. How am I going to summarise the past four years in one single blog post. Not only have I been to lectures, gone to libraries and sat exams but I've been on many field trips, nights outs, and to numerous cafes, and colleges. I've captained the women's gymnastics team and earned a half blue as well as holding the roles of president, secretary, and treasurer of the cheerleading squad, discovering a sport I am am totally in love with and have every intention of continuing on with post uni. I've made the best friends I could ask for and even acquired a boyfriend along the way who I am very grateful to have met.

Looking back at my little 18 year old self who walked into Teddy Hall on that first day in October 2021 I don't think I could have predicted how it would all turn out and the best way to summarise, I believe, is by thinking about the things I have learnt.

Me outside the RadCam after matriculation in 2021, vs me outside the RadCam

post my final exam in June 2025!

1. Earth Science

I couldn't possibly talk about what I've learnt at Oxford without mentioning my degree, and lets face that's probs why most of you are here. I obviously have learnt a lot. Four years ago I barely knew what geology was. I had never seen a thin section, never heard of the Cambrian Explosion, and never fathomed I could make my own geological map. It's hard to discuss what I've learnt on this degree other than just a lot! I have gained an insight into how the world around us works - what an awesome thing to say. I can look at a rock and make a good guess where it came from and how it formed. I can read news stories of volcanoes and earth quakes, of NASA's latest missions and of solutions to climate change and really understand what is going on. I think Earth Sciences is amazing in this way. It's set me up to have an understanding of the planet we live on and interact with everyday. I have no regrets over choosing my degree and would redo the whole thing (mapping project and all) if I had my time again. Geology rocks, and I hope whatever comes next for me I can continue to learn more about our planet and beyond.

2. About Myself

As I imagine every uni student knows, I haven't just learnt about my subject while being here, I've also learnt a lot about myself. About what I enjoy, and what I don't. What kind of person I want to be friends with and what kind of person I want to be to those friends. It's been a trial and error and I've defo made mistakes along the way. I've done silly things, had silly arguments, and missed events, spread gossip, drank too much, and had experience thats will be omitted in recaps of my week to my mum. But, I've also ben brave, put myself out there, ignored criticism, and eventually surrounded myself with people who I know will be friends for life. Uni is about trial and error, having experiences both good and bad. A lot of things do happen for a reason and some of my worst luck has turned into the best parts of life. I know that's all really wishy washy and vague but in the past four years I have grown so much and learnt so much, specifics that will not be shared on the internet but have lead to me graduating with ten times the confidence and self assurance than I came here with and that is one of the best things I'v got out of the uni experience.

3. Misc

I've also learnt a whole random bunch of skills whilst here that will help me later in my life. The streets of Oxford have forced me into relearning how to parallel park, not something that I am happy about doing when getting back from training at 10pm on Friday but a skill that will no doubt come into its own on the streets of London next year. Formal dinners have taught me that your bread roll sits on your left and your wine glass on your right; and that goats cheese is not nice, no matter how you serve it. Swims in Port Meadow have given me the fun fact that drinking diet coke after a wild swim reduces your chances of getting E. Coli (this seems made up gut is indeed backed by science which I know because my friends and I googled it the other day and found an actual scientific paper on the subject, also its only diet coke not full fat btw). Crewdates have taught me that a single bottle of wine is probably a good place to stop, and that if you tell an outrageous story with enough conviction people tend to believe you. I'm sure I've also learnt other maybe more useful things that don't spring to mind right now.

So my advice for any incoming freshers (like my little cousin who is starting biology in October and probably has no idea this blog even exists but if you do I hope you have the best time ever!) is try everything you can, take lots of pictures, make lots of memories. Don't leave you tute sheets til the night before its due, don't date your tutorial partner (works for some, didn't for me), and don' leave your bike unlocked anywhere -even your front garden, even for 5 minutes while you grab something from inside (had to learn this the hard way).

Its a cliche to say that uni is the best years of your life, and I hope I have many more amazing years to come, but my time at Oxford really has been the bets years of my life so far. I'm sad to leave, and realising the 10 minute cycle past the RadCam will no longer be my morning commute does kinda suck, but after four years here I'm excited to move on and see whats next. Oxford will always hold a special place in my heart, as the place where I truly became myself and I'l forever be able to say I'm an Oxford graduate which is pretty cool. Since writing in my diary at the age of 12 that I wanted to go to Cambridge some day (no regrets on choosing Oxford instead, I may be biased but it is indeed the better blue) to now graduating with First Class Honours from one of the top universities in the world I think that's pretty sick from me tbh. Bye for now Oxford xxx