The Oxford Experience - Summer school

Hello everyone,

I am from Vancouver, Canada. I came across the website of Department of Continuing Education (Oxford) and they offer couple of summer schools for international students, such as The Oxford Experience, Oxford university summer school for Adults (OUSSA), and Oxford International summer schools.

I found The Oxford Experience quite intriguing, and I am planning to participate in it in Summer 2012.
Now, I will be done with my undergrad degree by next summer.

My question is: Is this summer school for students like me? Or is it only for high school students?
Has anyone participated in The Oxford Experience? How is it? Worth all the money?
Should I go for OUSSA (for adults)? I'm not really sure what the difference is between OUSSA and The oxford experience..

If anyone has done any of these summer schools, please share your experiences and suggestions!
Thanks.

It's mostly for high school students, I think they offer credits or something.

To be honest, I don't think it's worth it. It's not really Oxford, I think it's just a program that is set up in one of the Oxford colleges but isn't really affiliated with the university in a significant way.

The OUDCE is genuinely part of Oxford University and its summer school will thus offer a reasonably authentic ambience - an Oxford 'taster' with well qualified tutors. However, like Punctuation I'm not sure that it would be worth your money from a purely academic point of view. As a pleasant way to spend a vacation it could work for you though, if the cost isn't an issue.

(btw I haven't got direct experience of the summer school programme but I do know the OUDCE very well and am a former student there)

OUDCE is definitely a part of the University - it is just a department separate from the graduate and undergraduate colleges, offering shorter courses for those coming to education for different reasons.

'The Oxford Experience' is just that - it gives you a chance to experience a very concentrated sample of Oxford. The tutors are the proper fellows and you are staying in a real college (although on a conference/b and b contract).

This course won't get you into Oxford, it won't be exactly like being at Oxford - but if you want an academic vacation, an excuse to visit England, see some sights and a chance to potentially explore some new academic areas beyond your undergraduate study it might be worth it.

I've never done it, I should add. I'm tutoring at OUDCE in 2012 though, so I might be teaching it.

I've got the admission to Oxford Experience course this summer,though there was no accomodation available then,so I got a non-resident offer.Though,it is going to be my first time travelling abroad and I'm gonna be faced up to no-accompany living off-campus situation...I'm 20yrs old which limits my eligibility to book a room in Oxford University room group...my course is Philosophy of Emotion which took my great fancy,I still have no idea about the security and personal safety living there for almost 10days.
Do you think it is worthwhile to take this risk (or it is safe enough for me to strip this worries ?

Oxford has no campus.

It is a collection of colleges fully integrated into the heart of the city. For example if you walk out of Christ Church the city's main post office is opposite. Wadham and Lincoln College are in part built over popular town bars. The city's main bookshop is built under part of Trinity. University College is on the High Street and is in part built over an antiques shop, a restaurant and the place where the city's bus drivers take their breaks.

The only security and personal safety issue you need worry about is to keep looking right to ensure you do not get run over by bikes.

Alright......but I've never been abroad before,and this time I'm gonna go there alone wirh a non-resident offer,are there any recommendations on hostel or hotel choices? Or is it as safe as that and seemingly security would be the least thing I need to worry about?

If you are doing this to get an impression of Oxford I wouldn't stay in a hotel. I would stay in a college. Various of the colleges offer bed and breakfast during the university vacation and some offer dinner as well.

I haven't looked at them all but Keble has availability when your course is running.

http://www.keble.ox.ac.uk/conferences/bed-and-breakfast-accommodation

If you are doing this to get an impression of Oxford I wouldn't stay in a hotel. I would stay in a college. Various of the colleges offer bed and breakfast during the university vacation and some offer dinner as well.

I haven't looked at them all but Keble has availability when your course is running.

http://www.keble.ox.ac.uk/conferences/bed-and-breakfast-accommodation