Things I Learnt from Oxford

Advice from a Renaissance Academic

My pathway into academia and into Oxford was not direct. I didn’t arrive from an undergraduate degree. I was not in my twenties. I started my Masters in Literature and Arts after a decade-long career in Legal and Compliance. It was a journey that took time, sacrifice, financial planning, and an intense balancing act. Ultimately, however, it was a commitment to deep intellectual pursuit and education that extended far beyond the lecture hall.

These are the lessons I gathered as I wandered the cobbled streets and navigated the storied libraries of Oxford University.

1. My Renaissance

The greatest lesson I learnt, and came to accept, is that academic ambition has no expiration date. My Masters, and now my PhD, provide that a deep love for learning, literature and the importance of the humanities can be reignited at any time.

Oxford was that crucible for this realisation. My time there taught me to reject the linear trajectory and embrace the complexities of being both a professional and a researcher. If you have a passion for knowledge, you posses the inherent right to chase it, regardless of your previous career path. True renaissance knows that growth is perpetual.

2. Deep Work

There is an intensity to graduate-level study at Oxford that is both exhilarating and exhausting. I was taught the sheer power of focused, deep work.

Whether it was tacking the intricate research for my dissertation on The Faerie Queene, or the final push for an essay or lectures, success require more than just intelligence - it required discipline, strategic planning, hard work, and also the ability to compartmentalise and not take myself too seriously.

Alongside the deep work was a lot of laughs, play and fun that sparkled my time there.

3. Balance is a Practice

Now, I don’t feel like I have a handle on the practicalities of this just yet but as someone who juggled a demanding Masters with a full-time high-stress and high-intensity job at Google, Oxford was the ultimate test in time management. It taught me that balance isn’t a passive state of rest, but an active daily practice.

In this next phase I want to be even more conscious of this. I want to be fiercely protective of my energy and to be patient with myself. It is crucial to recognise and celebrate the small wins (thank you Dr. Polly and Dr. Khalia) and accepted that progress is rarely linear. I want to thrive, not just survive.

4. Humanities is the ultimate lifeline in a digital age

Unsurprisingly, my Masters at Oxford reaffirmed that books are the central pillar of my identity and sanity. Oxford is a world built on books, and my experience solidified my belief and understanding that literature (and the humanities) offers intellectual challenge, personal comfort, and a necessary critique.

My studies allowed me to actively engage with the Renaissance period and history. I learnt to approach texts with a deeper, more critical eye, and how to use reading not just a study, but as a genuine lifeline and source of creative inspiration.

In that inspiration, I found my place, my calling, in the academic world.

Oxford taught me the heights of my intellectual capacity and the depth of my resilience. It confirmed to me that the most rewarding achievement often come after the most significant detours.

My journey, my own renaissance, is a testament to continuous dedication to education, the pursuit of knowledge, a love for books, and the belief that you can always return to the things that light up your soul.