Mary Somerville (1780-1872) was a Scottish astronomer, mathematician and geographer. An astonishing researcher at the forefront of the science of her day, she also managed to find time for painting and playing the piano. Somerville wrote 7 books, including her 1834 work “On The Connexion of the Physical Sciences”, a polymathic masterpiece that popularised science and contributed to the discovery of Neptune. The connection? She is the eponym of the Oxford college that I now call home. My name is Ben Carter, I studied at Pate’s Grammar School from 2016 to 2023, and I’m now a second-year at the University of Oxford reading Computer Science.

There are around 45 people doing my subject in my year. This is definitely on the small side for Oxford, as year cohorts range from around 20 to 200, but we share some teaching with joint honours courses in which students also offer either Maths or Philosophy. Each cohort is then divided even further into the collegiate system in Oxford, the 32 undergraduate-admitting independent organisations that manage almost everything that does not relate to lecturing or examination. This includes admissions, accommodation, meals, libraries, sports and social areas, and tutorials (intense teaching sessions given by an expert to 2-3 students). In this way, many students (myself included) feel that they belong more strongly to their college than to the central university as we develop our many of our closest friendships through the people we live, eat and relax with.

Most Computer Scientists at Oxford study for four years. The degree is predominantly assessed by pen-and-paper examinations – which may seem surprising, but fits in with the nature of a rather theoretical and mathematically rigorous course. We also complete practical coursework and have quite a bit of choice in our modules after first year. A typical week for me would involve around 9 hours of lectures, 4 hours of lab work, 3 hours of tutorials and then anywhere from 20-40 hours of self-study on problem sheets. These are sets of exercises written in a similar form to exam questions. It’s often hard to predict how much time a given problem sheet will need – sometimes when stuck, the usual techniques of checking the textbook, going for a walk or having a shower don’t accelerate the solution! Thankfully it all mostly balances out and there’s always the “vac” (time between terms) to revise and consolidate.

After taking 5 A-levels and an EPQ in sixth form, going down to one subject at university wasn’t actually quite as abrupt a change as one may expect. I took Maths, Further Maths, Computer Science, Physics and Music; the first three very much tie in with my degree, Music ties in with my hobbies, and Physics was quite mathematical as well. The COVID-19 pandemic was a dreadful time for so many of us, and in a way I was quite lucky that I was affected during GCSEs and not around the time of going to university. Even then, life here still bears reference to lockdown – with distancing signs still up and social life still not quite back to what (I’m told) it was. Personally, I found it quite straightforward to make the jump into a fully self-motivated course of study, as Pate’s did a very good job of introducing self-study to us through GCSEs and encouraging even more independence at A-level. I must express my deepest gratitude for everyone who taught or mentored me at Pate’s, and told me that this university could well be the right place for me.

I had the pleasure of accompanying several people for various concerts or recordings on the piano during sixth form. Given that I enjoy it more than solo performance, I was eager to continue accompanying in Oxford, and as it turns out, we seem to be in short supply! Opportunities to be able to accompany singers, instrumentalists and even a choir have lead to fulfilling experiences supporting fellow musicians in their virtuosic performances. However, I do have to limit myself a bit in this regard due to the workload associated with my degree. This constraint unfortunately pervades throughout all of my social, musical and otherwise extra-curricular activities – but thankfully I feel that I can still achieve a pretty good balance between them. In fact, it’s pretty common upon meeting someone new that they assume I’m a music student!

I also sing in the college choir, which does things a bit differently to other Oxford choirs. Rather than singing evensong on Sunday evenings, we offer a Choral Contemplation – a secular programme of choral works, poetry and readings from varying groups of faith and of none. The college chapel was designated “a house of prayer for all people” by its founder and main donor Emily Kemp; indeed, Contemplations strive to welcome all. The choir went on tour to India in 2023, to the USA in 2025 and we are recordings two new albums in as many years. It’s a very exciting time to be part of this enthusiastic group!

Somerville College has a wonderful, welcoming environment which fosters support networks, drives academic motivation and encourages everyone to feel safe in being who they are or expressing their views. As a college we aim to include the excluded and demonstrate the social change we want to see in a fairer, kinder world. It is a real privilege to belong to Somerville – to enjoy the excellent weekly formal dinners (periodically black-tie), to gain versatile experience through internships, volunteering or fundraising, to receive excellent tuition, and to be backed by so many caring members of staff and lovely students who are all approachable when life is tougher. I am so glad to have chosen this college as my home in Oxford.

That being said, there are things I miss about Pate’s. The house spirit and energy on display at House Music, House Drama, the school production, etc. forms some of my most fond memories in my whole life. This segues into a particularly salient piece of advice for current students, which is to make the most of those inter-house events that make Pate’s so special. It really isn’t the winning that counts! I also miss orchestral playing and – of course – the silliness of house assemblies.

Editor's Note: Ben is happy for Pate's Community members to contact him using the messaging facility - please go to the Connect page, search his name and send him a message.