Ena

Before starting at Harris Manchester, I took three gap years. I lived very briefly in Greenland and did some work in a laboratory there. Then I went backpacking for seven months in South America. After this, I just knew I wanted to start university – and I actually didn't know that there was a college specifically for mature students at Oxford.  

But I'm really happy that there is an environment like this for mature students. I think what I like most about living here is the feeling of community and the sense that you are living with your friends.  

The degree I’m doing here is Psychology and Philosophy. It's more focused on experiments and maybe some neuroscience, which I've always found interesting – I just didn't know you could do a degree like that! It means I can just pick the stuff I find most interesting.  

One of the things I most appreciate about Harris Manchester is the Library, which has got the highest ratio of books per student of any college in the University. This means I don't have to buy my books if I don't want to, and I just have access to so many articles.  

Generally, I think the College is great at helping you feel at home. And, of course, Oxford is a beautiful city with so many things going on all the time. It's a very vibrant student city. We also have some really high-quality quality events here, which is important because student life is not just about working academically or clubbing – it feels as if a lot of different stuff is happening and no two days are the same. 

Some general application advice to prospective mature students is to be prepared to account for your gap years. Be clear about why you're now in a position where you want to start a degree. Doing mock interviews with people who know what they’re like is also really useful, so that when you come to do the real thing it's not scary because it just feels like something you’ve done many times before. 

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