Dear state school freshers: feeling out of place is okay

By Ffion Clarke, Online Comment Editor

While state school students often outperform their private school peers, it is possible to become disheartened when suddenly surrounded by confident private school students if disparities continually fail to be addressed.

As a state school student, coming to the University of Bristol can be daunting. With 35.5 per cent of students coming from private school in 2016/7, ex-state school students’ freshers experiences include an introduction to new privileged circles and the reality of class disparities in the professional world.

Being put off by this is understandable. As nice as the ex-private school students around you may be, and as little as they actively try to make you feel out of place, as long as these disparities are ignored it is easy for this environment to make you feel a little bit inferior.

Even worse, with limited discussion it is easy for others to deny the existence of this issue and blame some ‘state-school kid victim complex’ or the adaptability of private school students. Of course the issue is unnoticeable if you are the one benefitting from the pseudo-boarding school environment of Stoke Bishop which does not require any adaptation from you.

Ex-private school students may be angered by the suggestion that your schooling should impact how others view you and blame state school student sensitivities for any groupings formed at the University.

However, it is time for these people to get over themselves and recognise that state school students have long been coming against similar biases which assume our inherent inferiority. They need to accept that these biases are understandable and make an effort to disprove them as opposed to getting that angry that, for once, their privilege is not present. State school students do not automatically dislike you because of your schooling, they are justifiably made uncomfortable by your privilege.

It is difficult to find solutions for this disparity within admissions regulations - outreach programmes and contextual offers are already present. It seems the disparity is largely because of the University’s reputation as a popular university for private school students and Oxbridge rejects.

However it is important that the state school experience at the University is increasingly addressed to highlight that you are not alone in this experience and it is in no way a sign of weakness.

At the end of the day, you have made it here of your own volition and your place here is just as valid as those around you. In fact, state school students often have a better grasp of real world experiences, and do better at University because of our ability to self-teach and self-motivate.

You should not have to prove yourself as smart or polite ‘for a state school kid’. Ultimately, your schooling should not matter. But lack of discussion does not mean schooling does not matter, just that the privileges already in place are being ignored at the detriment of ex-state school students and their confidence.

Featured image: Unsplash/Harry Kessell