A Day at Oxford Summer Courses

It’s now been a few months since Oxford Summer Courses 2013 finished, and I’m back at Oxford getting on with my studies, I’m currently in my final year, but last Friday it struck me in the evening how similar my day had been to a Friday for students at Oxford Summer Courses. So I thought I would share this. It is one of the amazing things about Oxford Summer Courses, because we were founded and are run by Oxford Students and Alumni we make sure that it is a chance to really experience Oxford as it is, so I thought I would share my experience of the similarities of just one day with you:

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My Friday started with Breakfast in Hall, I had a cooked English breakfast, and caught up with some friends, before heading to the library to work for the morning. At Oxford Summer Courses you’ll have your tutorials on Friday, and so you’ll spend much of Thursday and Friday morning preparing for them much as I do here as a student. After your tutorial the afternoon is free to relax with friends, maybe play some frizbee or go out for lunch, which is exactly what I did last Friday, meeting a friend for Lunch in town, where there are some amazing places to grab food and either sit and talk, or take a stroll around the Christ Church Meadows.

The evenings are were my favourite part of Friday at Oxford Summer Courses though, just as they are here during Term Time. Every Friday we have a Formal Dinner at one of the Colleges. Formal Hall is a true Oxford institution, and a visit to Oxford would not be complete without it. At Oxford Summer Courses this summer we had Formal Hall at both Somerville College and Wadham College. Both were sumptuous three course meals eaten in the College’s historic halls. This Friday, here at Brasenose College where I study I also got to have Formal Hall, and we had Lamb Shank for the main which was absolutely amazing.

Before dinner though I went to a concert in the ante-chapel at Brasenose given by two students and organised by our director of music. It was sublime, with three piano duets and one solo piece played. This sort of cultural experience is part of what makes studying here so wonderful as a student of the University. Which is why Oxford Summer Courses makes sure you get something similar: while we did have a great trip to the Proms at the Royal Albert Hall last year, we like to make the entertainment on Friday evenings slightly more relaxed and informal, so for both of the two week courses, we welcomed one of Britain’s funniest up-and-coming young comedians to do a private comedy show for us at Somerville College. You can see his now classic work here (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eKFjWR7X5dU) – every student in England knows this sketch!

So on Friday evening, as I relaxed after a marvelous dinner, it was wonderful to reflect on how much Oxford Summer Courses had managed last summer to provide a really authentic Oxford experience, beginning with breakfast in hall and going through the morning preparing for tutorials, to a more relaxed afternoon after the tutorial, and finally with the climax of culture and wonderful food which is Formal Hall, and evening entertainment.

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