Our Founder's
Story

Tilly first visited Oxford on a day out with her family when she was ten years old. Whilst in the city, she stumbled across a sign outside Balliol College, inviting the public to look around. As she walked into the quad in Balliol, she was in awe of what she saw. It was at this very moment that Tilly decided that she was going to Oxford University.

The following year she became seriously ill and, from that point onwards, hardly went to school. She was at a state school and told not to bother taking her GCSEs and, certainly, not to bother with university. Yet, when everything else was so beyond her control, studying became her unwavering focus. She taught myself, from hospital and home, and went onto be offered a place to read English Literature and Language at Jesus College, Oxford University.

Whilst there, Tilly found out she had been living with undiagnosed active Tuberculosis for 13 years and had to start 18 months of life-saving chemotherapy treatment.

In these circumstances, she had both earned a place and graduated from one of the top universities in the world. If she could do it, so could other young people with barriers to their education.

 

When Tilly graduated she was still on the chemotherapy treatment and wasn't in a position to work. She asked herself; what am I good at? Writing, and what do I know about? Oxford Uni. She remembers thinking how much she would have benefited from a free insight into student life and how much her journey had taught her about navigating the complex application process and overcoming barriers. So, ‘That Oxford Girl’ was born.

 

What started off as a stop-gap for her CV - a little blog and Instagram, providing a student perspective of the application process and life at Oxford University, has organically developed into a powerful free platform, increasing social mobility, diversity and access at Oxford Uni.