TheSilverWolf98

IB is the course I'm on, I do understand that Oxbridge is a bit of a stretch, but my physics teacher went to Oxford straight out of high school, so it's not impossible, however it is still very hard. I've never heard of a Rhodes scholarship before, so maybe that's something worth looking into. Thanks for the advice.

Sadly, it's not possible to board with my grandparents, as they live in a retirement village and have only 1 bedroom. Working for a while may be an option if push comes to shove, but I'm hoping that won't be the case because I'd rather do university as soon as possible (i.e. straight out of school); I will think about it though. Thanks.

I grew up in the heart of the West Midlands, in a small village. I loved my time there, and I had three of the best friends one could ever hope for. Then my parents dragged me to the other side of the planet to live in Victoria, Australia where my father had been offered a better job, it was sold to me as a "new start" and "Better for my education" (Something that I have always treasured). Then I actually arrived here and I saw the reality of it all - the children were two years behind me in academics, the town was boring, and I was quickly targeted for bullying. I am now of the age where I am seriously considering my choices for university, and my teachers have all said that I have a very good chance of making it to Cambridge, my dream university. But my parents are causing huge issues, they like it here, and my brother was far too young to remember England very well. So they are pressuring me to stay, going so far as to say they will refuse to support me if I move back home. They don't understand how much I hate living here, I feel like a social outcast and have become very isolated and withdrawn, also the climate is not very good for my health; I have very pale white skin and get sunburned even through suncream, and the heat gives me constant migraines and nosebleeds in the summer; my eyes are also very sensitive to light, which means going out in summer can be incredibly painful despite wearing sunglasses. Also, the country is boring, there are only so many times one can walk though a gum forest and marvel at the identical trees. There is no history of culture here at all; whereas in England, I went to castles, poked around ruined houses with my friends and explored the cobbled lane ways of Coventry with my grandparents. Heck, I can't even go into a pub with my parents and get a bottle of coke and a packet of Walkers crisps, because pubs here are just small rooms attached to restaurants that serve nothing but alcohol and are filled with television screens, fruit machines and betting devices. I wake up in the morning and the reality of living in Australia hits me like a smack to the face, because it means just another day of wandering around, being nobody and belonging nowhere. I'm being held by my own parents, away from my home country and from achieving my dreams - Australian Universities don't even offer the courses I want to take, yet I am threatened that I will be cut off and cast out if I leave. I can't afford university without help, and in fact, it may even end up cheaper for me to study in England after all because of the recent university price hikes over here but they just don't see it that way. They see it as me betraying and defiling their Australian dream, and they can't understand how much they are hurting me by keeping me here. I've almost given up on the hope of going back, and I am at a loss of what to do next because I can't see a way forward. Any advice on what to do next would be wonderful, and I would also be interested in hearing stories of other people who have been in a similar situation to me.