why are oxbridge terms so short & without a break?

Yes. All these people with longer terms/semesters and no breaks (does anyone have a break?) should remember that Oxford and Cambridge are cramming at least as much work into those eight weeks as other universities do into the usual ten. And work is set for the holidays, and Oxford have exams to greet you on your return. They are not wasting supposedly the finest brains in the country on indolence and an easy time.

Well I have 12 weeks x 25 hours of lectures + 15 hours of private study so Oxbridge people must have lectures 9-5 nearly everyday or something then do 3+ hours of private study a day

Well I have 12 weeks x 25 hours of lectures + 15 hours of private study so Oxbridge people must have lectures 9-5 nearly everyday or something then do 3+ hours of private study a day

At degree level, literature isn't about simply reeling off your thoughts about a poem or novel (well, you can do that, of course, but it usually makes for a bad essay) without wasting too much time on research or planning your argument, which is what your post seemed to imply.

And then they leave and take their bus with them which leads to massive queues for the rest of us.

I hate them.

I think I do an average of around 6-7 hours private study a day. With 14 hours of lectures a week and 5 supervisions (1 to 2 hours each) every 2 weeks.

In my defence (although I concede you are still right) that's certainly not what I did at A-level- but that is what my post implied

Ouch Alex... I have five lectures a week, two tutes and a maths class. I guess we have 2 essays a week for economics and management.

And hope life at Pembroke is going well

You're so lucky!


Pembroke is very nice, thanks.
How's Merton?

PS: Back to reading Varian...

Oxbridge people get like, one essay a week though, as far as I know.

OK, fair enough, then. Let's just agree that English at A-level and English at university are two different kettles of fish.

Merton's not bad at all

Noooooo way!

Noooooo way!

So far for English I've had one essay a week and one piece of translation for Old English. That'll probably go up soon enough though.

During your second and third year you'll usually be doing two or three.

My housemates doing English at Oxford have done literally **** all this year (second year). I'd be surprised if they have even done one essay a week thus far. And they keep banging on about the fact they have to do an extended essay (6000 words on a set topic), despite the fact I keep pointing out that historians have to do an extended essay PLUS a thesis (12000 words of your own research).

Therefore, I demand the 'historians don't work' stereotype get changed to 'english students at certain colleges don't work.'

Bah.

BAH.

In all seriousness, I imagine their workload will go up, but I find it the histrionics that currently go on over their one-essay-every-two-weeks both hilarious and frustrating.