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What do you want to know about Oxford?

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Reply 20
I've been checking out the pros and cons Wiki page. :smile:

I'm still wondering, what are living costs for food like, and also, is the food in the halls any good?

If you don't drink and aren't meant to hang out in pubs etc., what is there to do? I know one could always still go along to the party but at other times?

(I may add some more questions :P )
(edited 12 years ago)
Is freshers week good in Oxford?
Reply 22
Original post by chickenonsteroids
what are tutorials like? and does it get tiring writing weekly essays?

Oh this is quite specific but what's the philosophy and theology course like?


Tutorials are just like your interviews.

Re: Philosophy - They can be quite awkward at first because you are being questioned by someone who is an academic God at the subject you are studying. By the end of the term though (or sooner) tutes just become like conversations where you discuss your thoughts on the essay you wrote. However, expect criticism!

My Economics tutes are much more intense though. It is literally my tutor, my subject peer and I sitting in a room and then an hour of economic theory interrogation. Challenging, insightful and a little bit scary at first, but it'll teach you how to think!

Re: Your subject, I can only tell you about Philosophy. We have done Mill and Logic so far this term. Mill you study in a lot of depth and by the end of the term, you might be a little bit sick of him. But! His work does raise some interesting topics in your tutes. Also, next term we will be doing General Philosophy, which I am actually very excited about! Logic wise (if you can wrap your head around it) is also enjoyable. I can't really explain what logic is better than it is maths but for language.
Original post by ambontoast
Is freshers week good in Oxford?


YES. The stereotype is bullcrap, everyone is completely normal! And we all got on it everynight to make it one big blur of a week!!
Original post by soutioirsim
YES. The stereotype is bullcrap, everyone is completely normal! And we all got on it everynight to make it one big blur of a week!!


Oh man, I can't wait!
Original post by ambontoast
Oh man, I can't wait!


Ha! I just saw you're going to university college. This should destroy your worries about a tame freshers week:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2074055/Beware-chundergraduates-Oxford-students-given-compulsory-alcohol-lectures-freshers-week-event-gets-VERY-messy.html
"During a freshers' week event at University College, the oldest college in Oxford, students got so drunk that the college bar is said to have been covered in vomit."

Excellent.
Hey, does anyone know to what extent we could "mingle" with OTHER colleges? I mean, could we freely walk around the grounds of other colleges (for my interview at my other college, at least, I could walk around freely but places like Christ Church, where to my understanding there is a fee for tourists, is it free for students of other colleges to roam?). And also, are we allowed to eat at other colleges (say for convenience if your college is on the other side of the town and you don't want to eat fast food or something XD) without necessarily having someone from the college accompanying you? I know that dinners are formal so you'd need an invitation but most colleges have a pay-as-you-eat for lunch I think so what about them?
Original post by Reminisce
Hey, does anyone know to what extent we could "mingle" with OTHER colleges? I mean, could we freely walk around the grounds of other colleges (for my interview at my other college, at least, I could walk around freely but places like Christ Church, where to my understanding there is a fee for tourists, is it free for students of other colleges to roam?). And also, are we allowed to eat at other colleges (say for convenience if your college is on the other side of the town and you don't want to eat fast food or something XD) without necessarily having someone from the college accompanying you? I know that dinners are formal so you'd need an invitation but most colleges have a pay-as-you-eat for lunch I think so what about them?


Never tried to eat at another college unaccompanied bur regarding visiting other colleges normally it's fine. You just walk in and occasionally a porter will check your bod card (This has only happened at Christ Church for me though - probably because they get so many tourists). It's free.
Original post by Reminisce
Hey, does anyone know to what extent we could "mingle" with OTHER colleges? I mean, could we freely walk around the grounds of other colleges (for my interview at my other college, at least, I could walk around freely but places like Christ Church, where to my understanding there is a fee for tourists, is it free for students of other colleges to roam?). And also, are we allowed to eat at other colleges (say for convenience if your college is on the other side of the town and you don't want to eat fast food or something XD) without necessarily having someone from the college accompanying you? I know that dinners are formal so you'd need an invitation but most colleges have a pay-as-you-eat for lunch I think so what about them?


Yeah me and my friends do it all the time. It's a really good way to get to know Oxford. On the last day of term we finished all our work so just went for a wander around Magdalen, New, Christ Church, Corpus Christi and Merton. Like the person above me said, you just need to show your bod card now and then.
Original post by qwertyuiop1993
Never tried to eat at another college unaccompanied bur regarding visiting other colleges normally it's fine. You just walk in and occasionally a porter will check your bod card (This has only happened at Christ Church for me though - probably because they get so many tourists). It's free.


Christ Church! WTF is wrong with the porters there? I swear to god I get stopped and asked for my card twice a week when passing through, usually by the same porters. Hate having to go there.
Original post by Ja-m-ie
.


thanks for that :smile:

I thought you can only do philosophy and theology? Can you do philosophy on its own?

I ask because I hate theology
How much free time would you realistically have? How far would it would be feasible to take 2 language centre courses on top of your degree? How much can you get involved in extra curriculars and socialise without it having a detrimental effect on your studies?

(quite worried about overstretching myself :s-smilie: )
Reply 33
does the accommodation have baths?
Original post by The Lyceum
Christ Church! WTF is wrong with the porters there? I swear to god I get stopped and asked for my card twice a week when passing through, usually by the same porters. Hate having to go there.


Not as bad as Merton, they wouldn't even let me in one time! I just wanted to have a sneaky peek...
Reply 35
Original post by confused dot com
Thanks, I'm just glad you don't have to leave the college to do it! I did have another question I forgot to ask though :colondollar: What do you do with all of your stuff outside of term time as I'm guessing you have to vacate your room for interviewees and others who may use them?


A big downside of only having to pay for half the year is you have to take your stuff back with you out of term time. You can get away with leaving stuff under the bed, or out of the way in a cupboard, but clearly anything left is not secure. People also tend to leave fridges in the corner or something - clearly no conference guest/interviewee is going to complain about free use of a fridge so that is fine.

I had a duvet stolen one term. That made me very angry :tongue:

I mean, could we freely walk around the grounds of other colleges (for my interview at my other college,


Some colleges at some times of day won't let you in. Generally looking like a student, or failing that a bod card, will get you in though.

And also, are we allowed to eat at other colleges (say for convenience if your college is on the other side of the town and you don't want to eat fast food or something XD) without necessarily having someone from the college accompanying you?


Gnerally not - most colleges have a specific way of paying for meals.

I know that dinners are formal so you'd need an invitation


Not all dinners are 'formal', although you would probably need to be booked in as a guest yes.

Original post by The Lyceum
Christ Church! WTF is wrong with the porters there? I swear to god I get stopped and asked for my card twice a week when passing through, usually by the same porters. Hate having to go there.


Must be something about you! I walked through there at least twice a week for two years solid and got stopped just once.
(edited 8 years ago)
Reply 36
Original post by mabelbarc
Id like to know if the city has a good night life? If the interview is as scary as everyone makes it out to be? What the accommodation for Freshers is like? How many hours a day do they do work? and how many hours is spent inside lectures?

if i think of more i'll add them haha :P


Yep the nightlife is great, the main varsity events are at Camera, Wahoo, Bridge, Lava Ignite (aka Park End/Shark End) all through the week and there are lots of other bars/clubs that you can go to. There are also some good pubs around for if you fancy a slightly quieter night :smile:
I didn't find them as scary as I would have thought, the questions are challenging of course but they're designed to push you. The tutors want to know your thought processes even if you can't get to the right answer in the end so it helped me to say my thoughts out loud :smile:
The accommodation for freshers at Christ Church is the Blue Boar block, the building is more modern so not as pretty but the rooms have all been recently refurbished and they have ensuites :smile: I like them anyway :biggrin:
I tend to have lectures/practicals from 9am until about lunch (ish) then I'll usually spend the afternoon writing essays for tutes (as a ChCh medic you get quite a bit of work, between 3-6 tutes a week) but I don't tend to do work in the evening after dinner so that's when I relax with my mates :smile:

Original post by confused dot com
It may be a silly question, but where do you wash your clothes? Do most people just take a bag to their parents or go to a laundrette?


I'll add extra detail for my college - the washing machines are £2 and the dryer is £1 but they are huge so I always share with a mate.

Original post by confused dot com
Thanks, I'm just glad you don't have to leave the college to do it! I did have another question I forgot to ask though :colondollar: What do you do with all of your stuff outside of term time as I'm guessing you have to vacate your room for interviewees and others who may use them?


Again detail for my college - you have to move your things out each holiday, however in the Blue Boar rooms there is a locked box in the wardrobe and you can leave a locked suitcase under your bed too :smile:

Original post by chickenonsteroids
what are tutorials like? and does it get tiring writing weekly essays?

Oh this is quite specific but what's the philosophy and theology course like?


Can't help with the philosophy and theology course bit but tutorials in general are actually quite fun. They are quite similar to interviews except you've researched the topic for a week beforehand and you've got a couple of mates in there for moral support to help each other out if you get stuck :smile:

Original post by dancinginrainbows
For how many hours a week do you actually work?


Erm.... lectures and practicals: 9am-1pm ish monday-friday, tutorials: usually about 3-4 a week (an hour long each) and usually 2-5 hours a day doing tute work... so about 35-60 hours a week

Original post by loopy786
I've been checking out the pros and cons Wiki page. :smile:

I'm still wondering, what are living costs for food like, and also, is the food in the halls any good?

If you don't drink and aren't meant to hang out in pubs etc., what is there to do? I know one could always still go along to the party but at other times?

(I may add some more questions :P )


At Christ Church dinner (3 course :biggrin: ) costs £2.10 every day (regardless of whether you eat it) and breakfast and lunch are pay as you go. I make my own breakfast (cereal) and lunch (usually sandwiches) and I spend about £10 a week on food for that (including things like juice, yoghurts, biscuits etc.). The dinner in hall is very very good most of the time :smile:
There is a cinema, an ice rink or you can just relax in your college common room with some friends. Otherwise join lots and lots of societies, you could be off doing a different thing every night!

Original post by ambontoast
Is freshers week good in Oxford?


I really enjoyed it, there were various club nights organised for every night of the week (white raves, traffic light parties, UV bubble rave etc.) and lots of alternative activites going on at my college for if you didn't want to go clubbing like salsa taster sessions, ice skating, film night in the JCR etc. However the clubs are incredibly busy during freshers week, so there's a bit more queueing than normal nights out and the clubs can get very very hot.

Original post by Reminisce
Hey, does anyone know to what extent we could "mingle" with OTHER colleges? I mean, could we freely walk around the grounds of other colleges (for my interview at my other college, at least, I could walk around freely but places like Christ Church, where to my understanding there is a fee for tourists, is it free for students of other colleges to roam?). And also, are we allowed to eat at other colleges (say for convenience if your college is on the other side of the town and you don't want to eat fast food or something XD) without necessarily having someone from the college accompanying you? I know that dinners are formal so you'd need an invitation but most colleges have a pay-as-you-eat for lunch I think so what about them?


Yep its free for students to go into every college as theoretically you could be going for a tutorial in any of them at any time (for example I'm at Christ Church but I have a few tutes in Teddy Hall and Magdalen). Otherwise if the porters stop you then just show your bod card (uni ID), the porters at ChCh are lovely :biggrin: erm...I'm not sure about the food thing to be honest, you have to be a guest to a member of the college for dinner but I don't eat in hall for breakfast or lunch. It might be possible but its not common as far as I know, someone else may be able to shed more light on the subject sorry.
Original post by medbh4805
How much free time would you realistically have? How far would it would be feasible to take 2 language centre courses on top of your degree? How much can you get involved in extra curriculars and socialise without it having a detrimental effect on your studies?

(quite worried about overstretching myself :s-smilie: )


Depends on language/how good you are with your actual course work. The Classics dept is pretty lax in general. I'm apparently learning German yet only do 2 hours a week class time and am somehow able to read all the class material/some of the classical commentaries which very little work, so...Like I said, German or Spanish, sure. Korean and some random south American hyper aggluntative language with 40 different tenses? no.

Original post by soutioirsim
Not as bad as Merton, they wouldn't even let me in one time! I just wanted to have a sneaky peek...


Really? I've had no problem with Merton. Or anywhere really. Corpus Christi and Oriel seem the most lax. Once when waiting for a tutorial in Oriel I saw a guy walk across the quad wearing nothing but underwear and a sock and not get stopped, for example. For me only ChCh has been problematic. Waiting outside the library for a friend, for example, drew questions from two different porters. Seriously? YOU GOT ME! DESPITE CLEVERLY MANAGING TO TRICK YOU INTO LETTING ME IN I AM NOT IN FACT A STUDENT HERE, THAT WAS A FAKE BOD CARD. I'M HERE TO BRING YOU DOWN, SECRETLY FROM CAMBRIDGE BITCHES!

Seriously...
Another question, is there generally anywhere you can store your stuff when you aren't there? I live in Northern Ireland and bringing it back and forth with me is completely infeasible.
Original post by The Lyceum
Depends on language/how good you are with your actual course work. The Classics dept is pretty lax in general. I'm apparently learning German yet only do 2 hours a week class time and am somehow able to read all the class material/some of the classical commentaries which very little work, so...Like I said, German or Spanish, sure. Korean and some random south American hyper aggluntative language with 40 different tenses? no.


I was hoping for German and French, so that sounds grand :yy:

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