Profiles
Harry Thorrington
Magdalen College 2008, Music
I am from Luton, and attended Icknield High School and Luton Sixth Form College. My mother went to a teaching college. I am studying for a BA in Music at Magdalen, having matriculated in 2008.
Looking back, the application process was a great experience. The invitation to spend three days at a college, full board included, was an opportunity for me to observe whether Oxford was the right place for me, and whether I was right for Oxford. Interviews were nerve-wrecking and challenging but not as painful as I thought they would be.
The tutorial is what sets Oxford apart. I usually have three or four of them per week, usually on my own, with leading academics
I chose Music at Oxford because it brought together numerous disciplines
in the humanities, as well as all the different elements of music that
one would expect from a comprehensive degree course.
I have had
opportunities to pursue particular interests within my degree. German is
an important language in musicology and my college has numerous funds
available to study languages. I have been able to study German at
language centres with no cost to me. There are also travel grants. I
have had numerous tutors, all experts in their fields, and there have
been master classes and concerts hosted by the faculty.
The
tutorial is what sets Oxford apart. I usually have three or four of them
per week, usually on my own, with leading academics. These are
challenging environments which push your thinking-power to its limit.
My
tutorials either consist of quoting my own tutor's work, or else
quoting another academic from another continent to whom my tutor refers
in the first person. It is not just a case of knowing everyone; your
tutors at Oxford work at the highest level possible, and short of
inventing the discipline, do much to enrich it. I guarantee you'll find
your tutor's name in the index, or on the dust-jacket of whatever it is
you're reading, if it's not his or her own book!
There are so
many beautiful buildings, ancient and modern, that it's easy to take
Oxford for granted. However, a quick look at its history, and the
people who have studied here, soon makes you realise how lucky you are
to be at Oxford University.
