Being the Divisional Representative for the Social Sciences Taught Graduate Programs has been one of the most interesting aspects of my time at Oxford. While it may not seem like the most exciting role, it’s been truly fascinating to get a glimpse into the inner workings of Oxford’s academic governance system. As a Divisional Representative, I sat on several high-level committees within the social sciences, in which decisions are made about everything from IT to grading thresholds. On their face
Being the Divisional Representative for the Social Sciences Taught Graduate Programs has been one of the most interesting aspects of my time at Oxford. While it may not seem like the most exciting role, it’s been truly fascinating to get a glimpse into the inner workings of Oxford’s academic governance system. As a Divisional Representative, I sat on several high-level committees within the social sciences, in which decisions are made about everything from IT to grading thresholds. On their face, these committees might seem purely bureaucratic, but they have a wide impact that touches all aspects of Oxford student life. The committees are receptive to student input: actively inviting Divisional Representatives into the conversations and engaging with student voices.
In addition, I co-hosted a termly Student Representative Board with the representative for research-based graduate programs. Alongside ourselves, this board is made up of representatives elected by each course. We seek out student input on a wide variety of issues, such as AI, the affordability of the Oxford student experience, and technological support. While we’re accessible to all students and course representatives in the social sciences, this is our main student “focus group” where we identify feedback to raise to University staff.
Being a Divisional Representative is one of the best ways at Oxford to make change ‘behind-the-scenes' that directly affects your life and the lives of the students in your division, with a relatively low time commitment. It’s also a great way to gain experience navigating complex bureaucratic systems, translating stakeholder input into active policy decisions, and advocating on behalf of others. Changes that might seem small can have huge impacts. As a Divisional Representative, you play an important role in sharing student perspectives and experiences to help inform decisions that affect you and your cohort.
If you want to become a Divisional Representative like Lillian, and shape the academic experience like she has, then submit your application to become a Divisional Representative now. Applications close on the 16 October 2026, 12pm.