A ‘perfectionist’ teenager has overcome her mum’s cancer battle and disadvantaged background to become the first person in her family to be offered a place at Oxford.
Maddie Price, 17, poured her energy into her GCSEs as her mum Carla took seven months off work and spent days in bed as she underwent treatment.
She had to take charge of her own studies but says she ‘wanted to make my mum proud’ on her way to an exceptional crop of results.
The A-star student, who is from a low-income, single-parent family, is among young people from disadvantaged backgrounds who are being supported by the Zero Gravity social mobility tech company with applications to elite universities.
Speaking of the ‘shock’ at opening her UCAS email with her university offers, she said: ‘I completely froze and then screamed out loud as I opened it.
‘I couldn’t believe my eyes at first, if I had to describe my emotions in a couple of words it would be excitement and shock
‘I had to double-check I hadn’t misread the email.
‘I was also feeling a little overwhelmed as the application process was so long and it was all I could think about at times. I just wanted to know either way so I could start focusing on my exams.
‘To celebrate, my family and I went out for dinner. We’re saving the major celebrations for the summer after results day.’
Maddie, who lives with her mum and younger brother, William, in Finmere, Oxfordshire, dived into her studies after her mum was diagnosed with breast cancer in February 2022.
She already had a love of languages, which began at the age of five when she embarked on four years at a French-speaking school in Belgium while her dad worked in the country.
‘The diagnosis was a real shock,’ Maddie said.
‘There were days when she would be in bed recovering from each chemo session, so I started working completely independently.
‘I became very determined to not let it affect my results as I wanted to prove to myself what I could achieve.
‘At first I was worried that due to mum’s diagnosis my work and revision would suffer but instead it pushed me to work harder and not let the situation take away from all the work I had put in.
‘Odds stacked against success’
Students from disadvantaged backgrounds face a ‘myriad’ of barriers in the way of top universities, according to a social mobility charity.
Speakers for Schools highlighted unequal access to work experience as one factor behind the disparity based on economic circumstances.
A report by the charity also pinpointed extracurricular activities in personal statements as elevating an application beyond grades.
Applicants from affluent areas were found to be nearly six times more likely to have an elite university offer than those in disadvantaged areas.
The Department for Education maintains that it is funding access to employers and workplaces for students from disadvantaged backgrounds. Thousands of less affluent young people, and those in rural areas, are getting the ‘workplace experience they need to succeed’, the department said.
‘Ironically, the exams came at a good time as I could focus on them instead of mum’s diagnosis and really I just wanted to make her proud.
‘During GCSEs, I wasn’t thinking all too much about university – I just wanted to do my best in the summer and then think about post-school options.
‘When I got my results that’s when it hit me that I could try for Oxbridge and that maybe I did have the capabilities to get there.’
Maddie landed 9s — equivalent to A*s — in English literature, RE, French, PE, geography, art textiles, combined science, an 8 in English language and a 7 in maths.
She is predicted an A in French, A* in psychology and A* in RE in her A-levels at Magdalen College School in Brackley, Northants.
The sixth-former received offers from all five of her university choices and has chosen her first preference, where she is due to study French and Beginners’ Italian.
She shared her story this week as a social mobility charity said that young people from disadvantaged backgrounds were being held back from securing places at top universities because of a ‘myriad’ of barriers.
Speakers for Schools found that access to ‘insights, information and support’ were crucial in making applications, yet the odds were ‘firmly stacked’ against the less affluent students.
Maddie was supported with her studies and university application by a Cambridge student taking French and Spanish who was paired with her through Zero Gravity. The platform also provided her with resources to help navigate the application process, such as masterclasses with Oxford tutors and students.
Maddie is now waiting for her final A-level results to confirm her place at St Catherine’s College Oxford, informally known as Catz, this September.
She had to give up her interest in dance to concentrate on her studies but aims to join another team at the university, which is ranked as the best in the world by Times Higher Education.
‘I’m a real perfectionist which sometimes hinders me, so I’m hoping that being at Oxford will teach me to let go of this feeling and just enjoy the process of learning and doing my best,’ she said.
‘I’m looking forward to fully immersing myself in such an inspiring place with tutors who will challenge me and get the best out of me.
‘I am so excited about the opportunities Oxford can offer and I can’t wait for the year abroad too.’
Carla, 49, a self-employed remedial massage therapist and reflexologist, has since fully recovered and been told by doctors there is no longer any evidence of the disease in her body.
‘When I was going through treatment and Maddie was studying for her GCSEs I was in complete awe of her drive and determination to do well, as well as her ability to cope with home life and my illness,’ she said.
‘I felt her exams gave her a real focus, giving her less time to worry about me, although I always tried to support her as much as I possibly could.
‘The grades she got really showed what she was capable of and she has continued with that same work ethic throughout her A-levels.
‘I was absolutely ecstatic when she got her offer and I’m so happy she has been given this amazing opportunity which she so deserves.
‘I just feel incredibly lucky that Maddie will be at one of the world’s best universities living her best life and only be a short drive away from home.’
**For more information about Zero Gravity, click here
*Metro.co.uk’s Lifeline campaign has teamed up with Young Lives vs Cancer for 2024 and will be taking on the Jurassic Coast Challenge in aid of the charity. More information here
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