Fabio Del Piero

Somerville 1998, Classics and Modern Languages

I graduated in 2002, having spent a rewarding year in Paris studying at the Sorbonne.

After working for several years as a corporate lawyer in the City, I am now an entrepreneur and founder of The Business Ladder training network that focuses on helping others achieve their potential through commercially-aware business training and resources.

I have always had a facility for languages, and while studying French and Latin at school I developed an interest in reading and analysing great literary texts. Those two currents flowed together to make me choose CML at a world-renowned university, where so much has been achieved in the study of languages and literature over the centuries.

As I see it, there are two key aspects of the learning that you gain in reading an arts degree. Firstly, you gain an understanding of the works, the societies and the historical eras that you are confronted with. Secondly, you learn how to analyse, understand, make connections and formulate thoughts and arguments. This second type of learning is absolutely essential to any career or activity you plan to engage in, and is the most beneficial transferable skill that universities can bestow on their graduates.

Living and studying within the college system helps create that feeling of belonging which can often be absent from large establishments. Socially it means you can know pretty much everyone in your college and forge real links both for the present and the future. But the plethora of broad university-based activities – sporting, political, musical and so on – ensure that you also make contact with a range of fellow students outside your college.

Over the course of my degree I developed clear and analytical thinking and writing skills, research skills, and organisation and time management. Most of all, perhaps, I learned how to push myself even in challenging situations, in order to keep growing and developing intellectually. There is no room for resting on your laurels; a good performance in a tutorial, or in first-year exams, can be satisfying but needs to be followed up consistently. At Oxford you have to keep pushing yourself hard, and you come to relish doing so. It is priceless preparation for real life.

For me the truly unique benefits of Oxford have been the quality teaching via the tutorial system, and a world-class reputation that commands respect in all environments. When I tell someone that I achieved a First at Oxford, they know immediately what kind of capable, focused person they are dealing with. This sort of positive recognition will accompany you on every step of your life and career path – they are achievements that keep on giving.

In the rapidly changing world of business, where I am in charge of my own companies, I really appreciate the value of the analytical skills and overall confidence that an outstanding university education provided me with. I am grateful that Oxford helped me to learn how to think critically, work hard and work smart – abilities that constantly serve me well in 'the real world'. But it is important to realise that like all education, it is a platform upon which to build your own future based on your own vision and ambitions, just as it helped me reach my goals of personal development and overall success.