Bristol student from low-opportunity background starts dream place at University of Oxford

Jun Hao’s parents were born in China, where his dad didn’t finish primary school, and his mum only studied through secondary school. They started to work early to provide for the family, before moving to the UK where Jun Hao was born. Moving to Bristol, the family is from a low-opportunity background, where he's the first generation to go to university.

“I’ve only ever gone to state schools. My secondary school wasn’t the best academically, with grade attainment being lower than the national average in the years prior to my GCSE year. During the pandemic, my school didn’t support us much with catching up with work. While the teachers did their best, we had lots of supply teachers and the learning environment wasn’t always the best,” Jun Hao recalled. “Despite this, I managed to do really well in my GCSE’s which is important when applying to Oxbridge for Medicine as they consider your GCSE grades.”

Despite his parents not attending university, Jun Hao wanted to pursue an application to Oxbridge, but didn’t think it’d be attainable. He recounted, “Oxbridge is spoken of really highly, especially in Asian backgrounds. I never told people I wanted to go though, as I thought it’d be too difficult to get in, and perhaps not the right learning environment for me."

To emphasise this point, Jun Hao explained how the other day he found a piece of work he did in Year 6 which asked him to write ‘where do I see myself in 10 years time’. He'd written ‘medicine, maybe at Bristol, I might apply to Oxford but it’s likely too difficult to get in’ with a drawing of the Oxford uni logo. Jun Hao recalled, "I have no memory of having those thoughts now, so it was quite surprising to see it written down by my past self, and now I may actually be proving myself wrong by going to Oxford!”

In 2023 when he was in Year 12, to help him with the Oxbridge application process, Jun Hao signed up to free social mobility technology platform Zero Gravity. Speaking about the support he received, Jun Hao said, “I was matched with a mentor who helped me with the specific Medicine exam I had to take for my Oxford application, called the BMAT. I also attended a few masterclasses on the platform that helped with personal statement writing. But most useful was a masterclass from an Oxford tutor guest speaker which gave me insights into what the Oxford tutors expect, and to understand their frame of mind."

Jun Hao also had support with his university application from his sister who had previously studied Medicine. He also undertook work experience at a GP which helped him make valuable connections and contacts in the industry.

When he achieved his offer at Oxford, Jun Hao expressed, “I felt more relieved than anything else. I didn’t think my interviews had gone well, so I wasn’t sure if it had worked out. After the interviews I actually put Oxford out of my mind, and was more than satisfied with attending the other med schools I had applied to. To reflect honestly, I’m quite afraid of failure, and I’m not so comfortable with making mistakes, so the fact that I got the offer was such a relief.”

Now he's secured his place and will be starting at Oxford this month, Jun Hao feels so proud, stating, “I’m very proud of my achievement and so excited to move onto the next chapter of going to university. I’m hoping my time at Oxford will open up many pathways for me and I’m really excited to get started.”

Jun Hao’s ambitions for the future after university is to be a clinician, but he’s also interested in research and teaching.

At university, he's also keen to become a mentor on Zero Gravity’s platform himself. “A lot of people from low-opportunity backgrounds don’t have as much support as even I did, especially from other schools in Bristol", he explained. "It’s very difficult to apply to a healthcare course or to Oxbridge without support. There are many things you have to prepare for, like tailored interviews and admissions tests, and there’s many simple tips people may not know. Having someone close to you that went through the same process to give you advice and tips is so helpful. So I’d love to be a mentor to people in this position, so I can help them realise their potential and dream uni place.”