An aspiring medic kept her dream alive and has now secured a place at Oxford University.

Despite achieving three A* grades in her A-levels last year, Emily Dodds was unsuccessful in her first attempt to study medicine at its New College.

The 19-year-old was determined to get in so decided against accepting other offers and took a gap year to allow her to reapply to Oxford to pursue her dream to be a doctor.

She said: “My whole life I have wanted to go there. I was completely shattered, for me it was really difficult because it was my life’s dream and all my other friends had got offers from Oxford and Cambridge. I was so happy for them but I hadn’t been able to do it.

“I wasn’t expecting it [reapplying] to pay off, I was so happy. I have known I wanted to do medicine since the age of five.”

The former Colyton Grammar School pupil has been working in Costa in Old Fore Street to save up money for the six-year course, which she will start in October.