Priscilla Sánchez Conejo

Student spotlight details

The flexibility of the part-time Certificate of Higher Education allowed Priscilla, a tax lawyer and university professor from Costa Rica, to balance studying with her work and home life. The confidence gained from the programme also encouraged Priscilla to further her learning at Oxford with a part-time master's degree. 

'While I was highly motivated to learn at a top-tier academic institution like Oxford, I felt very apprehensive about whether or not I would be up to the challenge, as English is not my first language and as I come from a small country in Latin America (Costa Rica). 

'In addition to the geographic and linguistic apprehension, being a tax lawyer and a university professor with a lot of work and academic commitments made me hesitant about my capacity to dedicate the time needed to study. However, I was happy to discover that the Certificate of Higher Education (CertHE), specialising in Political Economy, was structured in such a way that I would be able to balance work and academic life along with family and personal time.  

'Although most of the programme is attended online, the tutors are very approachable and are committed to provide you with the best learning experience possible. In addition to the online classes, the CertHE also provided the opportunity to attend the Oxford Summer School for Adults (OUSSA), which gave me a glimpse of the famous “Oxford experience” and the opportunity to connect face-to-face with students from all around the world.  

'Flexibility, networking and, most importantly, the encouragement to apply to a master’s programme at Oxford, all came from taking that first step in applying for the CertHE. During the application and interview process for the master's programme, I went through the essay writing and the interviews with a huge self-belief that I would not have had if it had not been for the CertHE.

'Today, thanks to the CertHE, I can proudly say that I am a part-time Master's (MSc) in Taxation student at the University of Oxford, a proud fellow at Harris Manchester College, and I am also part of a huge community and network of extraordinary students and academics from all around the world. The course gave me the chance to improve my academic and linguistic skills, to pave the way for a bigger challenge, and to become a part of the best university in the world – Oxford University.'