Anonymous Student - This student wishes to remain anonymous due to the sensitive situation he currently works in
31/10/2014
I work in a high sensitive area with heavy security control. Life is always unpredictable and fragile. My family has learned throughout the years to really be thankful for every thing God has given us in life, big or small. Many people make sacrifices to make my study in Oxford possible, chief of all my wife and kids. Hence every time I come to Oxford I make sure that I get to do maximum researching, reading, writing, and meeting people. Since becoming a student here, my thinking has been much challenged by inputs and guidance from my mentor, supervisors, faculty and staff. I am very appreciative of this. Through engagement with these great minds I have made significant improvements to my methodology and general way forward of my research. Beyond its access to various world class libraries and experts, caring people is one of the most valuable assets OCMS has. This week I had the honour of hanging out with a friend in a 13th century pub. She is smart, fun, honest, and so passionate with what she does in OCMS. As a student I also get energised by her enthusiasm about wanting to make OCMS an even better place than it is for all the students, faculty and staff. Many graduate school programs have reputation, but their faculty and staff are cutting each others throat and unhappy. Students can sense and perceive such hostility actually. But I am happy that at OCMS, all faculty—and they are all experts in their field, many with two PhDs—and staffs are genuinely helpful and happy (well, most of them anyway). Which other world class graduate school can you be on first name basis with all the faculty, have your mentor and supervisors address you as ‘brother’, the executive director serve you coffee, and a beautiful staff buy you a few pints because you are a ‘poor student’? I love it here, and wish that more people would know more about this jewel of place!