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What To Bring To Oxford (from USA)
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but seriously boots with chunky heels are ok to bike in, little heels you will be murdering someone by the end of 1st week! 
Polemos
Good thread! I'm also coming to Oxford from the USA (NYC here) and have yet to start the packing process. Can't say I'm looking to that process particularly much, though.
Are you going to the Fresher's Party on September 13, in Manhattan? I live too far to make the trip but it sounds like an informative party to attend.
I too am coming to Oxford from the U.S. I will be a graduate student reading for an MPhil in International Relations.
All this talk about the colleges allowing students to store things between terms has me a bit confused.
Exactly how long are we allowed to live in the rooms allocated at the beginning of term? I was under the impression that I would be able to live in mine from (at least) start of Michaelmas to the end of Trinity - even between terms. Am I mistaken?
All this talk about the colleges allowing students to store things between terms has me a bit confused.
Exactly how long are we allowed to live in the rooms allocated at the beginning of term? I was under the impression that I would be able to live in mine from (at least) start of Michaelmas to the end of Trinity - even between terms. Am I mistaken?robmoore
I too am coming to Oxford from the U.S. I will be a graduate student reading for an MPhil in International Relations.
All this talk about the colleges allowing students to store things between terms has me a bit confused. Exactly how long are we allowed to live in the rooms allocated at the beginning of term? I was under the impression that I would be able to live in mine from (at least) start of Michaelmas to the end of Trinity - even between terms. Am I mistaken?
All this talk about the colleges allowing students to store things between terms has me a bit confused.
Exactly how long are we allowed to live in the rooms allocated at the beginning of term? I was under the impression that I would be able to live in mine from (at least) start of Michaelmas to the end of Trinity - even between terms. Am I mistaken?I'm not sure about graduate degree work but I know we are not allowed to stay or it cost extra to stay. Do they not close down the rooms during the period between terms?
Someone in the know please help us out! It would be great to stay and save on airline fare back & forth.
Boshi
I'm not sure about graduate degree work but I know we are not allowed to stay or it cost extra to stay. Do they not close down the rooms during the period between terms?
Someone in the know please help us out! It would be great to stay and save on airline fare back & forth.
Someone in the know please help us out! It would be great to stay and save on airline fare back & forth.
I'd contact your college - they're the best ones to ask.
Polemos
There is a fresher's party? Where can I find information on this? I would definitely go!
Yes...the Oxford Alumni Association of New York. Here is the web site with information-
http://www.oxalumny.org/upcoming_event.php?id=47
It's for anyone who attends Oxford now or who will be going over in October. You should be able to get lots of information that night. Be sure to forward any information to me...OK?
Boshi
Yes...the Oxford Alumni Association of New York. Here is the web site with information-
http://www.oxalumny.org/upcoming_event.php?id=47
It's for anyone who attends Oxford now or who will be going over in October. You should be able to get lots of information that night. Be sure to forward any information to me...OK?
http://www.oxalumny.org/upcoming_event.php?id=47
It's for anyone who attends Oxford now or who will be going over in October. You should be able to get lots of information that night. Be sure to forward any information to me...OK?
Wow, sounds cool. I'll email them and get info. Is anyone from TSR going to be there?
robmoore
I too am coming to Oxford from the U.S. I will be a graduate student reading for an MPhil in International Relations.
All this talk about the colleges allowing students to store things between terms has me a bit confused. Exactly how long are we allowed to live in the rooms allocated at the beginning of term? I was under the impression that I would be able to live in mine from (at least) start of Michaelmas to the end of Trinity - even between terms. Am I mistaken?
All this talk about the colleges allowing students to store things between terms has me a bit confused.
Exactly how long are we allowed to live in the rooms allocated at the beginning of term? I was under the impression that I would be able to live in mine from (at least) start of Michaelmas to the end of Trinity - even between terms. Am I mistaken?I can't quote chapter and verse, but I'm sure that I've read that for grad students, the accommodations are available essentially year-round, and that things are very different for undergrads, for whom the dorms can shut down during breaks. The literature I've been given about housing deals with a multi-month lease. But check with your college, I suppose--and if you hear something else, please tell me!
--Jer (starting M.Phil Comp. Gov--so I imagine I'll meet you during orientation!)
hi boshi! i just finished my first year of biology at hildas, so i can fill you in about the specifics about college first of all, you probably won't be able to stay in college over the holidays, cos college tends to throw all undergrads out. you are allowed to stay for a couple of days after term ends, and to arrive a bit earlier, but they charge you for it at the horrendous price of 12 pounds per night. there is storage space for internationals, but you have to be quick to get enough space in it for your stuff. at the end of last term, me and a friend spent 2 hours rearranging the stuff that was already inside the storage room to get our boxes in. food is served in the college dining hall (breakfast, lunch and dinner) during the week. on the weekend, there is only saturday brunch, so you'll have to cook for yourself on the weekends. there are kitchens in all buildings, but they vary in quality, e.g. the ones in garden building only have a microwave, whereas the one on the ground floor of wolfson building has an oven, cooking rings, a microwave, two fridges and a huge table! you'll find out which building you're in quite soon, college sends out an extra letter. you can have a look at the college on the college's website (www.st-hildas.ox.ac.uk), it has a virtual tour and everything.
i'm an international, too, and last year i faced the same dilemma about what to take with me in one small suitcase. basically, just bring personal belongings, such as photos and stuff, and clothes, cos you can buy everything else in oxford. if you don't have any winter clothes, you can buy them there as well, though it's a bit expensive. you should consider buying a bike once you are in oxford, cos hildas isn't very close to the biology department, but i would suggest you tried walking there first and then decide whether to buy a bike cos it's still within reasonable walking distance.
okay, if you have any more questions about anything at all, feel free to ask!
(btw, do you know the name of your college sister? just so that i know whether i've met my little college sis on here!)
first of all, you probably won't be able to stay in college over the holidays, cos college tends to throw all undergrads out. you are allowed to stay for a couple of days after term ends, and to arrive a bit earlier, but they charge you for it at the horrendous price of 12 pounds per night. there is storage space for internationals, but you have to be quick to get enough space in it for your stuff. at the end of last term, me and a friend spent 2 hours rearranging the stuff that was already inside the storage room to get our boxes in. food is served in the college dining hall (breakfast, lunch and dinner) during the week. on the weekend, there is only saturday brunch, so you'll have to cook for yourself on the weekends. there are kitchens in all buildings, but they vary in quality, e.g. the ones in garden building only have a microwave, whereas the one on the ground floor of wolfson building has an oven, cooking rings, a microwave, two fridges and a huge table! you'll find out which building you're in quite soon, college sends out an extra letter. you can have a look at the college on the college's website (www.st-hildas.ox.ac.uk), it has a virtual tour and everything. i'm an international, too, and last year i faced the same dilemma about what to take with me in one small suitcase. basically, just bring personal belongings, such as photos and stuff, and clothes, cos you can buy everything else in oxford. if you don't have any winter clothes, you can buy them there as well, though it's a bit expensive. you should consider buying a bike once you are in oxford, cos hildas isn't very close to the biology department, but i would suggest you tried walking there first and then decide whether to buy a bike cos it's still within reasonable walking distance.
okay, if you have any more questions about anything at all, feel free to ask!
(btw, do you know the name of your college sister? just so that i know whether i've met my little college sis on here!)
Hello Sophal- so glad to see your post! Thanks for giving me such great information. I am flying in on Friday (Sept. 30) so I guess I’ll have to find a place to stay that night because check in is Saturday. So…I can leave my stuff in my room between terms but next summer I have to store it? Or do I have to store it between terms? Are there grocery stores near to Hildas where I can buy food for the weekend? I was thinking about maybe frozen entrees that I can just microwave! I haven’t received any other letters from Hildas yet telling me of my building or my college sister, but maybe this week! How about textbooks and misc. fees? I’m trying to figure out how much extra money I’m going to need each term for all the essentials. Being that tuition is 20,000 pounds and the exchange rate is like 1.8…I’ll definitely be on a tight budget. Yes, I’ve heard that I’ll need a bike so I’ll buy that there. I also heard that we have to be at the Bio Dept. at 9:00am everyday-is that correct? When do we get our class schedule-after arrival to the College? Thanks so much for your advice and that’d be great if you were my sis!
unfortunately, we are not allowed to leave things in our rooms over any of the breaks, so you'll have to put all your stuff into storage. there is a tesco's (big supermarket) quite near hilda's, it's up cowley road which is a main road that has a lot of international restaurants and stores. most people buy food at tesco's cos it's rather cheap and has all the microwaveable stuff
the lectures for biology first year's start at 9.00 am each day, which is quite frankly a nightmare! most arts students start later on and other scientists start later at some days, so it's quite annoying, i have to admit!
you'll get the lecture list when you arrive, but i got hold of it over the internet, so i attached it to the post. in addition to lectures, you'll have tutorials about twice weekly in college, for which you have to prepare essays. the organisms tutor is quite a character, she's a specialist in fungi and looks like your typical oxford professor. the genetics tutor is funny, he's greek and rather young (and some say good-looking) and tutes are great fun with him, cos he tends to hand out problems which nobody is able to solve, including himself
the lectures for biology first year's start at 9.00 am each day, which is quite frankly a nightmare! most arts students start later on and other scientists start later at some days, so it's quite annoying, i have to admit!
you'll get the lecture list when you arrive, but i got hold of it over the internet, so i attached it to the post. in addition to lectures, you'll have tutorials about twice weekly in college, for which you have to prepare essays. the organisms tutor is quite a character, she's a specialist in fungi and looks like your typical oxford professor. the genetics tutor is funny, he's greek and rather young (and some say good-looking) and tutes are great fun with him, cos he tends to hand out problems which nobody is able to solve, including himself
Boshi
Thanks for the reply. I don't know that I'm that lucky!!! Our electric bill is sky high just trying not to suffocate from the heat!
I made an Open Application and was accepted to St. Hilda's. Does anyone know anything about life at that College?
BTW...what is a jumper? Here in the States, it's a dress that you wear over a shirt or sweater. What type of shoes do you wear there -rains a lot? We wear sandals or flip-flops for 10 months a year-sneakers the other 2 months. Jeans are common attire here-there?
Is it possible to bring sheets, etc. and just leave them in storage or do we have to bring everything back & forth?
I made an Open Application and was accepted to St. Hilda's. Does anyone know anything about life at that College?
BTW...what is a jumper? Here in the States, it's a dress that you wear over a shirt or sweater. What type of shoes do you wear there -rains a lot? We wear sandals or flip-flops for 10 months a year-sneakers the other 2 months. Jeans are common attire here-there?
Is it possible to bring sheets, etc. and just leave them in storage or do we have to bring everything back & forth?
Yeah. it's been a high over 100 here the past couple of weeks. Not even my dogs stay outside for more than a few minutes.
You've given me some great info. Sophal! It was great to see the lecture list-thanks! I guess I'm starting to get a feel for the routine at Oxford. Very different from here in the States. No one can believe that I won’t have a roommate-almost unheard of here. I’ll wait for further info. to arrive from Oxford and then I’ll touch back with you for additional advice. Many thanks!!!
Yeh it really is. My sister's aforementioned room mates lived together at Loyola with 2 other girls and got on so well that things would be thrown... 
Then by a nasty twist of fate, which I won't go into they both got put in Katie's flat... oopsie. Actually they now get on much better but yeh it just seems the norm State-side
Then by a nasty twist of fate, which I won't go into they both got put in Katie's flat... oopsie. Actually they now get on much better but yeh it just seems the norm State-side
Boshi
I believe the rooms in the dorms are a bit larger here and they can’t let that space go to waste…have to double up.
Those dorm rooms are larger because they're expected to accommodate more than one person.
The school where I was an undergrad forced three roomies. A lot of it has to do with money. Although because it's part of the culture, universities don't seem to hesitate at all, no matter their financial resources, to pair students.trystero
Those dorm rooms are larger because they're expected to accommodate more than one person. The school where I was an undergrad forced three roomies. A lot of it has to do with money. Although because it's part of the culture, universities don't seem to hesitate at all, no matter their financial resources, to pair students.
The school where I was an undergrad forced three roomies. A lot of it has to do with money. Although because it's part of the culture, universities don't seem to hesitate at all, no matter their financial resources, to pair students.So Very True!
ProzacNation
pretty much everything else can be bought ...
Clothes and CDs are usually more expensive in the UK so you might want to bring them. However, it might be hard to find suitable winter clothes in Florida. October to December temperatures are usually btween 40 and 60 F. Tends to rain a lot so you will need a coat. (You can easily buy an umbrella here). It doesn't usually snow here, though it might for a few days in January. Temperatures rarely drop below 32F.
Most of the time students wear the same here as anywhere and inside the buildings it's warm so T shirts and jeans would be normal but you will need a coat to go out. You might want some long sleeved tops, sweatshirts or sweaters (machine washable) as well.
However, you will need special clothes for subfusc and there are also formal dinners and things so you might want to bring a few dressy things.
This thread is good for the dressy stuff
Bulky items would be best to get when you arrive. Remember the voltage here is 230-240v so you might need to consider whether any american electrical things will work - those might be best to get in UK. Also check with your college what they allow. Most colleges don't have proper kitchens so you won't be able to do any cooking. For a general checklist see http://www.studential.com/checklist/default.asp.
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