Can you describe a typical ‘day in the life’ at the University? What is your daily routine like?

As a DPhil student, I spend most of the day in my lab, analysing data, reading papers and collaborating with other students/researchers where needed. Outside of work I’m heavily involved in my college rowing team, so most of the week I get up between 5 and 6am to train, and try not to go to bed any later than 11pm or 12am to conserve energy. The sport benefits me in so many ways, both physically and mentally.

At Oxford there are definitely two sides to your life, both academic and recreational. As a doctoral student, my schedule allows me to be very flexible, which helps me commit to both my work and rowing.

What are the facilities and staff like within your department?

The facilities here are amazing, especially the brand new 7 Tesla MRI scanner, one of only a few in the world. It is much more powerful than the standard clinically available scanners so we can obtain extremely high-resolution images of the brain never possible before. The University Department, the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, is at the forefront of imaging research, and offers some of the most advanced facilities in the world.

The staff here are very friendly and relaxed, as well as being international experts in the field. I don’t need to learn from books or websites, because the teaching is very hands-on and interactive.

What’s the main piece of advice you would give to other Korean students considering graduate study at Oxford?

My advice, especially for DPhil candidates, is to apply early. It’s not like an undergraduate application, especially with all the funding requirements – you can’t just walk in and apply. I received full scholarship from the Wellcome Trust to fund my research, but I had to look around for that myself. Remember to consider both aspects of the application – the course and research funding.

I would also suggest choosing a supervisor wisely, as you’ll be working closely with them for at least three or four years. Before you apply, you should set up a meeting to assess whether you will work well together or not.

Why did you choose to come to the UK?

I chose the United Kingdom because the most important intellectual legacies of my major area of study, sociology and social policy, are rooted here. Particularly, I admire the strong intellectual tradition and uniqueness of the British way of policy making through linking social theories and real practices.

How would you describe the city of Oxford?

An unbelievable city that makes old and new history co-exist but is never behind the times.

What is your best memory so far?

The Matriculation: an indelible memory that nobody can experience except Oxonians.

What are the facilities and staff like within your department?

All doctoral students in my department have their own desk to make it easy to focus on their research. My department is located inside the Social Science Library building so we can easily read lots of materials. The research allowance for doctoral students from the department is very helpful to attend conferences and short courses. All the staff are very kind and eager to help us when we need them.

Are you a member of any student societies/clubs?

I am a life-long member of the Oxford International Relations Society.

What’s the main piece of advice you would give to other Korean students considering graduate study at Oxford?

Nobody doubts that Oxford is the best place to study. If you achieve an offer from Oxford, then you will enjoy every benefit academically and socially that you cannot do in any other country in the world.

How would you describe the city of Oxford?

Historian Edward Hallet Carr has said that history is a conversation between the past and the present. The city of Oxford is indeed a part of the conversation. It is a beautiful city with historic buildings and colleges, which are well integrated with a modernized city centre. Oxford is a dynamic place with a range of cafes, restaurants, pubs, and shops, and it is located within easy walking distance of public transportations. To summarise, the city is a lively place to study with a good mix between the classical air and the bustling modern atmosphere.

Can you describe a typical ‘day in the life’ at the University? What is your daily routine like?

As a doctoral student in Engineering Science, my daily routine begins by examining the results from the experiment that was set to run overnight in our lab. After that, I usually spend a few hours studying the implications of my previous experiments and I arrange a meeting with my supervisor when ideas come across my mind. My supervisor is very responsive and we often enjoy drinking coffee during the discussion in the Engineering Café. Sometimes we have interactions with faculties from different disciplines. This helps to improve our research progress in a practical manner. Our research group is also associated with an external research organisation in Oxford. I am a visiting researcher in Research Complex at Harwell (Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Didcot) and if I need further investigations of my samples, I usually go there and perform deep analysis. While there is plenty of activity focused on my study and research, I try to join fascinating events across different colleges in the evening or on weekends.

What is your best memory so far?

I met my lovely wife, who is a DPhil student in the Department of Education, while she was doing her Master’s course. In this sense, Oxford means more than just a place of study. Obviously, the best memory so far is the first time I saw her in the Oxford University Language Centre.

What are the facilities and staff like within your department?

The Department of Engineering Science provides cutting edge facilities for their researchers and research students. As a multidisciplinary and unified department, there are many specialists who can help us with the operation of the advanced equipment with practical advice. Also, the IT staff in this department are very kind and willing to provide full support such as offering hardware/PC applications (e.g. data modelling, simulation and so on).

What has your experience of studying and living in Oxford been like?

Oxford has breadth and depth of resources and opportunities.

Michaelmas (first term) was quite challenging to juggle academic, college/social life, and clubs, as I had underestimated how tough it was to change disciplines from a political science to a public health degree; it is as if you are learning a new language from ABC.

Hilary (second term), however, I have a much stronger grip of the foundations of public health, and found a niche and passion in maternal child health. I hope to explore simple and evidence-based interventions that will bring forth the greatest benefits in the field. I will be working in the National Perinatal Epidemiology Unit in the final term to partake in the Millennium Cohort Study to explore the association between breastfeeding and infant-mother attachment. I’ve also been keen on helping out with Giving What We Can, an organization that aspires to eliminate poverty through encouraging pledges for cost-effective aid interventions. It is amazing to apply classroom knowledge into work that will actually make a difference in the culture of giving.

There are a myriad of seminars, talks, and bops that are always waiting around the corner, and I just wish I had more time, or had the superpower to split myself into three to be everywhere at the same time. It is a privilege to be here at Oxford.

What do you hope to do in your career after leaving Oxford?

Prior to Oxford, I worked with World Vision, an International humanitarian development and relief NGO, where I oversaw community development projects in the Southern Africa region. When living and working in Zambia, I was distraught to see mothers of my own age dying from pregnancy related complications, not because of a lack of innovative skills and finances, but due to the absence of basic infrastructural support and simple preventable measures. The key to the problem and solution both lie within a country, which means the process for development must be initiated and driven by government ministries. I hope to contribute to a country’s national health systems reform process through policy advocacy and governance restructuring; I hope to apply healthy pressure to the governments by representing an organization with clear bargaining power, authority, and money to effect change.