Having come from quite a diverse area in London to studying at Oxford University where I was a noticeable minority for the first time was something I thought I would find a lot more difficult than it actually turned out to be.
Despite Oxford having a reputation for not being very diverse at all, it really has improved in the last 5/10 years in terms of diversity. Even if you have doubts about applying because you think that no one will be able to relate to you, don’t let that put you off.
There are a plethora of cultural societies such as the African Caribbean Society and the Pakistani Society just to name a few. They host regular events right from freshers week where you can meet people from similar backgrounds.
The societies are also there for others to learn about new cultures so you could go to one of numerous events to learn about a new culture. For example, the Islamic Society host a cultural fair every year which is great fun and really opens your eyes to the diversity at Oxford although it can most definitely be improved. Recently the ACS had their handover ball which was open to people of all backgrounds to attend and was hugely successful.
In conclusion, if you come from a BAME background don’t let that in any way put you off from applying and you won’t be alone when you come to Oxford and diversity can only improve if you do apply!