The Moritz-Heyman Scholarship is a scholarship automatically awarded to UK-based Oxford undergraduates who have a household income of less than £16,000.
I'm a Moritz-Heyman (MH) Scholar and so are a surprising number of my friends, at every college - I say surprising because when I came here I had no idea that there would be so many people with similar home situations to me.
Being an MH Scholar is genuinely fantastic. We are offered generous financial support from our sponsors, Michael Moritz and Harriet Heyman - we receive a bursary towards living costs each year (a bursary is different from a grant: you don't have to pay it back) and they also pay part of our tuition fees (when I got the letter from Student Finance saying my tuition fees had been reduced, I cried sat on the stairs next to my front door).
But whilst here in Oxford, on a daily basis, the financial support doesn't always feel like the main thing. To me, the genuinely lovely community is the best part about being an MH Scholar. It's really comforting to know that there is such a supportive group of university staff in the Careers Office backing you, and it's also really lovely when you find out that a friend is also an MH Scholar. Earlier this summer I was away in Sicily doing an archaeological dig as part of my course and I got chatting to a course mate (who I'd known for a year at this point) and found out that she was an MH Scholar, too, and it was just a really great feeling!
The Careers Office also offer one-to-one meetings with careers advisors, and there are internships advertised only for MH Scholars. We are also offered yearly internship funding, which this year I used to work in Malta for two weeks, something which I otherwise would not have been able to do!
We also have to do a minimum amount of volunteering each year, which can be a great way to get involved in access and outreach in college, or to get around Oxford and meet new things or find out more about the actual city!
There is also a Scholars Council, comprised of current MH students, who put on events and socials. Off the top of my head, this year there has been a drinks evening and an MH Ball (held at Oxford Castle, where tickets were only £32, much cheaper than any other Oxford ball!), and I've heard of a crazy golf outing and a puppy party being planned!
All in all, it's a great thing to be part of!