Before My Oxford Year was a book or a movie, Whelan was originally hired to work on a screenplay that Burnett had started. However, as she began assisting on the screenplay, Whelan thought the story needed a longer version, so she transitioned from writing a script to writing the novel.

My Oxford Year's Sofia Carson and Corey Mylchreest explain the movie's tragic ending, which is significantly different from Julia Whelan's novel.