Glasgow teen becomes first from Castlemilk school to study at Oxford

Straight A student Megan McCloskey, from Castlemilk, will study chemistry at Queens College after meeting the requirements of the conditional offer she received in January.

Megan, who went to St Margaret Mary’s Secondary School, says she was "very relieved" to finally get her exam results on Tuesday and find out she got As in advanced higher chemistry and maths and higher physics, especially as she thought she had failed her exams.

Megan McCloskey with mum Irene and dad Kevin

The 17-year-old said: "I felt relieved, very relieved, and quite surprised as well.

"I was excited obviously after everything settled in.

"I thought the exams went absolutely horrendous, I thought they were horrible, but then somehow, I managed to get there.

"I was shocked, I kept having dreams I’d failed."

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Megan decided in fourth year that she wanted to study chemistry as it was her favourite subject at school.

She also received an unconditional offer from St Andrews University, but says it was always her "dream" to study at Oxford and joked "I don’t think it will sink in until my third year".

She said: "It was always a dream growing up that I would go to Oxford or Cambridge, but I didn’t really make a decision until fourth or fifth year when it was actually coming up to the application process and I thought 'should I just do it'.

"It’s a really good uni and I always thought it would be brilliant to say I went to Oxford, to actually go and get the degree there."

Due to Covid, the university’s open day and interviews were done online, meaning Megan’s first time in Oxford will be when she moves down at the start of October, where she will live in student halls.

She said: "I’m quite excited but I’m also extremely nervous.

"I think it’s just the idea I won’t know anybody that’s freaking me out the most, but obviously I should get to know somebody."

Megan will study for four years and says if she enjoys the degree, she may go on to complete a PhD.

Megan’s mum Irene says she is "super proud" of her daughter and hopes she can inspire other children from deprived areas.

The 38-year-old said: "She’s just done amazing.

"When she was in primary one, she got the pupil of the year and then through the years in primary school she was getting awards left, right and centre and then she went into secondary, and she just kept her head down and got stuck in.

"When she got her results in fourth year I was just amazed.

"When she got the interviews [for Oxford] that was absolutely amazing and then when she actually got the offer in January, it was just amazing, I think I’m still on cloud nine.

"I’m super proud of her."

She added: "It’s bittersweet because she’s only 17 and going away down to Oxford which is miles away, so for me it was brilliant for her, I’m so happy for her, but gutted that she’s going."