5
Keble at Large
Before coming to Oxford, I, like nearly all students leaving home to
start university, was excited and anxious about what was in store
for the next 3 years. However, alongside the generic worries of
making new friends and cooking for myself, I had an extra set of
fears that were all to do with me not being a typical ‘Oxbridge
candidate’. Comments from friends, teachers, and articles in
newspapers had convinced me that being a northern state educated
student with no previous family members at Oxford made me an
unwelcome anomaly. The reality could not have been more different;
5 minutes of setting foot into Keble and speaking to students,
tutors, and staff, I was no longer worried and knew that nobody
particularly cared about which school I went to or how big my house
was. Whilst I can laugh now at how unfounded my worries were,
conversations that I’ve had with other students over the past 2
years have revealed that a worryingly high number had similar fears
when applying and arriving at Oxford. It was speaking to students at
Oxford, the real people underneath the fabled title of the ‘Oxbridge
candidate’, which had quickly disproved many of our prejudgements.
Therefore it was about time that Keble students became more
deeply involved with the access work already undertaken at Keble.
This year, 25 students formed Keble at Large (KaL), Keble’s own
student led access group dedicated to myth busting and sharing
personal experiences of
life at Oxford University.
KaL reps interact with schools
visiting Keble by leading tours
and Q&A sessions, whilst the PR team
provide engaging content for presentations and the forthcoming
Keble YouTube channel. Meanwhile, the logistics team are organising
the first Keble at Large road show, where 10 reps will be visiting
a number of schools in Birmingham (Keble’s target region) to talk
about their first hand accounts of Oxford University. These visits
will provide school students with the opportunity to discuss topics
such as the ‘types’ of students at Oxford, work-life balance, and
the affordability of Oxford life and receive honest answers from a
student perspective. As I, and many others found, interacting with
real Oxford students is the best way to demonstrate that there
really is no such thing as the typical ‘Oxford candidate’. Hopefully by
uploading content on the YouTube channel, interacting with schools
who visit Keble, and visiting schools in Birmingham, Keble students
can add to the great work already undertaken to help demonstrate
how open, friendly, and welcoming Oxford University is.
Suzie Markland
2011 Archaeology & Anthropology
Most students leave Keble after three
whirlwind years and, for many, those
three years simply don’t feel like enough.
Last year, I was lucky enough to find
a way to combine my love for sport
with the skills I had acquired during my
studies, and stay for an extra year in
Oxford.
The Oxford University Sports Federation
is responsible for the provision and
promotion of all University-level sport.
Despite existing separately to OUSU, the
Sports Department is able to offer three
paid sabbatical positions every year:
the Football Sabbatical Officer, Rowing
Clubs Sabbatical Officer, and the Sports
Federation President.
Midway through my final year reading
Physiological Sciences, I found little
allure from the well-known paths
of corporate graduate schemes or
postgraduate study. I enjoyed my
degree, but my real passion was sport
– and after the tremendous success
of London 2012, surely there was
no better time to forge a career in
the sports industry? This seemed like
the perfect opportunity to gain work
experience in the sector, so I applied for
the post of Sports Federation President.
I was goalkeeper for the Blues Netball
squad for my entire time at university
and in my third year took on the role
of Club Captain. Although it ended up
demanding just as much time as my
studies, I loved the responsibility, and
the chance to improve my leadership
and organisation of a group of girls who
became some of my best friends. The
2011-12 season ended fruitfully, with
the team (including 3 Keblites) winning
Full Blues in a 16-goal victory over
Cambridge!
This experience certainly helped in
my application, and after an election
campaign, speech and Q&A, I was
elected the 2012-13 Sports Fed
President. I had some idea of what was
to come, but had no clue just how much
one could learn in a year – all the more
surprising after three years at Oxford!
Working with three permanent members
of staff based at the Iffley Sports
Centre, my role was incredibly varied. I
was to be the link between students and
staff, representing Oxford’s 85 sports
clubs – the most of any UK university
– to internal and external organisations,
such as the University Sport Strategy
Committee and BUCS, the nationwide
university sporting competition. Day to
day, I worked closely to help develop
clubs, distributing a £150,000 budget
and meeting with them to strategise
ways to improve their operation. I
was especially lucky to be involved
in an exciting new kit deal with Nike,
introducing a revolutionary way for
clubs to order kit, a launch event with
Greg Rutherford, and an ongoing design
process to rebrand the whole of Oxford
Sport. During my undergraduate studies
one of my passions was work in the
community – and along with an equally
enthusiastic team, revived the Outreach
Programme working with Oxford Spires
Academy in their PE lessons.
I feel very lucky to have completed my
sabbatical year – it was an amazing
experience, with so many new things
learned and new connections made.
Having now decided to follow a career in
sports marketing, it has been extremely
valuable to spend a year working in such
a vibrant and challenging environment,
within the familiar spires of Oxford.
Although it is finally time to move on,
I can do so knowing that sport will be
the path I will not just follow, but sprint
down!
Sports Federation President
Hannah McKay
2009
Physiological
Sciences
