Profiles
Amy Down
Classics, The Queen's College
My name is Amy Down and I am a first year undergraduate studying Classics at The Queen’s College.
Experiencing tutorials and daily Greek classes confirmed that Classics was the right degree for me and Oxford was the right place to do it
Myths and classical history had always fascinated me as a child but I was slightly wary of pursuing Classics to degree level and also of Oxford’s amazing reputation. When I was in year 12 at Rugby High School I heard about UNIQ, applied, and was lucky enough to be offered a place.
Staying in a college and living as a student for a week was an amazing experience which, after my first term here, I can say reflected student life incredibly accurately. Experiencing ‘real’ tutorials and daily Greek classes confirmed that Classics was the right degree for me and, more importantly, that Oxford was the right place to do it. It also shattered the misconception that Oxford is all work and no play, showing me instead the varied and active social life enjoyed by everyone.
I was incredibly lucky to study Greek at UNIQ as there are very few state schools which offer it. Previously I had had the opportunity to do lunchtime Greek classes at school but I was otherwise self-taught. Studying Greek at UNIQ prompted me to apply to Bryanston Greek Summer School which then ended up being the best two weeks of my summer holiday.
One of the best things about UNIQ is that it is specifically for state pupils so everyone you meet is in exactly the same situation as yourself. I have UNIQ to thank for greatly improving my knowledge of Greek and later leading me to Bryanston. I also believe that the tutorial work and interview workshops held there helped me to make a successful application and cannot recommend it highly enough.