I studied in Oxford for a year as a visiting student in 2013, and here are a few things I'd mention to anyone looking to go there: 1) the Oxford University academic year consists of 3 terms, each 8 weeks long- Michaelmas (Oct-Dec), Hilary (Jan-Mar), Trinity (Apr-Jun). Good to know if you want to meet students, or if you want to avoid them. 2) During term time (and sometimes the week before or after), there are University events, public lectures in a wide variety of subjects, museum events, sung services in chapel, and concerts and theater performed by the students. 3) Punting is big in Oxford as well. 4) Sports are also big, especially crew. Varsity matches in a variety of sports such as polo, soccer, and rugby, pit Oxford against Cambridge in Trinity term, either in Oxford, Cambridge, or London (in the case of the varsity crew race). There are also many intramural sports events, most notably the Torpids and Summer Eights crew regattas (Torpids the 7th week of Hilary, Summer Eights 5th week of Trinity). These are bumps races (where the boats try to hit each other), and crowds of students and tourists pack the banks of the river on race day. 5) May Day. May 1st is a big party day, where everyone gets up early (or is still up after an all-nighter at the pubs), packs onto Magdalen bridge, and listens to the Magdalen College Choir sing from the top of the tower at 6 AM. Revelries continue throughout the day. 6) Oxmas. Because Christmas falls between terms, Oxford has a variety of holiday events starting late November- including Christmas trees in the colleges, carol singing, Advent and Christmas Evensong services, 9 lessons and carols, mulled wine and mince pies. 7) Museums. I'm really glad Rick mentions the Museum of the History of Science, because hardly anyone does, but there are a lot of other good ones as well- the famous Ashmolean, as well as the Pitt Rivers Museum and (my favorite), the Oxford Museum of Natural History. 8) Music. Most (if not all) college have chapel choirs, which sing services during term time. The three famous ones are Magdalen, Christ Church, and New College, but they are all good (such as Hertford, Oriel, Merton, and Somerville). Usually, there's an Evensong service on Saturday or Sunday, and additional services (Hertford has a Wednesday service, and a late- night Compline on Tuesday or Thursday, as well as Sunday Evensong). This is in addition to choral, organ, and orchestral concerts that take place throughout term in various college chapels, as well as in the Holywell Music Room, Sheldonian Theatre, and the University Church. 9) If you get invited to any college's formal hall, go. Definitely go.
I studied in Oxford for a year as a visiting student in 2013, and here are a few things I'd mention to anyone looking to go there: 1) the Oxford University academic year consists of 3 terms, each 8 weeks long- Michaelmas (Oct-Dec), Hilary (Jan-Mar), Trinity (Apr-Jun). Good to know if you want to meet students, or if you want to avoid them. 2) During term time (and sometimes the week before or after), there are University events, public lectures in a wide variety of subjects, museum events, sung services in chapel, and concerts and theater performed by the students. 3) Punting is big in Oxford as well. 4) Sports are also big, especially crew. Varsity matches in a variety of sports such as polo, soccer, and rugby, pit Oxford against Cambridge in Trinity term, either in Oxford, Cambridge, or London (in the case of the varsity crew race). There are also many intramural sports events, most notably the Torpids and Summer Eights crew regattas (Torpids the 7th week of Hilary, Summer Eights 5th week of Trinity). These are bumps races (where the boats try to hit each other), and crowds of students and tourists pack the banks of the river on race day. 5) May Day. May 1st is a big party day, where everyone gets up early (or is still up after an all-nighter at the pubs), packs onto Magdalen bridge, and listens to the Magdalen College Choir sing from the top of the tower at 6 AM. Revelries continue throughout the day. 6) Oxmas. Because Christmas falls between terms, Oxford has a variety of holiday events starting late November- including Christmas trees in the colleges, carol singing, Advent and Christmas Evensong services, 9 lessons and carols, mulled wine and mince pies. 7) Museums. I'm really glad Rick mentions the Museum of the History of Science, because hardly anyone does, but there are a lot of other good ones as well- the famous Ashmolean, as well as the Pitt Rivers Museum and (my favorite), the Oxford Museum of Natural History. 8) Music. Most (if not all) college have chapel choirs, which sing services during term time. The three famous ones are Magdalen, Christ Church, and New College, but they are all good (such as Hertford, Oriel, Merton, and Somerville). Usually, there's an Evensong service on Saturday or Sunday, and additional services (Hertford has a Wednesday service, and a late- night Compline on Tuesday or Thursday, as well as Sunday Evensong). This is in addition to choral, organ, and orchestral concerts that take place throughout term in various college chapels, as well as in the Holywell Music Room, Sheldonian Theatre, and the University Church. 9) If you get invited to any college's formal hall, go. Definitely go.
Very interesting thank you for everything
Put the lemon on the fish (which is traditionally battered not breaded) and the vinegar on the chips 😊.
I went to school in the west country. The scrumpy scene is very familiar