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Things you should have done by the end of your first year!
15
Just wondering what activities, events or whatever, Oxford students think freshers shouldn't miss in their first year. What stood out for you?
And no, I'm not including doing your work on time
And no, I'm not including doing your work on time
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Reply 1
19
Aha!
1. Go to G+Ds - has to be done, there will probably be an opportunity in freshers week but it's generally for people who don't want to do one of the more popular activities like pub crawling (For those who don't know G+Ds is an icecream parlour that serves the best home made ice cream ever open 8am til midnight).
2. Go to Filth - it's no longer as cheesy and filthy as it used to be so some of the charm is but this club has to be visited once by everyone
3. Pull an all nighter - I'm not sure if it's possible to get through a year @ Oxford without an essay crisis - I don't know anybody who's ever done it but it just has to be done!
4. Go punting - summer term only obviously
5. Try rowing - even if you're not going to become a real boatie Christ Church regatta in the first term is strictly for novices, so you can try it for 8 weeks without much commitment. It's a great way to make friends, you'll get the chance to crew date people from other colleges and it's bloody good excercise!
6. Go to a black tie event - if you like to wear your glad rags then Oxford is fulll of events where you can; especially in Trinity term when every weekend there are multiple balls to choose from. If you're a member of the union then the Snowball and the Valentines ball are only £25-30 (but be prepared to queue for several hours!) but also many colleges will have less formal events - e.g. we had a dinner dance for about the same price. I think Oxford is the only place in the world where we find it perfectly normal to see people walking home in tux/ball gown at 8 in the morning...
7. Go see the Oxford Imps - these guys do really good improvised comedy. It's only £2 a show, and I know masses of people who said they'd go see them all year (myself included) and didn't manage it until the end of Trinity - nobody was disappointed.
8. Go up the tower of university church - it's a long trek, and we only did it because we'd run out of things to show the babies but it is the best view in Oxford and it's AMAZING - you can see down into all the colleges - v cool.
Hmm ok I'm gonna leave all the obvious drunken revelry ones to somebody else. That is my list.
1. Go to G+Ds - has to be done, there will probably be an opportunity in freshers week but it's generally for people who don't want to do one of the more popular activities like pub crawling (For those who don't know G+Ds is an icecream parlour that serves the best home made ice cream ever open 8am til midnight).
2. Go to Filth - it's no longer as cheesy and filthy as it used to be so some of the charm is but this club has to be visited once by everyone
3. Pull an all nighter - I'm not sure if it's possible to get through a year @ Oxford without an essay crisis - I don't know anybody who's ever done it but it just has to be done!
4. Go punting - summer term only obviously
5. Try rowing - even if you're not going to become a real boatie Christ Church regatta in the first term is strictly for novices, so you can try it for 8 weeks without much commitment. It's a great way to make friends, you'll get the chance to crew date people from other colleges and it's bloody good excercise!
6. Go to a black tie event - if you like to wear your glad rags then Oxford is fulll of events where you can; especially in Trinity term when every weekend there are multiple balls to choose from. If you're a member of the union then the Snowball and the Valentines ball are only £25-30 (but be prepared to queue for several hours!) but also many colleges will have less formal events - e.g. we had a dinner dance for about the same price. I think Oxford is the only place in the world where we find it perfectly normal to see people walking home in tux/ball gown at 8 in the morning...
7. Go see the Oxford Imps - these guys do really good improvised comedy. It's only £2 a show, and I know masses of people who said they'd go see them all year (myself included) and didn't manage it until the end of Trinity - nobody was disappointed.
8. Go up the tower of university church - it's a long trek, and we only did it because we'd run out of things to show the babies but it is the best view in Oxford and it's AMAZING - you can see down into all the colleges - v cool.
Hmm ok I'm gonna leave all the obvious drunken revelry ones to somebody else. That is my list.
Reply 2
Can I suggest the removal of point number 5. Perhaps replacing it with "Go to the botanical gardens at least once!"
Reply 3
No, definitely keep point 5. Rowing is part of the Oxford experience.
Don't agree with 2, though. Clubbing is something that can be done anywhere, and most wouldn't feel the need to do it as something Oxfordey.
Include another, though - Formal at at least one hall that isn't your own.
Don't agree with 2, though. Clubbing is something that can be done anywhere, and most wouldn't feel the need to do it as something Oxfordey.
Include another, though - Formal at at least one hall that isn't your own.
Reply 4
im going to try and do all those things on Bekaboo's list...and try and attend Formal at as many different colleges as possible 
Reply 5
19
Definitely keep #2, while you can club anywhere, there's only one Filth. Can we change #6 to going to a ball - black tie events are great, but going to other black tie events and never a ball would leave out a major part of the Oxford experience IMHO.
Ones to add:
9. Have an Ahmed's and a Hassan's and comment on the difference - kebab vans are and important part of any essay crisis/nightlife experience
10. See someone really famous at the Union/EAS/wherever - because when else will you get to grill top politicians, film stars, musicians, etc.?
11. Speak at a debate - somewhere, on something. It doesn't matter whether it's a big Union debate or a smaller one somewhere else, but it's quite an experience.
12. Do something extra-curricular that isn't normal - loads of people play sports or run socials, but with so many hundreds of societies, there's an opportunity to try something weird and wonderful. Even if you don't keep it up, just try something interesting.
I'm sure there are many I'm missing.
Ones to add:
9. Have an Ahmed's and a Hassan's and comment on the difference - kebab vans are and important part of any essay crisis/nightlife experience
10. See someone really famous at the Union/EAS/wherever - because when else will you get to grill top politicians, film stars, musicians, etc.?
11. Speak at a debate - somewhere, on something. It doesn't matter whether it's a big Union debate or a smaller one somewhere else, but it's quite an experience.
12. Do something extra-curricular that isn't normal - loads of people play sports or run socials, but with so many hundreds of societies, there's an opportunity to try something weird and wonderful. Even if you don't keep it up, just try something interesting.
I'm sure there are many I'm missing.
Reply 6
yorkshirelass
If I go to Oxford, I think I will avoid the posh events like the plague.
Lol, have fun avoiding every ball and black-tie event for 3 years...
yorkshirelass
Aren't there any great things to do that are a bit less obvious/off the beaten track? That's what I'd like to know from people at Oxford.
For people into music, I would strongly recommend either (a) learning how to DJ or (b) joining a band. It's normally quite easy to get to DJ at college bops, and doing it at clubs is fairly accessible given the number of student-run nights. And there's a lot of talented musicians around to get involved in performing, with a lot of good venues to get to play at - both gig venues around the city and summer balls etc.
Reply 7
19
Ooo nice ones drogue
To add to the point about visiting the Botanic Gardens (do!!) I think you should also try to get out to Port Meadow.
To add to the point about visiting the Botanic Gardens (do!!) I think you should also try to get out to Port Meadow.
Reply 8
19
As an ex-second year this might be a be a silly question, but what's Port Meadow? 
Reply 9
14
Go see OOTB: www.ootb.org.uk
Preferably one of their big shows of the year (always New Theatre in May, but others at end of other terms). If you're skint, at least go hear them busk in cornmarket st.
Can't say I was very impressed with the Imps when I saw them last year up at the fringe in Edinburgh or when they were at our ball
Preferably one of their big shows of the year (always New Theatre in May, but others at end of other terms). If you're skint, at least go hear them busk in cornmarket st.
Can't say I was very impressed with the Imps when I saw them last year up at the fringe in Edinburgh or when they were at our ball
Reply 10
19
As an ex-second year this might be a be a silly question, but what's Port Meadow?
440 acres of common land - absolutely stunning - and really handy for those times when you want to jump up and down and shout lots! It's up in Jericho
@ Chloe - I first saw the imps at another do rather than their usual Monday night slot and thought they were worth seeing again, but "in their natural habitat" they're far better!
Reply 11
What's the difference between a black tie event and a ball?
Reply 12
19
There are many events that are done in black tie - subject dinners, dinner dances, boat club dinners etc. A ball is a much bigger deal
Reply 13
13. Spend the entire of 0th week having fun and then Thursday night with friends cramming for imminent Collections.
14. By the end of the year realise that Collections really don't matter, just like the second-years have been telling you all year.
15. Apply (and receive names of) college kids for next year.
14. By the end of the year realise that Collections really don't matter, just like the second-years have been telling you all year.
15. Apply (and receive names of) college kids for next year.
Reply 14
16. Have half price cocktails at the duke of cambridge.
17. See a play put on by students.
18. Play croquet.
19. Stay on for 9th week just to have fun and mess around.
20. Get a ticket to one of the big balls of the summer.
17. See a play put on by students.
18. Play croquet.
19. Stay on for 9th week just to have fun and mess around.
20. Get a ticket to one of the big balls of the summer.
Reply 15
19
X
Please note this depends strongly on your tutors. For some tutors, these will matter, and determine scholarships and references.
~~hannah~~
Plus have one at Raouls - yes they're pricier, but as soon as you taste it, you know where the money went. Nuts and Berries is especially recommended.
Reply 16
Drogue
Please note this depends strongly on your tutors. For some tutors, these will matter, and determine scholarships and references.
Plus have one at Raouls - yes they're pricier, but as soon as you taste it, you know where the money went. Nuts and Berries is especially recommended.
Plus have one at Raouls - yes they're pricier, but as soon as you taste it, you know where the money went. Nuts and Berries is especially recommended.
But in the grand scheme of things, they're going to most likely have Prelim/Mod results by the time they're writing references or putting forwards people for scholarships, aren't they? And in comparison Collections aren't going to have much sway.
And have to totally agree about Raoul's >> Duke of Cambridge and the difference in price isn't that much (especially considering a few of the shoddy cocktails at the Duke).
Reply 17
19
X
They will have, but for many tutors, collections are more up to date, they set and mark them themselves and thus they use them a lot more. Collections are a huge thing with my tutors, regardless of how well you do at prelims or during term.
Reply 18
Drogue
They will have, but for many tutors, collections are more up to date, they set and mark them themselves and thus they use them a lot more. Collections are a huge thing with my tutors, regardless of how well you do at prelims or during term.
Maybe its the science/arts divide a little (you do E&M right?) certainly none of the scientists (and I thought other too) at my college place any worth on Collections, unless you do really badly in which case you're picked up on
.In fact, certain subjects let people take them away and do them whenever they want, decide whether they want to do it or not or let them talk to each other whilst doing it
.Reply 19
19
Ah but see you could be in my position where you have to make applications in mid-Hilary for something with only your January collections to go on. And in my case (*grumble grumble* they should only employ ENGLISH people in the tutorial office) that resulted in major pants
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