Anuoluwapo Oladapo

Kalisher Trust-Wadham Student Scholarship

Name:  Anuoluwapo Oladapo

College: Wadham College

Scholarship: Kalisher Trust-Wadham Student Scholarship

Anuoluwapo Oladapo completed the LL. B at the University of East Anglia in July 2017 with First Class Honours. There she received the Mills & Reeve Prize for best academic performance. Anuoluwapo is the recipient of the Universal Peace Federation UK Young Achiever’s Award 2018 for her leadership and community efforts in developing youth across various volunteering ventures and pro bono projects. She is studying for the MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice.

What are your career ambitions?

I intend pursuing a career in human rights and criminal law advocacy whilst undertaking further comparative socio-legal research study.

What do you enjoy most about studying law in Oxford?

I am studying for an MSc in Criminology and Criminal Justice and my learning experience thus far has been incredibly stimulating. It is an unbelievable opportunity to learn the rubric, the science and the creativity of criminological scholarship from pioneering Professors such as Mary Bosworth, Carolyn Hoyle and Rachel Condry. The atmosphere of excellence, collaboration and kindness cultivated at the Centre for Criminology provides a superb learning environment for my fellow student colleagues and I. We are encouraged to enrich discussion with our unique perspectives without fear or favour.

Another joy of studying at Oxford is the weekly availability of insightful lectures and informal seminars provided by the All Souls College, the Centre for Criminology, The Bonavero Institute of Human Rights and the Oxford Law Faculty. Attending such events have provided me with a unique opportunity to supplement the knowledge acquired on my course whilst enabling me to engage renown thought leaders, legal practitioners and honourable Judges with questions and further discussion.

What do you find most challenging about your programme?

As alluded above, there are many joys to studying Criminology and Criminal Justice at Oxford University. The 9-month MSc programme weaves a wealth of knowledge into the relatively short 8-week terms at Oxford. This naturally provides for a considerable amount of reading which is then intensified by the term-time compression.

Balancing rigorous academic commitments whilst engaging with extra-curricular opportunities available beyond the Law Faculty and within Oxford University at large can be quite a challenge. However, with time and continued exposure, I’ve found that one perfects the art of juggling.

What do you find most rewarding about your programme?

The rewards I yield from the MSc Criminology and Criminal Justice programme increase with each passing day. Therefore, placing them in a hierarchical structure is tricky. I find the teaching style on the course particularly rewarding as it pivots on interactive student-led discussion and student presentations. Whilst this provides for interesting debates and innovative contributions, it also creates a platform to engage with my student colleagues from across the globe who have dedicated themselves to various projects in pursuit of justice for all. Learning from them and of their unique professional experiences is inspiring as it is rewarding.

Are you involved with any projects or societies? 

I work with the Access and Outreach team at Wadham College to create and deliver aspiration-academic taster sessions for secondary school and sixth-form pupils from London state schools. I am working closely with the team in organising an Access Day with the Kalisher Trust to engage a consortium of ambitious and talented state school students at the University. I am also involved with the Oxford African Society as a mentor for prospective students applying across various countries in Africa and an upcoming writer for the All Souls College Blog. Whilst studying here, I maintain work with London-based youth organisations such as The Migrant Leaders and the Universal Peace Federation UK.

What advice would you give to a new or prospective student?

To both I would say: resist doubting yourself but rather passionately engage. ‘Engagement’ to the prospective student may look like reaching out to current students on their course of interest via email or LinkedIn to gauge their experience. But above all, I think utmost engagement is sending in that application form. The only time you can ever be certain of never receiving an offer is if you never put yourself and application forward.

To the new student, I would share a lesson I’m really just fully embracing in my second term here. Which is, although imposter syndrome feels ever present in the prestigious Oxford University environment, you really have nothing to fear or prove. Your only charge is to diligently engage, raise your voice and let your unique perspective enrich discussion. Also, I would advise new students not to spread themselves too thinly. Rather, decide from the onset the kind of impact and experience you want to have at Oxford and tailor your time and energy accordingly. Good Luck!