Hi my name's Anjali and I'm a first year
student studying Chemistry at Teddy Hall
and I'm from London.
So my course is four years long, the
first three years are teaching and exams
and the final year is a research project
and it's definitely quite demanding at
times because we've got 12 hours of 
labs, 10 hours of lectures and also
about two tutorials a week, but although
it's demanding we've got really great
tutors at Teddy Hall who are definitely
there to help, so don't be afraid to ask questions.
So the most important part of a personal
statement I think, is being able to
describe what skills you've gained from
certain work experience or activity you've
mentioned rather than just talking about
what you've done - for example I did work
experience in a lab as well as a
hospital and I spoke about the different
skills I'd gained from each sector and
also how they related to chemistry in
their very different ways.
So I had two interviews, both of which
were at Teddy Hall - one was for maths and
physical chemistry whilst the other one
was for organic and inorganic chemistry
and it can be quite nerve-wracking when
you first walk into the room but the
tutors definitely do try to make you
feel at ease before you start answering
the questions. The questions themselves
can be quite hard so don't be upset if
you don't get the answer straight away
but definitely do try to think out loud
so the tutors can see your thought
processes and how you think because
they're not looking for someone who's
perfect, they're looking for someone who
is willing to learn and adapt to the
situation and also someone who they're
going to be able to teach. Aside from the
interviews, there's definitely a lot of
time to socialise with the other
students who might be doing your subject or
going to the college next year
so going to the JCR or going for a walk
with some friends is definitely a good
idea because it can be nice to see some
familiar faces at Freshers' Week.
So the first thing I did was definitely
celebrate but after that I got my head
down and finished my A-levels because the
grade requirements were quite high but
once I got my official offer in August
they sent through some pre-reading which
helped to bridge the gap between the A-levels and the first year course
and it was definitely helpful to have a
read-through.
So first and foremost the tutors are
really great and they're always there to
help whenever you have any questions.
Outside of that, Teddy Hall has a really
lively and sporty environment with clubs
ranging from netball to football through
to rugby and there are so many other
things you can get involved in like
Teddy Hall choir and other societies
that are uni wide and college wide
Aside from that, Oxford is a really
pretty city so it's really nice to get
out when you have some free time and go
for a walk and maybe even go punting
with some friends.
So the first thing I say is definitely
have a good look at the course
prospectus which can be found on the
university website - it gives a good
insight into what the course entails and
whether or not it will be right for you.
Also bear in mind that maths and physics
are very big parts of the chemistry
course and although it is not a
requirement to have done A-level physics,
having some prior knowledge would
definitely be helpful.
If you have any more questions, please ask them in the
comments section below and follow
@sehaccess on instagram for more
updates. Thank you!
