Health Education and Human Sciences | Lion Voices | StudentsSeptember 12, 2025

Study Abroad Dream Come True: A Summer at Oxford

Written By: Ian Silvester

Hailey Hadley boarded a plane to England with her family three years ago, thinking she was off on a fun family vacation filled with sightseeing and culture. What she didn’t realize then was that a stop at Oxford University, suggested by her younger sister, would profoundly impact her educational future.

Hailey, now a junior at the University of Arkansas – Fort Smith, majoring in psychology with a minor in business, looks back on that family trip as a turning point that opened doors she never knew existed. 

Hailey admits to being at a stubborn age and not looking forward to a lengthy tour of the world’s most prestigious academic institution.

“But after that five-hour tour, I left with a new excitement to learn. It gave me a goal, which was to return as a student of Oxford instead of just a tourist,” she said.

Hailey’s college journey originally began away from UAFS, but the Fort Smith native and Southside High School grad wanted to be close to her family and friends. She enrolled at UAFS to start her sophomore year. She also switched her major from business to psychology and moved business to her minor.

Hailey then began the process of applying to study abroad.

Her first step was talking with Noah Schmidt, the international students programs and services administrator at UAFS, for study abroad resources. After visiting the list of colleges at Oxford University, she narrowed her search to Lady Margaret Hall. By October 2024, Hailey was writing her reflection paper, gathering two letters of recommendation, and ensuring her GPA was adequate – all the requirements.

She was accepted into the Lady Margaret Hall social psychology summer term, where her concentrations were neuropsychology of human interaction and behavioral neuroscience. And for four weeks, Hailey was a student at Oxford, finally accomplishing the goal sparked on that family vacation.

“I wasn’t sure what to expect. I was definitely intimidated, especially because there were students from all over the world, and the few that were from America were all from Ivy League schools,” she said.

Hailey joked that quite a few of her summer classmates didn’t know where Arkansas was, let alone UAFS, but that didn’t stop her from being her authentic self: Eager to learn and doing so with a Southern flair.

“They all left with a new word in their vocabulary, ‘y’all,’” she said. “Because of the difference in where I’m from, I think that honestly helped me excel, because I offered a different perspective in a lot of my courses. I’m from a different environment that has different relationships and different ways of thinking. I think when you’re in an academic setting like that, it’s extremely important to consider all perspectives.”

Hailey attended morning lectures and early afternoon seminars to discuss the lectures, Mondays through Thursdays, and small group tutorial sessions on Fridays, to critically evaluate her papers with a professor. Classes similar in size to those at UAFS allowed her the opportunity to connect easily with peers and professors.

“There was no blending in. You had to be engaged and put forth the effort,” she said.

Now back at home, Hailey will continue her studies in psychology and her internship with a forensic psychologist. Armed with what she learned from Oxford University, she said she hopes others will be inspired to follow their dreams and wants them to know UAFS can help them do so, even when those dreams seem a bit out of reach on the surface.

• Tags:
• Psychology
• Study Abroad
• College of Health Education and Human Sciences