What you wish you'd been told before coming to Oxford

This probably isn't very important but I thought I'd ask anyway: how useful is a bike, would you say? Because although I've got one, I'm terrified of riding it... I'm working on that fear at the moment, but I wondered whether it was relatively essential or whether I don't have to worry too much.

Thank you!

I can't ride a bike and got through the three years just walking everywhere. That said, if you're going to Catz you might get more confident riding it (or maybe the Catz Music students in my year were a bit lazier )

It's a small city, so stuff is walkable. But I'd say having a bike reduced my journey times by about 50%, so it's up to you.

I can't remember for the life of me how I became one of your favourite people but cool. What college are you at by the way? I start there in October.

This probably isn't very important but I thought I'd ask anyway: how useful is a bike, would you say? Because although I've got one, I'm terrified of riding it... I'm working on that fear at the moment, but I wondered whether it was relatively essential or whether I don't have to worry too much.

Thank you!

I have this problem too! Also going to Catz in October, and cycling into town would be so much quicker! But cycling is scary, I'm not used to ridiing on the roads...

Haha, oh lordy yes. Would it be weird, do you think, to cycle the quiet bits and then get off and push when you get to the centre with all the cars?

*highfives Catz person*

Brasenose. Going into 4th year.

I rowed and had lectures at 9 and didn't have a bike last year. I'll need one this year though.

Did you row for your college or...? And approx how much time a week did it take up? I'm seriously considering signing up when I start this year, but I don't want to be overwhelmed by workload.

At least Oxford doesn't really have roundabouts. My town is packed full of them which is why I always have to get off the road at various points when cycling.

I also console myself with the knowledge motorists in Oxford will be used to cyclists (unlike my town where it's all "get off the ******* road" ect)

yup college, you have to be a beast and have rowed for ages to row for the Blue boat, rowing for the lightweights in your second year is feasible even if you have never rowed before you get to ox.
we had 4 outings + 2 (I think) land sessions a week in Trinity (outings are around 2 hours land session an hour).
I doubt they'll go all crazy with training sessions for the beginning of MT.
It's definitely possible to juggle work, social life, and rowing + a few other things on top of this I had no bike which means I wasted loads of time walking places.
I'd say: sign up and if you don't like it/find you don't have time, then stop or you could start rowing in HT (don't it will put you off for life rowing when it's snowing is not fun) or TT (I know a few people who did this and they really liked it)

As a general rule: sign up to everything that's possible and then cut back. I signed up to I think about 9 or 10 things in total and ended up only doing about 3 of them.


Cowley roundabout: so many stories

Well is it in Cowley? Hopefully I won't have to use it as I'll live in college for 3 years.

it's on the other side of magdalen bridge. You'll use it if you want to go to the uni sports centre (gym, swimming pool, loads of other stuff) And depending where your boathouse is if you row you'll use it. Oh and Cowley is amazing and it's got TESCO