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

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Not to spend like £80 buying the books they advised me to buy. I didn't use them once and if I had needed them, they were in the library anyway.
Reply 121
paddyman4
Not to spend like £80 buying the books they recommended advised me to buy. I didn't use them once and if I had needed them, they were in the library anyway.


What's your subject out of interest?
Sappho
What's your subject out of interest?


It's true of most subjects. The scientists don't use many books at all (all of which are in the library, but might be in high demand - so buy the 1 or 2 core texts), and the artists use tons of books, but these are readily available in libraries. If you're an artist I recommend you buy the occasional book that you think will be handy to always have within arm's reach (but buy them second hand online as they can be expensive), and don't worry about the rest - Oxford's libraries are unmatched.
Reply 123
wjcsibelius
It's true of most subjects. The scientists don't use many books at all (all of which are in the library, but might be in high demand - so buy the 1 or 2 core texts), and the artists use tons of books, but these are readily available in libraries. If you're an artist I recommend you buy the occasional book that you think will be handy to always have within arm's reach (but buy them second hand online as they can be expensive), and don't worry about the rest - Oxford's libraries are unmatched.


Ditto. I know artists who bought books so that they could scribble on them (sacrilege!!) but the only book I bought was in my first week in Oxford when I couldn't get it in the library and had been told it was a good book to have anyway.
Bekaboo
Ditto. I know artists who bought books so that they could scribble on them (sacrilege!!)...


:ninja:

The only books I ever bought (aside from Very Short Introductions and exceedingly cheap second-hand books) were books that I very geekily wanted to scribble all over and keep for the rest of my life :yep:
Reply 125
The_Lonely_Goatherd
:ninja:

The only books I ever bought (aside from Very Short Introductions and exceedingly cheap second-hand books) were books that I very geekily wanted to scribble all over and keep for the rest of my life :yep:


I love Very Short Introductions :grin: And the only reason I buy books is so I can have books on my shelves when I finally rejoin the real world without copyright libraries.
Mook
the real world without copyright libraries.


It's an awful place (says she who has a fear of academic libraries :rolleyes: ) :sadnod:
Mook
I love Very Short Introductions :grin: And the only reason I buy books is so I can have books on my shelves when I finally rejoin the real world without copyright libraries.


ooh, i love them too :yep:

wanna reccomend me some good one's? :biggrin:
Reply 128
minimus777
ooh, i love them too :yep:


you get a free one at fresher's fair! at least you did in 2007 from the blackwell's stand.
Reply 129
minimus777

wanna reccomend me some good one's? :biggrin:


Errr I've only really read the history ones - just finished one on Northern Ireland today actually, which was on my reading list (not all that surprising seeing as the author runs the course).

But generally lots of current students have told me that they found them extremely useful introductions before they applied. A friend who does Law said the Law one pretty much got him through his interview, and likewise for Music.
Mook
Errr I've only really read the history ones - just finished one on Northern Ireland today actually, which was on my reading list (not all that surprising seeing as the author runs the course).

But generally lots of current students have told me that they found them extremely useful introductions before they applied. A friend who does Law said the Law one pretty much got him through his interview, and likewise for Music.


I only managed to understand the Music one third time round (end of second year :rolleyes: ), though I've always got the impression I'm in the minority on that front :biggrin: It's a good read once you can understand it, though the author needs a slap for his gender chapter :yep:
I've read many VSIs, and beyond music, I'd recommend Peter Singer's one on Hegel, the one on Aristotle, and the one on archaeology is fun, if not especially insightful.
wjcsibelius
I've read many VSIs, and beyond music, I'd recommend Peter Singer's one on Hegel, the one on Aristotle, and the one on archaeology is fun, if not especially insightful.


Have you read the Film Music one and if so, is it any good? I didn't even know there was one til a few weeks ago... :musicus:

(Also... have we met? A Magdalen muso wanted to look at my dissertation...)
I haven't read the Film Music one (it's new, isn't it?). And, hmmm, I don't think we've met. Did James speak to you - he's a counter-tenor, 1st year and wrote an extended essay on the direction of classical music in this century (or something similar.)
wjcsibelius
I haven't read the Film Music one (it's new, isn't it?). And, hmmm, I don't think we've met. Did James speak to you - he's a counter-tenor, 1st year and wrote an extended essay on the direction of classical music in this century (or something similar.)


I didn't catch the name due to hearing problems and was too embarrassed to ask :o: Tall with blonde floppy hair?

Film Music one is new. I bought the World Music one but it wasn't as fun as Nick Cook :no:
Mook
Errr I've only really read the history ones - just finished one on Northern Ireland today actually, which was on my reading list (not all that surprising seeing as the author runs the course).

But generally lots of current students have told me that they found them extremely useful introductions before they applied. A friend who does Law said the Law one pretty much got him through his interview, and likewise for Music.


haha, i'm just in the middle of that one (history project on Northern ireland)

i was looking at the titles in the back of the books and there are loads that i want to read. Not enough time though so i'll have to cut the list down...

:yep:
Reply 136
minimus777
haha, i'm just in the middle of that one (history project on Northern ireland)

i was looking at the titles in the back of the books and there are loads that i want to read. Not enough time though so i'll have to cut the list down...

:yep:


Awesome. Apologies if you're already aware of this, but if you're studying Northern Ireland then this site has loads of extracts for relevant memoirs and contemporary accounts, plus all of the major controversial documents and agreements: http://cain.ulst.ac.uk/events/index.html
After reading the NI short intro, I looked up Marc Mulholland and it turns out he grew up a few miles down the road from me.

This probably isn't interesting to anyone else.
Reply 138
The_Lonely_Goatherd
I didn't catch the name due to hearing problems and was too embarrassed to ask :o: Tall with blonde floppy hair?

Film Music one is new. I bought the World Music one but it wasn't as fun as Nick Cook :no:


I couldn't find film music. It's filed under Art not Music :confused:
Bekaboo
I couldn't find film music. It's filed under Art not Music


http://ukcatalogue.oup.com/product/academic/series/general/vsi/9780195370874.do?sortby=pubDateDescend

Looking at the website, there's apparently one on The Blues and an upcoming one on Folk Music too :biggrin:

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