Max Haimendorf

St Hugh's College 1998, Biological Sciences

I went to St. Paul's in London. My elder brother went to Cambridge, leaving me with no option, in my competitive young mind, other than to apply to Oxford. I matriculated to St. Hugh's College in 1998, where I studied Biological Sciences. I am now Headteacher at King Solomon Academy in London.
 
I choose Biology because it interested me at school. I was particularly interested in the overlap between animal behaviour and evolution and how natural selection could explain even the most complex animal behaviours.

Dr Iles my college tutor was a great help at St. Hugh's. The long walk up to the room above the library was always a bit daunting but he was caring and charming throughout my time at college.
 
Trying to balance the social aspects of university life with those of study was an eternal battle. In the first year in particular, study came a clear second, but I quickly learned the ability to deliver to a tight essay deadline. The skill of working late into the night in a consultancy firm and meeting a presentation deadline on time, and explaining yourself on little sleep is almost exactly the same experience as finishing an essay in time for a tutorial. It is a good life lesson to learn but one that I re-taught myself too many times in my first year.
 
The huge challenge of Finals was a real climax to life at Oxford. The excessive hours spent in the Radcliffe Science library were worth the effort though. I loved the pomp and ceremony of Finals themselves and the energy and excitement created by being asked to deliver in a relatively small number of three hour exams.
 
The main two benefits for me of studying at Oxford were the inspirational academic setting and the experience of getting to know so many talented and successful people. The weight of history can be felt sitting in ancient buildings studying where so many other keen minds have been taught. This coupled with the beauty of the architecture and surrounding countryside caused a sense of privilege and opportunity which I found motivating.

The social life at Oxford was superb and this represented a fantastic opportunity to meet and study with intelligent and hard working people. The fact that so many of them were so fascinated by their subjects led to a feeling of shared academic pursuit and intellectual curiosity. The friends I made at St. Hugh's will remain, I suspect, for the rest of my life.

Oxford was the perfect springboard for entry onto the Teach First programme. The academic excellence and breadth of the Biological Sciences course made sure that I was well equipped to teach science to a high standard without subsequent teacher training. Similarly, the opportunity to lead people in projects at college gave me confidence to think I would make a good teacher and leader in a challenging school. Finally the opportunity and privilege of Oxford life inspired me to want to give back to others and provide those from challenging backgrounds the same opportunity I had been given.