Profiles
Thomas Woolley
St John's College 2004, Mathematics; now DPhil in Mathematical Biology
I attended Mortimer Wilson Secondary School and Sixth Form in Alfreton, Derbyshire. It has since changed to The Grange, Performance Arts College. I am the first person of my immediate family to have gone to university.
The summer school made me feel very at home at Oxford
I knew very little about Oxford before I attended the Sutton Trust Summer School. I knew it was a first class University and it would be tough to get in, but I had no idea of the college structure and tutorial system. The summer school gave me an insight into the differences between the university structure and sixth form I had been used to.
The summer school made me feel very at home at Oxford. Due to the integration of university and city, there was not the sense of isolation as there had been in other places. Also, the close-knit communities of the colleges were appealing as not only did you have empathetic colleagues to discuss ideas with but you were never lost for friends.
I matriculated in 2004 and have attended St John's College ever since. It has such great facilities and the bursaries have meant I have not had to worry about being able to afford living in Oxford. I graduated with a first class Master of Mathematics degree in 2008 and have moved on to study mathematical biology at the Centre of Mathematical Biology.
I have always enjoyed Maths and it is very satisfying to discover an exact answer to everyday problems. Through my chosen degree I've had the chance to work with the BBC on TV programs as a science advisor and researcher. I am particularly interested in science communication. This has led me to work with Marcus du Sautoy, amongst others, to make science and particularly Maths accessible.
I have become more tenacious when coming up against seemingly insurmountable mathematical problems. I have achieved this by becoming more independent in my research through using the numerous libraries that Oxford contains. Having tutors and supervisors who are actively engaged at the forefront of research has been particularly useful.
