Oxford 2011 Freshers Chat Thread

You use longbows?! I tried to draw one once - 'tried', showing how unsuccessful I was! That was two years ago, but still

Oh and another question; anybody planning on getting up super-early some mornings and heading to a pub/bar to watch the Rugby World Cup? The knockout stages are in full swing by the start of October, I think.

Ah, I've always wanted to shoot a longbow.
And for a self confessed nerd, I have decent upper body strength too so I might even be able to draw one.

You use longbows?! I tried to draw one once - 'tried', showing how unsuccessful I was! That was two years ago, but still

When they were in use around the 1300's they used to start the kids at 7/10 or something to build up the necessary strength

Is strength important at all in modern archery?

Oooh, I've always wanted to have a go at archery! Otherwise, I imagine I'll just end up joining the 10 geekiest societies and the Union.

One of our members shoots a longbow, yes, but only the one - probably because it is the most insane thing I've ever drawn. To put it into perspective, the draw weight of an average novice bow is 22lb, a medium bow (like the one I shoot) is 30lb, and the most experienced guys we have pull around 50lb. Our resident longbow is 75lb, and that's weak for a longbow - the proper 'warbows' go from 80-120lb. Jesus. I had a crack at drawing it once, thinking it would be round about the same strength as mine, and it nearly dislocated my shoulder. That said, you can get 'trainer' longbows of a more sensible, novice-to-normal weight, so it's not like they all have to be like that and you can try and get one if you wish. But we'll be starting you off with a nice easy recurve so you can build up to that



Yes, it is, not so much early on when you're shooting 10-20 yards indoors, but when we move outside in the summer you can't reach the longer distances (60-80-100 yards) without a strong enough bow and the ability to draw it. And hold it. And hold it. And still aim without your arms shaking. But it's normal to work up to that. Heck, if I can do it after six months (non-intensive) training, having had no upper body strength to speak of and an entirely sports-free lifestyle before uni, anybody can! As you shoot, you naturally get stronger without noticing, it's pretty cool when you suddenly start winning arm-wrestles



We'd be glad to have you, anyone is welcome

Yeah, the draw weight of English yew warbows has always been the subject of fascination. I remember reading a source one, it may have been a Frenchmen, who grudgingly wrote of his admiration for English longbowmen and their superhuman ability to draw!

It's something to aim for, I guess!!

Roughly how much would a membership for the year cost?
And would that include usage of club equipment?

It is indeed

A year's membership is £40, and that includes free usuage of club equipment, free entry to as many sessions as you like/have time for (we put on 4 a week), free beginners tuition, a 'novice pack' of basic protective gear to keep, and heavily subsidised tournament entry. Plus, of course, access to all the scintillating socials organised by yours truly. If you're serious you'll probably end up getting better gear/equipment/stash later on, but the club stuff is decent and gives you everything you really need to start off.

...

Since the chat seems to be about extra-curriculars, here are my two cents:

Sport: without a doubt I will give Kayaking and Canoeing a go and I really want to stick with it. I'm also thinking of joining another sport club, probably a martial art like Shorinji Kempo because it's not so competitive and I used to do Judo. I don't want to do anything which is overly popular or competitive.

Societies: There's really only one I want to join for sure, and that is the Scandinavian Society. I also thought vaguely about pretty much every charity society, about the Anthropology society, or some of the geekier ones (notably Harry Potter and Tolkein), but I'm trying to be realistic here.

Music: I'm a passionate singer/songwriter so I really hope to find a community of musicians with whom to write, play and perform since Oxford's music scene is exactly my kind of thing. It is my dream to play at Wood or Truck at some time in the next few years.

Languages: I want to basically keep up all the languages I'm half-learning at the moment by regularily attending the languages center. I really want to do a Spanish LASR Course, as well as keep up to date on Norwegian, Icelandic and French.

So altogether that makes about 5 or 6 hours a week, I reckon. Not too much, right? Especially for the first year.

Is anybody interested or involved in these already?

I must say my inner geek's eyes lit up when I saw the Harry Potter society. I'm afraid I'm not really into sports (I use the gym a lot but have no co-ordination so don't do much of anything else) but I too want to improve my language skills.

Is it weird that I am nervous. Like really really nervous. In the sense that I keep putting things off

Next to never. Boys have to wear a variation of white tie for sub fusc/exams, but that's literally a suit with an actual white tie so it's not really - and girls sub fusc is nothing like it. Individual balls from posh places like Magdalen might insist on it, but they're every three years so dressing up is all part of the experience. Catz Ball last year was black tie I got away without wearing anything like white tie all year, so suffice to say you don't need it! A good selection of black tie wear is, however, essential, something I didn't realise until I arrived. You'd be surprised (I was!) at how often Oxford makes you glam yourself up

Aha, a mad scientist. Good good - we have a lot of those ound Catz The rooms are pretty basic, just a desk, bed (with bedding included) and a few chairs, ready for you to customise as you like. Some people have brought lamps, rugs, posters etc, which is fine, but if you bring your own duvet cover or pillows you have to wash it yourself, so be warned! Speaking of washing, a washbasket helps, so you can lug your stuff to the laundry without too much trouble. There's a fridge and kettle in the shared kitchen, but many people take their own to make tea in the morning/coffee during essay crises that much easier to handle. I had a fridge in my room and it was very conveniant, apart from anything else nothing got stolen Don't forget to bring pots/pans/crockery/cutlery/more than one mug, you'll be eating in hall a lot but it always helps to have equipment on standby! Apart from that, there's nothing urgent that you need to bring, apart from maybe materials to make fancy dress costumes - always essential for an Entz You can get a lot of stuff in the city if you forget something.

Hope that helps!

Do we automatically become members of the OUSU, or do you have to sign up or something? I'm asking because I want to get my NUS extra card.

It is indeed

A year's membership is £40, and that includes free usuage of club equipment, free entry to as many sessions as you like/have time for (we put on 4 a week), free beginners tuition, a 'novice pack' of basic protective gear to keep, and heavily subsidised tournament entry. Plus, of course, access to all the scintillating socials organised by yours truly. If you're serious you'll probably end up getting better gear/equipment/stash later on, but the club stuff is decent and gives you everything you really need to start off.

Do we automatically become members of the OUSU, or do you have to sign up or something? I'm asking because I want to get my NUS extra card.

Don't worry - this is normal. I got so freaked out when I got my results and was so pissed off at myself (I felt like I was failing myself by accepting the place - a long and not interesting story) that I asked for and took a last-minute gap year.

So as long as it's not that bad, don't worry (and if it is, good on you for knowing what you want). Also, remember you're not going to prison. If you're there and you hate it or can't handle it you can stop, drop out or even just take a year or term out.

One good way not to feel so nervous and overwhelmed is to pick a handful of small things you'll really look forward to - discussing a book on your reading list, joining a particular society, or even just imagining which pictures you'll put on your wall will give you a sense of perspective.

And have a hug, just for good measure

It's automatic.