She has been dubbed a “posh brat” following the launch of her crowdfunding campaign “Get ‘er to Oxford” on Hubbub, and now, Oxford grad student hopeful, Emily-Rose Eastop, is standing up to her critics and is now ready to explain her decision to ask the crowd to give £26,000 towards her education.
According to her campaign website, Eastop is an aspiring scientist, singer, and hula-hoop dancer. Earlier this year, she submitted a successful application to Wadham College, Oxford, to read for an MSc in Cognitive and Evolutionary Anthropology. This is a course that explores the areas of research that she found fascinating during her undergraduate degree in Human Science.
Unfortuantely, Eastop doesn’t have any money, and was unable to secure any grant opportunities for graduates. She is already £20,000 in debit from her undergrad and revealed a breakdown of the cost:
- Tuition fees: £11,250
- College fees: £2,765
- Living expenses: £11,343 (which is the lower of the two estimates given to her on the OU website).
- PayPal fees (3.5% applied to successful projects): £920.70
Not only is dealing with having to scramble to reach her goal, criticism has hit the social media websites, claiming she is a “posh brat.”
Eastop wrote an article for the Telegraph explaining the situation and to address her “haters” about the topic. She wrote, “Life already has too many delays for graduates. When I left Oxford University as an undergraduate in 2010, with a 2:1 in Human Sciences, I thought finding a job would be simple. Turns out, I was wrong. We’re living in a tough economic climate and, for even the most desirable candidates, finding employment can be a huge challenge. And that’s before you consider undergraduate debt – I left Oxford with £20,000 of it.
She continued, “So, when I was accepted to the MSC course in cognitive and evolutionary anthropology, again at Oxford, I was delighted. There was only one problem: the cost.”
Sharing details about her crowdfunding campaign, Eastop stated, “It’s no secret that the public will crowdfund all manners of projects and campaigns. We know that there’s a willingness to help people. If the online community is prepared to fund a potato salad, or a pizza museum, then why not a masters degree?”
Addressing the “posh brat” comments, Eastop said, “Since word of my crowdfunding Hubbub page, ‘Get ‘er to Oxford’ got out, commentators have called me a ‘posh brat.’ It’s become a bit of a joke among my friends – not least because I went to Leytonstone School, a local comprehensive. (I think I might have to get the phrase printed on a t-shirt when all this is over). People have also made comments about my mom, suggesting that she could fund me. But this has absolutely nothing to do with her. Even if she had £26,000 spare cash knocking about in the bank (she doesn’t), it would be irrelevant to me wanting to further my studies.”
“I’ve been amazed by people who say, ‘But nobody helped ME like this. WE had to take out loans – YOU should too.’ How is this an attitude to be proud of? I’d be embarrassed to say that. The last thing I’d want is for everyone to know I was the sort of person who wanted others not to have opportunities, just because I didn’t.”
“Surely the attitude we should be striving towards is, ‘Hey, great! This girl has found a way to circumvent the difficulties I experienced – good for her.’ Since when was jealousy and bitterness something to boast about? Imagine if a new vaccination for the common cold were developed. What these people are doing is the equivalent of saying, ‘Outrageous! I’ve had to waste days of life sitting on the sofa with a streaming nose, feeling sorry for myself. Who does this new generation think they are? They should have to suffer, too.’”
Since its launch, the campaign has received £17,416 from 432 backers. Its set to close on Wednesday (July 30th).
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