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Candidate for the position of Vice President UG Education & Access

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Eliza Niblett

Eliza Niblett for VP Undergraduate Education and Access 

About me 

Hi, my name is Eliza Niblett, I’m a 3rd year Experimental Psychology student at Corpus Christi and I’d love to be your VP UG Education and Access. My experiences as a state comprehensive applicant to Oxford who was rejected due to the government’s unfair A-Level grading algorithm in 2020 have given me first-hand experience of the necessity of continuing to improve access to Oxford. I'm eager to take a position of responsibility in ensuring access to Oxford and students' experiences of academic life once at the University are as fair and inclusive as possible. 

Image description: A person (Eliza) with blonde hair wearing a black tank top, smiling 

My experience 

UAO Ambassador: I have experience with many different forms of university access work, including HE fairs, open days and applicant advice sessions 

Owlets Treasurer and Student Theatre Producer: I have experience working with people, staying organised, managing budgets and solving problems 

Campaigned during 2020 A-level results for universities to honour the offers of applicants affected by grade algorithms: I was rejected from Oxford due to downgrading in 3 of my subjects, and wrote an open letter to the government, as well as connecting with local newspapers, TV and radio to raise awareness of students' personal experiences 

Zero Gravity mentor: I've mentored students applying to Oxbridge for the past 3 admissions cycles and designed resources for mentors 

My ideas 

Connecting with external Oxbridge admissions support companies: Programs like Zero Gravity are gaining traction and doing great work to support state-educated Oxbridge applicants. I would like to investigate how the SU and the university can work with them to make them more effective 

Learning from COVID: Some COVID introduced policies (lecture recordings, open book and typed exams) were useful and positive for students, and I'd like to work to consistently maintain these positive changes long term 

Access to student societies: Some student societies can feel inaccessible to students from under-represented backgrounds – I'd like to support student society committees to develop plans of action to increase access to their activities  

Communication and transparency: If elected I plan to give regular updates on my work that are accessible to all students, and ensure students can always communicate their ideas and concerns regarding education and access