When I began my five years at St. Joseph’s, I was quite a shy and not particularly outgoing boy. As a
result, I perhaps didn’t do as well in these early years as I could have done. Although I was vaguely
interested in study in Year 7, I did not hold the same ethos of commitment and determination that I
do now, which I feel have come about as a result of my time at both St. Joseph’s and Bishop
Wordsworth’s and have brought me here, to studying History and English at Pembroke College,
Oxford.
After some pastoral issues in my first year, I gradually became much more comfortable at the school
in the following years, and having settled in became more focused on my work. However, there was
one moment during my time at St. Joseph’s when I felt the most confident about my studies, and
after which I tried my hardest to succeed in my academic work. This moment took place around
October 2009. I remember finishing a History essay on the First World War which I had put a
considerable amount of effort into, including much historiographical analysis and even a quote from
the renowned poem For the Fallen by Laurence Binyon, and feeling that this was just the first step
towards achieving success in my forthcoming SATs taken in school and my GCSEs in Years 10 and 11.
It wasn’t necessarily the grade that I received that motivated me; it was the feeling that the whole
process of writing this essay was so much of a rewarding experience that I wanted to repeat it.
After this, I became not only more academic in my view of schoolwork but also more interested in
getting involved with extracurricular activities, the highlight of these being my candidacy in the
school’s mock General Election in May 2010. Although not key to an Oxford application, getting
involved in these activities will prove very useful for writing your UCAS Personal Statement and give
universities an insight into what you’re like as a person, especially if they’re linked to academic
study. In fact, this event in my school career has led to me becoming active in the local political
scene in a numerous ways, including holding the role of Member of the Youth Parliament for East
Wiltshire from 2013-14 and joining the Labour Party in July 2014, being generally beneficial to me as
well as useful for UCAS.
Of course, another key component of my journey from St. Joseph’s to Oxford was the career I had in
mind and the guidance I received along the way. I have had many career ambitions, including
television scriptwriter, politician and secondary school teacher. The advice I received both at St.
Joseph’s and Bishop’s was invaluable, but even more so was the inspiration from the many teachers
whose classes I have had the pleasure to be in throughout my secondary school and Sixth Form
career. The likes of Mr. McHale, my History teacher at St. Joseph’s, and Mrs. Harris, my teacher of
French and English, amongst many other dedicated and enthusiastic members of staff gave me the
motivation to decide that teaching would be the career I’d like to enter into in the near future
(although I wouldn’t like to rule out becoming a politician one day!).
At Bishop’s, I was able to hone the abilities I gained at St. Joseph’s and put them to good use in my
AS and A2s, achieving the grades needed to obtain my Oxford offer of three As. The Sixth Form staff
at Bishop’s were incredibly helpful in giving me the best chance possible of successfully getting
through the Oxford application process, which involved sending in multiple essays, taking an
‘aptitude test’ which shouldn’t be seen as intimidating but as a way of exercising your acquired skills
in your chosen subject, as well as attending interviews at my chosen college of Pembroke in
December 2013. Although I’d be lying if I said that this was an easy process to navigate, the support
given to me by the Sixth Form Team was invaluable in allowing me to complete it, and ultimately
gain a place at one of the most prestigious universities in the world.
And now I’m at Oxford, studying History and English, which although demands a lot of reading and
essay-writing is a very rewarding and enjoyable degree course. Certainly at Oxford and also at many
other universities, degree-level study allows to explore areas of your favourite subject that you
haven’t really delved into before (for instance, I’m currently doing a module on Old English literature
which requires students to have a basic comprehension of the Old English language!), which is a very
interesting and fun experience. It is undoubtedly hard work, but if you put in the time and the
commitment to your studies then it is possible to improve over time (as I’m finding out at the
moment!).
My one piece of advice to current St. Joseph’s pupils is to use your own instincts to make the right
decisions for you – don’t let anyone else, including your family (I’m the first member of my family to
go to university) or friends, try to influence your decisions too much. Of course, go to them for
advice, but ultimately the decision made has to be down to you and you alone. Your passion and
commitment in whatever you do will at the end of the day bring you the rewards that you are
working towards. If you follow that advice, then no matter how shy or uninterested you are in your
studies now, you will be able to achieve great things in the future.
Charles McGrath