Scott Gratson
Student spotlight details
Scott is a university professor from Philadelphia who first dreamed of studying at Oxford University. Decades later, he made that dream a reality – completing the Certificate of Higher Education and the Advanced Diploma in Local History. His journey is a moving reflection on what it means to never stop learning, and how Oxford Lifelong Learning has shaped his journey as both a student and as a teacher.
‘I live in the United States, where I work at Temple University in Philadelphia and this is my 34th year of university-level teaching. I’ve completed two doctorates but nothing compares to what I’ve experienced at Oxford Lifelong Learning.
‘I first visited Oxford in 1988, and seeing the Radcliffe Camera for the first time stopped me in my tracks. I’m from a working-class family, and standing there amidst centuries of learning and tradition, I knew I wanted to be part of that story.
‘I joined the Certificate of Higher Education in History in 2020, and though I already had degrees, I came in knowing there was so much I didn’t yet understand. Like many Americans, I’d learned the basics: names of kings, a few battles, but not the deeper texture of British history – I wanted to change that.
‘Oxford opened up a world of ideas: I studied everything from Viking settlement to Tudor material culture. I wrote about oyster estuaries and water pollution in the Thames, and found myself researching topics I never thought I'd explore, including the iconography of rowing clubs and the everyday lives of people in rural villages.
‘After completing the Certirficate in Higher Education, I progressed to the online Advanced Diploma in Local History. One project involved tracing the impact of plague on a Somerset village I’d once lived in – a place I thought I knew, until the course showed me otherwise. That’s what Oxford does: it deepens your thinking in ways you don’t expect.
‘Since then, I’ve continued studying Latin, Greek Mythology, and soon, Shakespeare. I never imagined myself learning a fourth language, but I found myself reading Latin inscriptions with ease. Each course has changed me, both as a student and as a teacher.
‘For me, lifelong learning is simple: as long as I’m breathing, I have more to learn. Oxford has reminded me what it means to learn not for a grade or a promotion, but for the joy of discovery. I hope to pursue an MSt next, and maybe even a third doctorate. I can’t imagine ever retiring from learning.
‘My advice to anyone considering this? Do it. Push yourself. Say yes to something that might scare you a little. You don’t need to know everything, just be open to growing. Oxford will change how you see the world, and how you see yourself. That’s the gift of lifelong learning and it’s one I’ll never stop unwrapping.’
