In this interview, first-year PPE student Tresor shares his honest take on choosing his degree, finding confidence through tutorials, and making the most of opportunities at Oxford — alongside a clear-eyed approach to work, rest, and ambition.
What drew you to your subject at Oxford, and what’s been the most surprising or enjoyable part of studying it so far?
I am tempted to give my robotic interview ready answer, but I will be honest. I knew I wanted to do economics because I enjoyed it A-level and I knew I wanted to be a banker so I thought economics would help. But I also wanted to be like those Greek statues who are in a thinking pose so I applied for PPE.
How have tutorials, lectures, or informal discussions at Queen’s shaped the way you think or approach problems?
In terms of how I think, it’s highlighted my processing speed is relatively slow, but the information sticks hard.
Can you tell us about a moment at Queen’s when you felt particularly supported or encouraged?
Jem Page tutorials. Couldn’t find my footing in logic but he gave me props when he saw improvement.
You’ve recently secured places on spring insight weeks. What sparked your interest in exploring this area, and how did you go about applying?
In all honesty, I want to be stupidly rich so I can give back to my community – so settled on banking. I tried to apply the day it came out, with a large amount of information at the firm and potentially having spoken to someone at the firm already – just to get my foot in the door.
Do you feel your time at Queen’s has helped you feel more confident exploring opportunities you might not have considered before coming to Oxford?
Yes, my time at Queen’s has helped me feel more confident in exploring opportunities. I just try applying for anything and everything now because it seems everyone here is doing that.
How do you balance academic work with extracurriculars or downtime?
I have a 100/100 work life balance. Go all in on the work so I can go all in when I relax or go out. It can somewhat clash but it seems to be working well.
What would you say to a prospective student who’s interested in your subject but unsure whether they’d fit in at Oxford or at Queen’s?
Queen’s is the best college in Oxford see: end of term event. There shouldn’t be a worry about ‘fitting in’ to Oxford. You’ll be completely fine because the way the colleges are structured makes friend-making extremely easy. When this is combined with extracurriculars, hobbies, and going out, you will fit in.
What’s your favourite study space?
Either my room or the New Library.
Can you recommend a book?
The Valuation Book by by Kenneth Lee, Mark Aleksanyan, Matthias Meitner, Neil Pande.
