Help Jake pay for his MSc at Oxford!

Hi, I'm Jake and I currently hold an offer to read for a Masters' degree at the University of Oxford, but I will not be able to take up my place without the kind support of others!

I was born in Rochdale in Greater Manchester and first came to Oxford as an undergraduate from a state sixth form in Lancashire. On one side of my family, I am a first-generation university student, and on the other side, I am a second-generation university student. Getting into Oxford in the first instance was one of my greatest achievements in life, whilst my three years here as an undergraduate have been the best experience of my life - I have made lifelong friends and enjoyed academic and professional opportunities beyond what I had ever thought possible.

One of the most enjoyable parts of this experience was undertaking my thesis. For those of you who may be interested - my thesis applied quantitative methods to estimate the political impact of foreign policy decisions on immigrant voter behaviour. As a student of both History and Politics, I did this in the context of America during the First World War, and this fit in with my broader interest in predicting elections, and examining voter behaviour (something I want to do professionally in the future).

I was encouraged heavily to apply for a postgraduate course by a number of my tutors, including my wonderfully supportive thesis supervisor, and in March I was accepted to the Masters of Science in Sociology. This course requires me to take several mathematical/statistical and research papers and will allow me to continue to develop my skills as an academic and researcher, opening a number of doors for me in both the private sector and public research. Indeed, I hope to go into public research and teaching at the end of the degree.

Unfortunately, there is very little public funding available for those taking the vital academic step between an undergraduate and a doctoral student/lecturer, and whilst I will be working a job (whilst an undergraduate I have worked as both a part time tutor and research assistant), I cannot afford to undertake this degree without financial support. This is because, by the 1st July, I have to prove to the University my ability to pay the fees for the course - almost £24,000.

That is where you come in - any level of support that anyone can offer, from £2.40 to £24,000 will go a long way into furthering this degree, and I will be unendingly appreciative of it!

In the event that I am unable to take up my offer (if I fall significantly short of this target), any money that is raised here will be donated to the Prince’s Trust so that, no matter what, you will be helping a young person continue to take advantage of their opportunities in life.