Crankstart Scholar Guide 2023/24

Crankstart Scholarship

Student Guide 2023 - 4

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welcome scholars Contents

What is the Crankstart Scholarship?

Financial Support Career Development

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Crankstart Council Members and roles Michaelmas ‘23 Term Card

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FAQ’s

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Social media and contact information

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What is the

Crankstart Scholarship?

The University of Oxford welcomes students from many backgrounds with a variety of lived experiences. Often, students can find it difficult to remain in higher education due to their financial circumstances, especially those from lowerincome households. The University has generous scholarships available to help students overcome such difficulties and take up the opportunity to study here.

The Crankstart Scholarship (formerly known as Moritz-Heyman Scholarship) is one such scholarship. They provide a programme of enhanced support for UK residents from lower-income household to undertake their first undergraduate study, in this case, at the University of Oxford; with financial support covering estimated study and living costs, and access to valuable career development resources such as volunteering and internship guidance and opportunities.

This is a student guide for all scholars to make the most out of Crankstart, containing information on some of the ways the scholarship can support you through and beyond your time in the University, compiled by your student point of contact, the Crankstart Council and informed by the central Crankstart Scholarship team.

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Financial Support The Crankstart Scholarship Programme was established through a generous donation from Sir Michael Moritz and Ms Harriet Heyman, and combines numerous forms of financial support with tailored on-course assistance provided by the Crankstart Scholarship Team, Oxford Hub, and the University’s Careers Service.

Crankstart’s financial support is primarily the non-repayable annual bursary of which each eligibile student can receive up to £5,920 towards their study and living costs for each year* of their course. All students are automatically judged for eligibility and no application process is required.

The amount a scholar receives is dependent on their annual household income and so may change from year to year - due to this, if a scholar’s household income increases above the threshold (£37,500 for 2023 year of matriculation; £32,500 for 2020 - 2022 year of matriculation; £25,000 for pre-2020 year of matriculation) the bursary amount will align with a the criteria used for the Oxford Bursary instead. More information on this can be found on the University’s fees and funding page. Regardless of this, all Crankstart Scholars remain as so and can still access all the other support provided.

From 2019, the scholarship extended, now scholars who have experiences of being a care leaver or estrangement from their family can apply for an additional non-repayable annual bursary of up to £3,000** to cover financial difficulties relating to your circumstances. *This is the maximum bursary amount for 2023/24. **Amount currently (as of 10/23) stated as part of the University’s funding information, other sources that state otherwise may be misinformed, or due to unique circumstances.

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Extra Financial Assistance

Crankstart Internship Bursary

As part of the Career Development aspect of the scholarship, scholars also benefit from a maximum award of £3,200 per academic year* to subsidise unpaid or poorly paid internships, research placements and work experience. This award can be spread across multiple internships. More information on this will be given via emails from the Crankstart Internship team throughout the year.

Crankstart Graduate Scholarships

For undergraduate scholars, there is consistent, enhanced support through all years of study. This support continues to graduate level, both for taught and research courses. The awards are made on the basis of academic merit and potential and cover course and living costs.

There is no separate application procedure - all eligible candidates will be considered automatically. **For more information on this, please contact the central Crankstart team.

Scholars are also eligible for other Oxford bursaries on top of these, with the exception of the Oxford Bursary.

*This may be subject to change, but likely not and any changes will be disclosed to scholars. **Information on this is sparse and your communications officer tried her hardest :(

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Career Development Internships

Crankstart Scholars are encouraged and supported by the Internship Office at the Careers Service to undertake internships during vacations. They provide one-to-one support, exclusive, Crankstart-only internship placements, and a regular bulletin with opportunities specifically for Crankstart Scholars.

You can also apply for an internship bursary of up to £3,200 to support you during an internship of your choice.

Volunteering

Crankstart also offers a range of diverse volunteering opportunities.

Previously, one requirement of being a Crankstart scholar was to complete 25 hours of volunteering work each academic year. Whilst this is no longer mandatory, it is highly encouraged for all Scholars to partake in some volunteering; many scholars achieve over 50 hours each year. For all available Crankstart encouraged volunteering opportunities and more information, visit ox.ac.uk/crankstart.

Careers Mentoring Programme

The Internship Office also offers the Crankstart Careers Mentoring Programme, for those scholars interested in being matched with an experienced professional in an industry/sector of your interest. The Scheme runs over 4 sessions/meetings with your mentor, over the course of 4 to 6 months, and offers the chance to explore different aspects of a profession you may wish to learn more about.

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The Crankstart

Council

Crankstart Scholars have the opportunity to meet one another and get really involved in being a scholar thanks to the strong student community. This has predominantly been built by The Crankstart Council - an annually elected student body of scholars who plan socials, events, an yearly ball and provide a peer point of contact for all Crankstart-related topics.

The Crankstart Council of 2023 - 24

PRESIDENT KIAN

Kian is from Chelmsley Wood and currently reading Fine Art at Christ Church College.

A fact about Kian: “I went to a State School Sixth Form - I am the only person EVER from my school to go to Oxford.”

VICE PRESIDENT FRANCESCA Francesca is from Lancashire and currently reading German and Portuguese at Pembroke College.

What she wants to achieve: “I want to bring greater transparency so everyone knows what Crankstart is and what it can offer.”

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Members & Roles BALL PRESIDENT HANNAH Hannah is from Caerphilly and is currently reading Experimental Psychology at Jesus College.

Why she’s here: “Crankstart Ball was one of my favourite nights of 2nd year. I can’t wait to see where the night takes us this time.”

COMMUNICATIONS OFFICER RANYA Ranya is from Tower Hamlets and is currently reading Psychology and Linguistics at Jesus College.

A fun fact about Ranya: “I’ve taken an average of 500 photos per week since 2021... and those are just the ones on my phone.”

EVENTS OFFICER SEUN Seun is from Birmingham and is currently reading History at Wadham College.

A message from Seun: “Some things I love about being a scholar are the amazing opportunities that come along with it, and the wonderful people you meet!”

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EVENTS OFFICER RHIANA Rhiana is from South East London and is currently reading History and English at St. Peter’s College.

Some things she hates: “Inequality, discrimination and then (way less) ketchup.”

CAREERS OFFICER PATRICK Patrick is from Cardiff and is currently reading History at St. Anne’s College.

A message to scholars: “Hey! I'm Patrick, the Careers and Volunteering Officer. I can't wait to get involved and make Crankstart more impactful!”

The Crankstart Council is a necessary and incredible addition to the Crankstart Scholarship - it’s existence allows for the scholar community to regularly meet one another in a range of environments and events. It encourages a feeling of connection and inclusivity that many may feel they lack in the stereotypical Oxford environment. These events are also enlightening in a number of ways - from the ball offering an evening of escapism from academia, to study support sessions and careers events enabling scholars to strive even further.

Sincerely, The Crankstart Council

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2 0 2 3 michaelmas term card

Week 1 Event: Candle Painting Location: Christ Church art room

Week 2 Event: Coffee and Walk in the Park Location: Botanical Gardens

Week 3 Event: Ice Skating Location: Ice Rink

Week 4 Event: Study with Me session Location: TBC

Week 5 Event: Sleepover Location: TBC Week 6 Event: Surprise TBC Location: TBC

Week 7 Event: Cookie decorating Location: TBC

Other Upcoming Events: Crankstart Welcome Drinks 10

FAQ’s “How can I be a Crankstart Scholar?”

Unfortunately, Crankstart is not the sort of scholarship that can be applied to. When admitted to the University, eligibility is determined based on the student’s disclosed financial circumstances during their matriculation year - this does not change. For example, one cannot become a scholar in second year if they were not in first year - even if their new financial cirumstances suggest eligibility.

“Do I have to do anything to keep the scholarship/what does this mean about my place at this University?”

Many scholars have expressed a feeling liking to imposter syndrome upon first admission to this University, which is often not helped by the presence of the scholarship. It can be a difficult feeling to shake but from a completely factual standpoint, the scholarship is only given to students who have already earned their place here, in the same way any of their peers would have, rigorous admissions process and all.

A similar question that is often asked is whether scholars need to do anything academic or gestural to keep their scholarship; this is not necessary. Scholars are encouraged to partake in some volunteering and must fill in a short feedback form, but other than that, nothing more must be done to be a scholar.

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“What sort of socials are there?”

The socials vary so much - there’s something for everyone! We have really relaxed creative events, some pizza nights for just socialising and, of course, the Crankstart Ball and Welcome drinks event.

“What else is there on offer?”

Crankstart and it’s partnerships with the Oxford Hub and Careers Service and so on, also put on speaker events for various reasons and have other campaigns like Dreams2Success. For more information on these, check out the Crankstart website (next page) or get in touch with the Crankstart team.

If there are any more questions, please do contact the Crankstart Team or the Crankstart Scholars’ Council.

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socials & contacts Emails: Central Crankstart Team

crankstartoxford@admin.ox.ac.uk Crankstart Internship and Careers team

crankstart-internships@careers.ox.ac.uk Crankstart Council

crankstartscholars@gmail.com

Socials for Crankstart Council: Facebook Group: Crankstart Scholars 2023-24 Instagram: @crankstartscholars 13