Vee Kativhu

[Lola123]

Going to Oxford and Harvard are both still significant achievements tho, and grade inflation is something that affects most unis nowdays, so her followers are probably in similar positions in regard to that. They only offer foundation courses to people from underperforming schools/areas so there must have been mitigating circumstances around her A levels/GSCEs that most middle class students that got to Oxford don't have. Foundation courses are essential to improving access and I don't really get why people tit on Vee for taking an opportunity and running with it. To make the jump from Bs at A level to performing at the standard of an average oxford/harvard student is quite impressive regardless of grade inflation, especially considering the standard of students they take. Youtube isn't that easy to be successful on, especially as a black woman, and using it as a source of income for her further education isn't a bad thing in any way. Yes she is very outgoing and confident, which won't be everyone's cup of tea, but she's a studytuber who's giving advice about studying. I don't see why she should have humility about her achievements when she has achieved a lot at a young age.

But a lot of it has now gone past the point of well done you’re doing so well to boastful and exploitative of her viewers aka her course aka her book, her circumstance is very different to a lot of people so fine, give out free advice on YouTube collaborate with brands but if you argue social mobility exists (again this is up to you) this girl legit makes enough money and then some to fund her Harvard studies, it wasn’t an accident she made friends with someone like Malala, she is now middle class. Therefore her original path needs to be highlighted fair enough but she’s gone way beyond a lot of this

 

[ravenclawboi11]

But a lot of it has now gone past the point of well done you’re doing so well to boastful and exploitative of her viewers aka her course aka her book, her circumstance is very different to a lot of people so fine, give out free advice on YouTube collaborate with brands but if you argue social mobility exists (again this is up to you) this girl legit makes enough money and then some to fund her Harvard studies, it wasn’t an accident she made friends with someone like Malala, she is now middle class. Therefore her original path needs to be highlighted fair enough but she’s gone way beyond a lot of this

Personally I'd say it takes a generation to "change class" so to speak, like Liam Gallagher still describes himself as working class but I'd say his kids are upper/upper middle class. And Vee will still be judged on her background, accent etc by people. Being a social climber is cringe af tho, and I agree she definitely sought Malala out, although they do seem to be genuine friends now. Exploitative, meh, people are going to be idiots anyway and I'll reserve judgement for when the book comes out to see whether it's actually decent or not (obvs not going to buy it myself but I'm sure someone on here will report back). Boastful is matter of opinion, if she was announcing it in every causal conversation I'd agree but her channel is all about studying and productivity and stuff and showing her results is part of that as far as I'm concerned. If she did make a trophy to celebrate, that's a bit much and not something I would do but duck it, it's been a miserable year, and if she's happy and celebrating good for her. I'll always judge her for breaking covid rules but a poc women being successful and celebrating that success I cba to get worked up about.

 

[nissigossips]

She got B's and C's in her A levels, then onto the foundation scheme at Oxford when a place popped up at the last minute. Then she got into Oxford from the foundation scheme (much easier than regular application) for classical archaeology, which is one of the least competitive degrees at Oxford (they interview 90% of applicants, https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/und...ing/classical-archaeology-and-ancient-history ).

Then she got into Harvard for a Masters from the Graduate School or Education, which is the least competitive department in Harvard (54% of applicants get offers, https://www.petersons.com/graduate-...sters-programs-in-education-000_10035777.aspx ). I would guess that because it's so unrelated to her undergraduate degree, she got in mainly off the back of her social media work.

I'm not trying to say that she can't be proud of these things. And the Masters seems to be a really good fit. But I think people often go 'Oh! Oxford AND Harvard! She's so smart!' without realizing that going to a generic Russell Group uni for undergrad and then postgrad is a similar level of competitiveness (if not more so, for postgrad) to the courses she's applied to.

Just bumping this which I posted before because it has the admissions stats for both courses. I really don't think shes done anything exceptional....

 

[July9696]

Her new flat must cost a lot, I wonder how much per month...

 

[Lola123]

Her new flat must cost a lot, I wonder how much per month...

She could afford Harvard… it’ll be a couple of grand I’m sure

 

[nissigossips]

Really winds me up when she begs for so much free stuff and exploits people. If you can afford a massive fancy flat in central Lodnon you can pay your makeup artists jesus christ vee

 

[Welshgal]

Surely she is going to pay them?!

 

[emmer_moans]

I get that it’s nice for her to be doing well but also, I can’t help but feel she’s chosen a flashy first flat which she is going to have to keep up the appearance of, I give her channel a year but as with a lot of study tubers, their views lose interest a short while after their graduation, as most of the viewers are looking for study tips. Would she be able to keep up the rent once the ads dwindle? Also, I get that she has thanked her viewers but also, most of her viewers probably aren’t going to ever expect to be able to rent such a flashy flat in their lifetime, let alone straight out of uni. Again it’s an example of a studytuber becoming less relatable to their core audience. With Vee it seems like a race to the flashy prestige items > new car > flashy flat > flashy house, what’s left for her later on? Maybe I’m jealous but it’s looking a lot hollow on her channel now.

 

[pumpkin87]

Yeah, to be honest, the direction that her channel is taking is quite a disappointment to me.

I started watching her because I loved her message and her passion for girl's education in Africa. I was secretly expecting her to move to Zimbabwe after graduation and start working on the field with the issues she is passionate about, maybe get a job at an NGO there or even in the goverment. I would have loved her to blog about her life in Zim, talk about the issues that girls are facing there and all the things she is doing to improve the situation.

Now I really dont want to watch another influencer in a fancy appartment living the London life....

 

[MrsMarshmallow]

She didn’t buy balloons for the flat inauguration! Who is she and what did she do to the real Vee?

 

[July9696]

Yeah, to be honest, the direction that her channel is taking is quite a disappointment to me.

I started watching her because I loved her message and her passion for girl's education in Africa. I was secretly expecting her to move to Zimbabwe after graduation and start working on the field with the issues she is passionate about, maybe get a job at an NGO there or even in the goverment. I would have loved her to blog about her life in Zim, talk about the issues that girls are facing there and all the things she is doing to improve the situation.

Now I really dont want to watch another influencer in a fancy appartment living the London life....

I really agree with you.

It would’ve been amazing to see her move to Zimbabwe and take up a role in education there. Real hands on and use her platform to show the culture/ people/ history there.

I don’t know if she’s said what she’s doing next but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a “corporate”/ charity or international organisation in London, in a set up removed from the issue at hand. I mean that’s fine if that’s what she wants and I think she’s after the glamour/girlboss/huge salary/status of that but she could do great work on the ground too. It’s a shame.

 

[Anne1448]

I really agree with you.

It would’ve been amazing to see her move to Zimbabwe and take up a role in education there. Real hands on and use her platform to show the culture/ people/ history there.

I don’t know if she’s said what she’s doing next but I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a “corporate”/ charity or international organisation in London, in a set up removed from the issue at hand. I mean that’s fine if that’s what she wants and I think she’s after the glamour/girlboss/huge salary/status of that but she could do great work on the ground too. It’s a shame.

Working for an NGO is a huge privilege because most of them do not pay a good salary. So she would have to 'downgrade' her lifestyle. If she came from a wealthy family it would be one thing but she is probably the first one in her family who moved to the upper class so quickly.

In my opinion it would be too big of a risk. It's not as if she was fully established. Her career is solely based on her student life. If she starts showing her NGO career people may not care since she'll lose her core audience. Compared to a job in the City for a big company.

 

[July9696]

Working for an NGO is a huge privilege because most of them do not pay a good salary. So she would have to 'downgrade' her lifestyle. If she came from a wealthy family it would be one thing but she is probably the first one in her family who moved to the upper class so quickly.

In my opinion it would be too big of a risk. It's not as if she was fully established. Her career is solely based on her student life. If she starts showing her NGO career people may not care since she'll lose her core audience. Compared to a job in the City for a big company.

I see what you mean but this is also the woman who came up with £26k in a few months to pay for Harvard. She’s not struggling and if she’s got any sense she’ll have lots of savings by now.

She’d definitely have to “downgrade” the lifestyle but YouTuber-moves-to-big-city is a dime a dozen these days.

 

[quartzen]

jeez, just saw the new place tour. YouTube really must be pretty lucrative these days huh. Wow. So far from relatable for any current student/graduate, speaking as one myself…, a swanky London penthouse is seriously out of reach for most young people these days let alone in the current state of the world. I mean good for her, I am definitely very jealous but I’m glad I unfollowed months ago. Not the down to earth YouTuber I used to enjoy watching anymore. Not a fan of the hustle culture “if you work hard enough you can afford these things too!” Type vibe either

 

[palmer]

So I’ve never really ventured outside of the ‘Gurus’ forum until now, but for some reason I was particularly bored tonight and decided to check out some of the other forums. Suddenly I came across a familiar name... I am so shocked to find out that Vee has a thread on here lol.

I probably shouldn’t be posting this, but it’s such a strange thing to see someone I “know” be discussed here that I just can’t help myself... I attended the same Oxford college as her (LMH). I was there when she started her foundation year in 2016. It was the foundation year’s first cohort and our college principal (who initiated/created the program) was making such a big deal out of it, so everyone’s eyes were sort of on them. I was still there in 2017 when Malala arrived and Vee started her BA. From the start it was clear that Vee was the principal’s “favorite” (he was constantly showcasing her on his personal social media, getting her special opportunities, etc. — more so than any of the other students on the FY, let alone actual undergrad students) and I’m pretty sure he sort of hooked her up to become Malala’s friend. I think Vee got assigned to a dorm room right next to Malala’s, and that’s kind of how the friendship started.

I don’t have crazy goss or anything but I am still Facebook friends with her. I haven’t really watched any of her videos but her message (based on what I can tell from fb) has always bothered me slightly because she makes it sound like anyone can achieve what she has if they work hard enough, but she’s failing to recognize the extent to which she just...lucked out. For sure, she was smart enough to take advantage of all the opportunities that were handed to her, and she obviously put in the work/effort/time to stay on top of her course. But a huge part of her success has been down to luck and the fact that she naturally has this very outgoing/friendly personality. It’s great for her but definitely not attainable for most. Had she not got into the FY first, developed such a close r/s with the principal, become friends with M, things would’ve probably turned out differently. There are so many problems with Oxford that she always seemed to ignore/dismiss completely. Also, the constant self congratulatory posts are getting a bit cringe worthy.

 

[ECH]

jeez, just saw the new place tour. YouTube really must be pretty lucrative these days huh. Wow. So far from relatable for any current student/graduate, speaking as one myself…, a swanky London penthouse is seriously out of reach for most young people these days let alone in the current state of the world. I mean good for her, I am definitely very jealous but I’m glad I unfollowed months ago. Not the down to earth YouTuber I used to enjoy watching anymore. Not a fan of the hustle culture “if you work hard enough you can afford these things too!” Type vibe either

Totally. I'm graduating from my masters and I'm from a poor household and I'm first gen, and I'm nearly definitely moving back home once I've graduated because I'm in a decent bit of debt and it's cheaper to pay rent to my dad than to a landlord. She's very lucky to be in the position she's in, and sometimes it feels like she just goes 'wow I worked so hard to get here' but there's a lot more than just hard work that got her there.

 

[emmer_moans]

It’s good to see her achieve, but she risks alienating her core audience with the flashy flat which is likely costing her a lot and she will need to keep up with financially. The ads can fizzle out. E.g. paige_Ys views (as great as she is) have gone down since she graduated because students move onto other channels that do study tips. If she has the means to pay for a flashy new flat there’s not anything wrong with it per se, it’s just for her viewers who are likely to be a lot less well off, there’s no relatable progression, she’s gone straight from family home bedroom to flashy London flat that many could never dream of affording... it sets some almost impossible expectations for impressionable kids because arguably Vee is on an Instagram high. Most kids who do well at uni cannot dream of such success. Vee needs to own that it’s more to do with the ads and her channel at this point. When the ads dry up she’ll have to re-evaluate.
Just my thoughts, no hate, just thinking of the 1000s of students watching thinking if they don’t get to rent a London flat like that straight out of uni that they have failed to live upto a lifestyle that is peddled to them on Instagram. For Vee it’s a cycle of announcements all the time. Same applies to Jade and Ruby and other studytubers to be fair, I’m not singling Vee out. It’s a shame because she was 100% relatable as a student, but now she’s an Influencer with new clothes, constant balloons, constant “life announcements”. Imo, we didn’t need to know she had paid off Harvard, most students would never be able to pay it off in such a lump. It came across as braggy to me.

 

[Anne1448]

Totally. I'm graduating from my masters and I'm from a poor household and I'm first gen, and I'm nearly definitely moving back home once I've graduated because I'm in a decent bit of debt and it's cheaper to pay rent to my dad than to a landlord. She's very lucky to be in the position she's in, and sometimes it feels like she just goes 'wow I worked so hard to get here' but there's a lot more than just hard work that got her there.

Yep, she is in a totally different position. Most graduates will not only end up back at home but they may also be jobless due to the current economic situation.

I hate when people who are the exception are trying to use it as a rule. By that I mean Vee trying to tell her audience that they can make it like her too. If it was so easy all the Oxford graduates would be living like her. Which we know isn't the case. To be successful you need hard work, timing and luck.

Also, I hope that she is saving this Youtube money. Because I would hate for her to end broke because of her financial decisions.

 

[Lola123]

Yep, she is in a totally different position. Most graduates will not only end up back at home but they may also be jobless due to the current economic situation.

I hate when people who are the exception are trying to use it as a rule. By that I mean Vee trying to tell her audience that they can make it like her too. If it was so easy all the Oxford graduates would be living like her. Which we know isn't the case. To be successful you need hard work, timing and luck.

Also, I hope that she is saving this Youtube money. Because I would hate for her to end broke because of her financial decisions.

Thing is she won’t end up broke, she’s networked massively and is able to jump on the back of others, she will be set her life, she’s managed to become middle class, she will continue to have opportunities open for her

 

[pumpkin87]

Working for an NGO is a huge privilege because most of them do not pay a good salary. So she would have to 'downgrade' her lifestyle. If she came from a wealthy family it would be one thing but she is probably the first one in her family who moved to the upper class so quickly.

In my opinion it would be too big of a risk. It's not as if she was fully established. Her career is solely based on her student life. If she starts showing her NGO career people may not care since she'll lose her core audience. Compared to a job in the City for a big company.

With her background (and her financial possibilites) it wouldn't be hard for her to get an internship at some UN organization with a base in Eastern Africa that deals with policymaking in education or other issues that indirectly address girl's access to it. I mean, she has an Oxford degree, a MA in Harvard, she is fluent in Shona (so she could easily pick up other Bantu languages), is familiar with Eastern Africa culture and is very passionate about what she does. Or even in Europe.

I agree that her core audience who merely watch her for her studytube content would probably stop watching but she won't be able to milk the studytube cow for much longer and her job in the City and lavish lifestyle makes it quite hard to relate to her for an average 23 year old, so she will loose subs anyway.