Studying for his GCSEs at Bishop Vaughan Comprehensive in Swansea,
Greg Scannell says he hadn’t given much thought to what he might do
after school. His predicted grades were good and his headteacher
mentioned Oxford and Cambridge to him as a possibility. Says Greg: ‘To
be honest I laughed it off at the time. I didn’t think they’d be
interested in someone like me from a South Wales comp.’
In 2008 Greg will graduate from Oxford with a degree in Theology.
What
made the difference for him, he says, was attending a Sutton Trust
Summer School. He'd gone on to the sixth form at school and was
studying English Literature, Sociology, PE and Theology at A-level, and
again had good predicted grades. Knowing Greg’s background, one of his
teachers suggested the Sutton Trust Summer School. He and his older
brother were brought up by their mum after their father died.
Greg Scannell
‘I
still had this stereotypical view of Oxford as full of posh people and
I waspretty daunted at the prospect of going to the Summer School’,
says Greg. But he got a place, the only student from his school to do
so. ‘It changed my whole view’, he says. ‘It gave me the confidence to
apply for Oxford; even helped me to be sure that I wanted to study
Theology for my degree.’
So, he did apply and was accepted,
coming up to Oxford in October 2005. ‘I settled in quickly and made the
most of the opportunities Oxford also offers alongside your studies.’
Greg got involved in rowing (‘Getting up with the sun, rowing, then
working for the rest of the day’) and has played sevens rugby and
five-a-side football and done a little boxing.
He also devotes
time to helping other students to enjoy the opportunities he’s had. In
both his first and second years he went back to the Summer School, but
this time as a student mentor. He played a similar role on a Theology
Summer School and on one run by Aimhigher. He has also been back to his
old school to talk to students there about his experience of Oxford.
It’s a role he enjoys and one he feels could play a big part in his own
future. He’s planning a gap year to do some travelling, but then hopes
to work in education and specifically in access and outreach.
