From the age of 11, Rebecca had her heart set on going to Oxford University. “I’m from a working-class background and went to a state school, but when a teacher suggested I could get in, I knew it was what I wanted,” she says. In 1999, she joined Hertford College to study human sciences, a course with only two other students, including Clare.
Unlike Rebecca, Clare didn’t have a grand plan for university. “I was going to study English but it felt too indulgent. I took a year out, then applied to Hertford College because it had a reputation for welcoming state school students.” On her library induction tour during freshers’ week, she was asked to find a book relevant to her course. “Bec had got to that section first, so I immediately knew she must be one of the other people on my course,” says Clare. “I was super-excited to meet her but she scowled at me and seemed so suspicious and unfriendly.” Luckily, it only took a few days for her to warm up.
