Edison Huynh

Jesus College, Geography

I am British born Chinese. I come from Lewisham in London and attended St Olave's Grammar School in Orpington. In my immediate family, I was the second person to go to university. My older sister went to the London School of Economics. My parents did not finish secondary school due to circumstances in their home countries.

While still at school I attended a three day residential at Trinity College about biological sciences. It inspired me to consider Oxford as a place where I could really be challenged to fulfil my potential. It also gave me practical reassurance about the interview process.

I think Oxford interviews are thorough. I felt that the interviews allowed me to show my potential when tackling completely new and unknown topics. Although some of the interviews were nerve-wracking, some others were fun!

I felt I messed up on one interview but performed well on another, and they were good enough to give me a third interview. I don't think any other university would have taken such great care in encouraging the very best in all applicants and making sure that if you are showing potential, you won't lose out on a place because of one bad interview.

So although there are more application steps than for other universities, applicants should just treat these as more opportunities for tutors to see the real you and your academic potential! I felt that Oxford wasn't looking for a know-it-all (I certainly wasn't one!) but for potential. This simply would not have been able to be conveyed with just paper applications.

Tutorials and the libraries are the best things about studying in Oxford. I learn most from the tutorials and although the one hour sessions with world-class leaders in their respective fields seem daunting at first, I soon realised how privileged I was to be able to debate and clarify my ideas with tutors who had often written the seminal books and journals on my reading lists. Tutors really make you work hard in order to get the most out of the tutorial - you really need to know your stuff.

The libraries are second to none. All the books you need are often in the college library and if not, the departmental library. Failing that, there are always reference copies in the Bodleian. I haven't bought a single book since coming to Oxford. Comparing book costs with my friends at other universities, this has saved me a lot of money.

The Oxford Opportunity Bursary has allowed me to live and study without financial worries. There is also help from the colleges. When my family's situation drastically and unexpectedly changed just before my third year, my bursary reflected this and supported me financially in my most important final year. At any other university, I would have had to struggle a lot to pay my bills.