The ‘north-south divide’ seems all too real when moving to university, having to familiarise yourself with new landscapes and new people, with new accents, and new slang. Being northern in the south can feel daunting, but it should NOT stop you from applying to Oxbridge, nor should it knock your confidence when arriving at university. There are plenty of ways to adapt and overcome challenges you may face, and chances are, your worries are far greater than the reality of life for a northerner in a southern university!

Cultural clashes – how big is the ‘clash’?

Hearing of ‘cultural clashes’ can make being northern in Oxford or Cambridge feel as though you are preparing for a military deployment rather than an undergraduate degree. There is definitely room for improvement in Oxbridge in terms of their northern representation, but being from the north does not automatically make you an ‘outsider’. Just like the distinct identities of northern regions, southerners come from diverse places and backgrounds, and there is a high likelihood that they find the Oxbridge experience as strange as you might do.

‘Sorry, what did you say?’

A typical ‘issue’ for northerners is our accents. Being from Liverpool myself, I’ve experienced some questionable comments and impersonations. How we react to such encounters inevitably depends on the relationship we have with those making such comments, but this does not warrant insults, or enable someone to make you feel uncomfortable about your accent! Some people may genuinely struggle with certain pronunciations, or with differences in your slang and phrases. This is understandable and you might even feel the same way about their accent, but do not think that you need to change who you are or the way you speak.

Our accents are an important part of our identity, so you should think about it as something that makes you unique! Indeed, since a northern accent is much more distinct in a southern city, it is surprisingly easy to meet other northerners, and very comforting to overhear familiar accents in the street!

Being proud of the north

There are plenty of positive interactions that come from being a northerner at Oxbridge, and we can share our northern identity with the south. People are curious, especially at Oxbridge, and are interested in your background; they want to know where you’re from, they want to hear about your city and your upbringing, and they may even have links or connections to your city! Something as simple as following the same sports team or hearing a reminiscent story of someone’s time in your city can be enough to reaffirm your own identity at university and can be an invaluable way to meet new people and make new friends (whether northern or not).

There are also a handful of societies in both Oxford and Cambridge that continue to foster a sense of pride amongst northern students. Such societies promote outreach and accessibility, host events, and offer different roles for students to get involved with the society and make an impact on both northerners who currently attend university, and those who are considering applying.

Home sweet home

There is nothing better than ‘feeling at home’, and this can be difficult in university at times. It is important to remember that feeling homesick is natural and a common concern for plenty of students.

Travelling home, or having family and friends visit, is easy to do during the term, and you can fit such trips/visits around your working schedule. Not only this, but since Oxbridge terms are much shorter than most universities (eight weeks), you are back home before you know it and can enjoy some much-needed relaxation before the new term begins around a month later.

Ultimately, while moving away from the north can feel as though you are leaving everything behind, it is only when you leave that you realise how important your roots are, and how important your northern identity is. You might leave the north, but it will never leave you!

Links

For more information and updates on Oxbridge’s northern societies, links can be found here:

Oxford’s Northern Society Website 🔗 and Facebook page 🔗
Cambridge’s Northern Society Facebook page 🔗