In the summer of 2020, amidst the chaos of lockdown 1.0, we decided to make dreams come true and give away another Oxbridge scholarship. We asked our students to send us a short video, explaining a little bit about themselves, their hopes and dreams for the future, and why they thought they deserved to get their A-level or GCSE course fully funded. Out of the hundreds of entries we received, it was Eleanor Avon’s video that impressed and inspired us the most.
Eleanor explained in her video, “Throughout my education, I’ve spent quite a long time in hospital. I had to take a year out when I was studying my A-levels in year 13.” It was during this time that she realised that the subjects she was currently studying would not link to a career which would allow her to pursue her true passion: badgers. “My dad and I go out to the woods and capture footage of badgers with a trail camera”, said Eleanor, “I obsess over them, I study them – thinking about badgers is the majority of what I do! I realise now that I’d really love to study ecology, and to do that, I need biology A-level. I’d love to get a job where I can educate people about the badger cull.”
“I’d love to study ecology, and to do that, I need biology A-level”
~ Eleanor, Oxbridge student
We were more than happy to help Eleanor by fully funding her A-level in biology, and, as we prepare to give away ten more scholarships, we reached out to her to find out how she’s been getting on with her course, what winning an Oxbridge scholarship meant to her, and what the future has in store.
How did winning an Oxbridge scholarship impact your life?
"Winning my scholarship has meant I have savings to visit universities which I may consider applying to. This has been put on hold a bit by the pandemic, but I’m looking forward to doing so once the situation is safe enough for restrictions to be lifted.”
What are you enjoying the most about your course?
“My reason for taking biology was because I’d love to study ecology and environmental science at university, so I’m really pleased to be getting onto topics that focus on wildlife!”
Tell us a little bit about the support you've received from your tutor
“I’ve had really useful feedback on the assignments I’ve completed so far, which has left me in a good position to know what areas I need to review and aim to improve on. It’s reassuring to know there’s someone there to help me whenever I get stuck.”
“It’s reassuring to know there’s someone there to help me when I get stuck”
Would you recommend distance learning, and why?
“I would. I find it helpful to be able to work through things at my own pace and make sure I understand everything before moving on to the next bit. It’s also pretty liberating to be able to learn and work in a way that suits me best, rather than having to complete work that doesn’t suit my learning style. For example, I work best by watching videos and making notes from them, and I always felt that being set homework to create a mind map, for instance, was getting in the way of my learning! Self-directed study is also a great skill to have later in life, especially if you’re considering going to university.”
What would you say to anyone thinking of enrolling with Oxbridge?
“It’s definitely worth it. The PDF files available are brilliant, concise and easily understandable sources of information with clear diagrams. Plus, it’s good to know that you have a tutor behind you who will be more than willing to help if ever you get stuck.”
What are your plans for the future after qualifying?
“I’d love to go to university to study ecology and environmental science, and hope to continue studying past this level with an end goal of contributing to research related to badger conservation, so I can make more people aware of what wonderful animals they are.”
If you're inspired by Eleanor's story and you'd like the chance of an Oxbridge scholarship, enrol on any course before the end of February and you could be one of 10 lucky winners!