Louisa Dollimore: Oxford and beyond
Can you tell us about what you do now?
I’m in my final year studying English Language and Literature at Oxford - finals are in a few months and I think I’ve just started to get into the swing of it! I’ve got an offer for the Frontline programme, which is a training scheme for social workers, so I’ll probably be doing that this time next year…
What do you enjoy about it?
Oxford feels like home - I love my flat, my friends… and the hardest papers of my degree are done now, so I actually have time to enjoy all those things!
How did you get there?
By taking about six wrong turns and losing the map! I first applied to Psychology, including at Cambridge, and was rejected — but I’m so glad about that because in hindsight it was not the right degree for me. In my final year of Sixth Form I accepted an offer to study a ‘Bachelor of Arts and Sciences’ at UCL (it’s as odd as it sounds), but deferred my entry and took a year out to figure out what to do…
What was your next step after Heathfield?
I went to Spain to work as an au pair but that didn’t work out so I came back to the UK and started an 8-week internship with an MP in London. When that finished, I was offered a job in the office (which I accepted) and then a General Election was announced and chaos ensued…
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Stand up for yourself! And make-up doesn’t make you like yourself.
What is something that one of your teachers did that you remember to this day?
A headstand.
If you could go back, what is something that you would do differently?
I’d probably take some different A Levels - maybe Physics and English Language. But I liked all the ones I took in different ways - and if I’d taken those then I probably would have wished I’d taken others, so I don’t regret it!
What is your proudest moment from Heathfield?
When I entered the Vine for the Shine Media Awards and it was shortlisted for several awards — all the other entries were private schools and we got to go to the fancy award ceremony in London.
What is your proudest moment from any point in your life?
I made this amazing paper aeroplane once with my Dad. I wanted to ring up the aeroplane companies and sell them my design. I reckon we could have halved the transatlantic flight time with those kinds of aerodynamics.
What advice would you give to students about their next steps and ambitions?
Be ambitious, but don’t have tunnel vision on a single goal — at this point in your life there are a million different paths you could take, and they’ll all shape you in different ways.
What was your favourite subject? Why?
I’d say Maths, except I know the English department will read this, so I’ll say English.
What was your least favourite subject? Why?
PE, because I have the hand-eye coordination of a toddler.
What is your greatest achievement?
After a local food bank closed in the first lockdown, I set up a replacement service called the Fresh Foodbank in South West London. It’s still going to this day — I don’t run it anymore, but I still occasionally get calls from people offering me three dozen egg boxes or a bag of size 5 nappies (they’re like gold dust to foodbanks, if you’re ever looking to donate!)…
I’m in my final year studying English Language and Literature at Oxford - finals are in a few months and I think I’ve just started to get into the swing of it! I’ve got an offer for the Frontline programme, which is a training scheme for social workers, so I’ll probably be doing that this time next year…
What do you enjoy about it?
Oxford feels like home - I love my flat, my friends… and the hardest papers of my degree are done now, so I actually have time to enjoy all those things!
How did you get there?
By taking about six wrong turns and losing the map! I first applied to Psychology, including at Cambridge, and was rejected — but I’m so glad about that because in hindsight it was not the right degree for me. In my final year of Sixth Form I accepted an offer to study a ‘Bachelor of Arts and Sciences’ at UCL (it’s as odd as it sounds), but deferred my entry and took a year out to figure out what to do…
What was your next step after Heathfield?
I went to Spain to work as an au pair but that didn’t work out so I came back to the UK and started an 8-week internship with an MP in London. When that finished, I was offered a job in the office (which I accepted) and then a General Election was announced and chaos ensued…
What advice would you give to your younger self?
Stand up for yourself! And make-up doesn’t make you like yourself.
What is something that one of your teachers did that you remember to this day?
A headstand.
If you could go back, what is something that you would do differently?
I’d probably take some different A Levels - maybe Physics and English Language. But I liked all the ones I took in different ways - and if I’d taken those then I probably would have wished I’d taken others, so I don’t regret it!
What is your proudest moment from Heathfield?
When I entered the Vine for the Shine Media Awards and it was shortlisted for several awards — all the other entries were private schools and we got to go to the fancy award ceremony in London.
What is your proudest moment from any point in your life?
I made this amazing paper aeroplane once with my Dad. I wanted to ring up the aeroplane companies and sell them my design. I reckon we could have halved the transatlantic flight time with those kinds of aerodynamics.
What advice would you give to students about their next steps and ambitions?
Be ambitious, but don’t have tunnel vision on a single goal — at this point in your life there are a million different paths you could take, and they’ll all shape you in different ways.
What was your favourite subject? Why?
I’d say Maths, except I know the English department will read this, so I’ll say English.
What was your least favourite subject? Why?
PE, because I have the hand-eye coordination of a toddler.
What is your greatest achievement?
After a local food bank closed in the first lockdown, I set up a replacement service called the Fresh Foodbank in South West London. It’s still going to this day — I don’t run it anymore, but I still occasionally get calls from people offering me three dozen egg boxes or a bag of size 5 nappies (they’re like gold dust to foodbanks, if you’re ever looking to donate!)…
