Andrew Baxter

Keble College 1990, Law

I grew up in Preston in Lancashire, and attended a boys' comprehensive school that became mixed in the sixth form. My mother trained as a teacher and my father was an insurance broker. I read Law at Keble, and matriculated in 1990. I am currently Head of Commercial Policy at BBC Worldwide.

Both of my tutors were incredibly inspiring in different ways. One did seem rather scary at first, but he was totally committed to helping young people develop into lawyers. The prospect of an hour long tutorial with him picking your essay apart was terrifying, but it really drove you to do your research, and to actually think about the issues. The other tutor was less scary, but equally rigorous. It was a very personal learning experience, and very rewarding when you felt that you did something well.

I learned to think independently, to argue from first principles, and to be confident about my opinions. There was a great deal of independent work, combined with short periods of focused personal attention in tutorials, and there was very little spoon-feeding. You were assumed to be an adult, and were treated as one, and actually that was very refreshing. It helped you to build confidence.

Finals were very tough and very stressful, and involved a huge amount of work. I have never since focused quite so completely on anything for a sustained period. The result, though, was that all the various aspects of my study seemed to join together and I really felt that I had a genuine understanding of my subject, and that all the facts I had learned were just for illustration of that understanding. It was a very satisfying feeling.

I found it incredible that world class academics would spend their time discussing my views on their subject. It felt like a huge privilege, especially for someone who came from a state school and was not used to that level of personal attention. When you have been faced with an hour of detailed questioning from an Oxford tutor, very little else seems intimidating. I think that is especially important if you are not from a privileged background, because you need to build the confidence that some people are born with.

Oxford's commitment to excellence, to knowledge, and to truth, have all been incredibly important. I was trained to question, to probe, and to be sceptical of obvious answers. The most useful thing I learned was to ask ‘But is that really true?'