ʃiː wʌz ɚɹˈɪdʒɪnəli plˈænɪŋ tə stˈʌdi æt sənt ˈændɹuːz jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi, bˌʌt ˈæftɚɹ ɐtʃˈiːvɪŋ bˈɛɾɚðɐnɛkspˈɛktᵻd ɐlˈɛvəl ɹɪzˈʌlts, ʃiː tˈʊk ɐ jˈɪɹ ˈaʊt ænd ɹˌiːɐplˈaɪd tə wˈɑːdæm kˈɑːlɪdʒ, jˌuːnɪvˈɜːsᵻɾi ʌv ˈɑːksfɚd, wˌɛɹ ʃiː wˈʌn ɐ plˈeɪs tə stˈʌdi ˈɪŋɡlɪʃ lˈɪɾɚɹᵻtʃɚ.
She was originally planning to study at St Andrew's University, but after achieving better-than-expected A'Level results, she took a year out and re-applied to Wadham College, University of Oxford, where she won a place to study English Literature.