What you wish you'd been told before coming to Oxford
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Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to OxfordThe tutors know it's your first week, they won't be expecting anything special, so don't worry too much! Also, your first tute never goes as well as you expect. Don't worry about that either.(Original post by Gallifreylives)
ooh thanks for your help
I'll double check
don't want to disappoint in first week....
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Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to OxfordOh, cool...(Original post by Gallifreylives)
St Hilda's
You want an essay!?
actually... it is a tiny bit awesome
Yes, I do, I miss work.
I also want a reading list, but there we go...
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Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to OxfordWhat I wish I'd been told:(Original post by KingMessi)
Oh, cool...
Yes, I do, I miss work.
I also want a reading list, but there we go...
ENJOY YOUR SUMMER HOLIDAY. Don't wish you could get to university faster. It really is your last bit of freedom (especially to read whatever books you want when you're an English student). Do fun things.
Yeah the work is awesome blah blah but you also get a lot of it! -
Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to Oxford(Original post by shj)
What I wish I'd been told:
ENJOY YOUR SUMMER HOLIDAY. Don't wish you could get to university faster. It really is your last bit of freedom (especially to read whatever books you want when you're an English student). Do fun things.
Yeah the work is awesome blah blah but you also get a lot of it!
I know, but I've been on a Gap Year, so I've become fully satiated with fun things over the last ten months...I feel listless...
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Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to OxfordColleges do have Basketball cuppers. I played in it last year(Original post by heyquickquestion)
I want to play basketball but I'm probably not good enough to be in the university team. Any inter-college basketball competitions? Or people that play basketball regularly? (I'm a guy btw)
The other thing to do it to get in touch with the University team. Go down to trials (you never know, you may be good enough) and if you don't get it they'll probably have a development set up of some kind/some pick up games. -
Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to OxfordYou're doing English aren't you? Just read some books!(Original post by KingMessi)
Oh, cool...
Yes, I do, I miss work.
I also want a reading list, but there we go...
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Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to OxfordBeowulf is a mainstay, if that helps. Also modernism is taken by most if not all people in the first year, so Ulysses, Orlando, Sons and Lovers are likely to come up. I'm not an English student, but friends with a fair few(Original post by KingMessi)
I am indeed - and I am reading books! I just...want Oxford-English-degree-related books.
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Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to OxfordThe Faerie Queene. The amount of complaints I heard about it, it may serve you well to read it in advance(Original post by KingMessi)
I am indeed - and I am reading books! I just...want Oxford-English-degree-related books.
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Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to OxfordThank you.(Original post by MrCarmady)
Beowulf is a mainstay, if that helps. Also modernism is taken by most if not all people in the first year, so Ulysses, Orlando, Sons and Lovers are likely to come up. I'm not an English student, but friends with a fair few
I already have Beowulf but haven't read it yet...
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Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to OxfordCheers. I did actually read part of this prior to my interview, but never finished it...(Original post by The_Lonely_Goatherd)
The Faerie Queene. The amount of complaints I heard about it, it may serve you well to read it in advance
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Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to OxfordIt's pretty long (from what I understand), to be fair to you(Original post by KingMessi)
Cheers. I did actually read part of this prior to my interview, but never finished it...
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Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to OxfordThanks a lot!(Original post by Mystic123)
Not doing a language course is one of my biggest regrets now I'm about to leave, but I had a horrible workload last year and some personal issues that led to me dropping a few other things so I doubt I'd have kept it going. Without those...I'm sure it would have been manageable, and I know people who've done it and really enjoyed it.
As far as society commitments in general goes, I think it all depends on the person. I'd say I've been pretty heavily involved in 2 societies, and gone to a few things at various others. Some people manage to juggle half a dozen different extra-curricular activities, rowing and a JCR position without any fuss (although not everyone who does that does a lot of work...), and some people only do one thing or nothing concrete at all. It all depends on how quickly you work and sometimes how little sleep you can get through a day on if you want to do a lot of extra-curricular things. And for time management in general...I guess what I would say is that everything takes longer than you intend it to, and you will procrastinate more than you intend to unless you're extremely self-disciplined. Overall it's not something that's easy to judge until you try for yourself.
I'm seriously considering taking Spanish through the language center and hopefully obtaining a summer internship at some Latin American company to get adventure, gain work experience and brush of my Spanish.. It will be kind of hard to pull off, though, but it would be a great way to spend the summer between 1st and 2nd year when it is difficult to get internships in the big London management consultancies/banks.
I'm an E&M offer holder by the way. -
Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to OxfordI'm signed for 5-6 weeks mathematics, 40 hours a week, over the summer..(Original post by shj)
What I wish I'd been told:
ENJOY YOUR SUMMER HOLIDAY. Don't wish you could get to university faster. It really is your last bit of freedom (especially to read whatever books you want when you're an English student). Do fun things.
Yeah the work is awesome blah blah but you also get a lot of it!
It's kind of a part of my offer so I can't abstain from it.. I really would have enjoyed spending my summer on something else but that's life :/
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Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to OxfordOuch(Original post by AnimalSpirit)
I'm signed for 5-6 weeks mathematics, 40 hours a week, over the summer..
It's kind of a part of my offer so I can't abstain from it.. I really would have enjoyed spending my summer on something else but that's life :/
Sorry to butt in.
If you don't mind my being nosey what course are you going to read and how come that is 'part' of your offer? -
Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to OxfordDitto!(Original post by crazycots)
Ouch
Sorry to butt in.
If you don't mind my being nosey what course are you going to read and how come that is 'part' of your offer?
That sounds kind of cruel... is the course at Oxford or elsewhere?
I guess if it is at least you get to know Oxford well before the rest of us arrive
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Re: What you wish you'd been told before coming to Oxford(Original post by crazycots)
Ouch
Sorry to butt in.
If you don't mind my being nosey what course are you going to read and how come that is 'part' of your offer?
The course is an upgrade to my gymnasium maths.. And don't worry, it's not in Oxford.(Original post by flying_ifan)
Ditto!
That sounds kind of cruel... is the course at Oxford or elsewhere?
I guess if it is at least you get to know Oxford well before the rest of us arrive

I didn't do mathematics at A-level and planned to upgrade it over the summer if I got in. I had achieved all of my grades except for A-level maths which I am going to do over the summer.. I'm an offer holder for E&M..
At least I only have to pass the mathematics course and not achieve a certain grade - UCL wanted me to get 12 (A*) as a condition for my offer there.
It's kind of a part of my offer so I can't abstain from it.. I really would have enjoyed spending my summer on something else but that's life :/