Smash hit

When friends at other universities ring you in the sixth week of term to moan about their first essay, there is a moment when you’ll probably curse the day you submitted your UCAS application. But after that, almost no-one regrets their decision. Students are given a great deal of independence, and left to work to their own pace. It’s possible to get away with doing very little, but you could also spend every minute of the week reading and still not get things done to your satisfaction. So it’s never a total breeze, but if you are capable of going easy on yourself, and treating tutors as friends rather than enemies, studying at Oxford can be not only manageable but surprisingly fulfilling.

One of the key aspects of the Oxford system is that it does put quite heavy emphasis on exams – namely Finals. The exams at the end of first year are called Prelims or Moderations, and don’t count towards your final degree – it’s nice to get a bit of practice in before the real thing. Then in the last year, many degrees are assessed primarily on your performance over a week of exams. Finals are above all a chance for camaraderie, beard-growing competitions and eating doughnuts, but if you cope very badly under exam pressure, somewhere with a system of continuous assessment might be more suitable.

What Oxford will teach you in return for this much-dreaded week is confidence in your opinions, and the ability to look beyond the obvious. It does this by providing each student with tailor-made tuition and heaps of attention. As well as lectures, everyone has a couple of tutorials a week, usually with one or two other students, in which you discuss the week’s work with a tutor in your subject – a process that may seem daunting but can be incredibly useful and rewarding. This close contact gives everyone as much time as they need to iron out problems and make sure they understand fully. In practice, a lot depends on the quality and dedication of your tutors - but at least you know you’re getting world-class teaching.

Of all the universities in the country, Oxford spends the most per student on library and computing facilities. And this does show in its very impressive array of resources. The main library is the Bodleian (or ‘Bod’) and it has literally every publication you could need to complete your degree. Needless to say, it’s big and can be confusing. If they aren’t frightened away immediately, it can take students weeks to bury beneath the acronyms (OLIS? OxLIP?) and find a book to read. But there are almost as many genuinely enthusiastic librarians in this city as there are books, and they all seem to be itching to help.

If imposing bookshelves and dusty tomes aren’t your thing, all is not lost. The big drive at the moment is for online resources and, if you know how to use them right, these will really give you the edge. If necessary, in fact, you can do a whole week’s work in one night without stirring from the comfort of your armchair.

Play time:

Right from the beginning, at Fresher’s Fair, Oxford University gives you the chance to sign up to more clubs and activities than you could ever fit into eight weeks. Clubs are usually university-wide and can operate to a very high standard. Whether it’s singing in a jazz group, working in student media or trying out your stand-up talents, everyone is strongly encouraged to get off their arse and go extra-curricular.

Music and the dramatic arts are particularly strong at Oxford, and with the high degree of talent around, it can be difficult to keep things amateur. The spirit tends to get pretty competitive and factional but, for most, that’s all part of the fun. Interest in business or debating is well catered-for, the latter largely thanks to the Oxford Union, the world-famous debating society/private members club to which all students of the university are eligible to join upon payment of a fee. (Not to be confused with the Oxford University Student Union or OUSU, which fulfils the roles typically associated with university unions – campaigns, representing students at university level etc).

Sports at Oxford are traditionally dominated by rugby union and rowing, both of which seem to get people drunk and angry like nothing else on earth. Most people involved at every level feel extremely passionate about these sports; everyone else less so. But there are plenty of other sports and activities on offer in colleges and at Iffley, the University sports centre (as well as frequent excursions outside the city to rock-climb, surf or hillwalk). The facilities aren’t the best in the country, relative to the University’s academic record.

OUSU plays a fairly minimal and pragmatic part in student life here; instead, the fun usually starts at home. College JCRs organise bops with a fancy dress theme to get conversations going, although the cheap-and-nasty booze usually puts a stop to that fairly quickly. Other college-based activities include Formal Hall: a large-scale, formal but cheap three-course meal with heaps of byob wine; film nights; all kinds of tournaments including pro-evo and table football; secret drinking societies and even mini music festivals in summer.

For later on, Oxford is surprisingly well-endowed with clubs and pubs, and each college has its personal favourites. Pop up your collar and visit The Bridge; hunt and be hunted at the aptly-named Filth; fancy dress-up and dance like an idiot at Park End; or look cool and chill out in The (roasting hot) Cellar. On the whole, those with less mainstream tastes will be unimpressed with Oxford’s twelve-or-so clubs, but they’ll enjoy moaning about it before heading off to crash one of Brookes’ venues.

Accommodation:

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