Dear Phoebe,
I’m sure that after a summer of indecision, you’re happy (or at least settled) with your decision to join Oxford. So, welcome to the university! Making a decision to leave Ambridge’s close farming community is a brave thing to do. While some of your peers are eschewing academics for a direct entry into the workplace, you’ve joined one of the oldest educational institutions in the world. It must seem like a far cry from collecting eggs on Willow Farm. Be prepared for godforsaken hours one will end up awake, living in a building so old that central heating is but a dream, an ‘everyone-knows-everyone’ community and an abundance of tweed. Perhaps it isn’t that different to Ambridge after all?
If Oxford is to teach you anything, it is to postpone entry into the real world for as long as possible. Perhaps you’ll never leave – this degree could be the beginning of your very own spinoff into academic life. From one student to another, my advice is not to be intimidated by reputation and intensity of the university; you’ll soon plough your own furrow in the Oxford community. Don’t let the likes of Josh and your mother convince you that other routes will be just as successful. Work hard, and you’ll reap what you sow. As a fellow PPE student, you’ll be joining the ranks of nearly every important leader our country has ever seen, and quite frankly, who wouldn’t want that?
So, be glad to be saying goodbye to Ambridge for the next 8 weeks. It is unlikely that many of your new fresher friends will be in the know of about your small farming community, but you’ll now be able to join in the student tradition of yore of moaning about your own embarrassing hometown. If you do start to miss home, perhaps a visit to the cows of Christchurch meadow, or failing that sink a few pints at the Lamb and Flag will bring the sights, sounds and smells of village life back to you.
Regards,
Cat Bean, PPE 2nd year at Oxford
An open letter to Phoebe Aldridge
