The Student Experience: BBC Radio Oxford

On Tuesday, 15th January 2019, four of our students spoke to BBC Radio Oxford's David Prever about their experience of Continuing Education. The interview coincided with the formation of a new Commission dedicated to the furtherance of adult education, which met for the first time at Balliol College the previous week. 

The students – Sue Brearley, Shamim Chowdhury, Caroline Withall and Richard Broadbridge – joined our Director, Professor Jonathan Michie on the station's Breakfast Programme. 

The students taking part:

Sue Brearley - Certificate in English Literature

Sue always wished she’d gone to University. Her grown daughter pointed her to our Foundation Certificate in English Literature. Sue won a prize for her work on the course and was awarded a distinction at the end of it. She was then accepted to the full-time undergraduate programme in English Literature at the University of Oxford. She’s at Harris Manchester College, and is a member of their University Challenge team!

Shamim Chowdhury - Certificate in English Literature

Shamim comes from an Asian immigrant working-class family and grew up believing Oxford and Cambridge were ‘out of reach’. She did her first degree in Chemistry, but always wished she had done English Literature. Now she is pursuing this long-held dream. 

Caroline Withall - MSc in English Local History

Caroline studied history at university, but later trained as a litigator, eventually becoming Director of Legal for a regulatory body. The law didn't hold her interest, however. She returned to education, taking our part-time MSc in English Local History, and then progressing to the full-time Oxford DPhil. She now pursues a research career: she was the Caird Senior Research Fellowship at the National Maritime Museum, and is now a British Library Research affiliate, writing a book about poor boys who were sent to sea on merchant ships in the 18th and 19th centuries. Read more about Caroline's research on her website.

Richard Broadbridge - Certificate in History

Richard began his post-school life as an actor, but his first love was history. Richard has severe dyslexia and OCD. He was accepted onto our Foundation Certificate in History – and our disabilities officer arranged special equipment to help him with his studies. He is now applying to do an MSt in History at Oxford University.

Published 17 January 2019