Studying Abroad at Oxford University: A Guide
Studying abroad at Oxford University means being a part of one of the world’s oldest universities, and being at the heart of research and academics in Europe.
But joining such a storied institute for higher learning can be daunting for many college students, who have to balance academic pressures with being away from home.
This guide to studying abroad at Oxford University showcases what the experience is really like, from an American student who moved from Massachussetts to England as part of a year long program.
Learn about what drew Sara to this decision and why you should also consider taking the leap to studying at Oxford University!
Exterior of the Bodleian Library at Oxford University
NOTE: This guest post is by Sara at Sara Laughed, who spent a year studying abroad at Oxford University. Since I studied abroad in London while I was in college, I reached out to Sara and asked her to share details of her time at Oxford University. I hope this gives my readers the chance to live vicariously through Sara’s experience and get a little glimpse of what makes Oxford so magical!
Preparing to Study Abroad at Oxford
It was a snowy morning in Massachusetts when I found out I'd been accepted to Oxford for my year abroad.
I was thrilled, and I called my parents from my college dorm room and danced around my room in my pajamas.
On the one hand, I had wanted nothing more than to get into this program, to live abroad and to experience a new university and a new culture.
On the other, I was completely terrified.
I had no idea what Oxford would hold in store for me, and whether I could handle the pressure of a new university, in a new country, on another continent.
It turns out I had nothing to worry about. I have loved almost everything about my time at Oxford, which has been about six months now.
Being a Junior Year Abroad student means that I straddle the awkward line between resident and tourist.
I still experience everything with fresh eyes, but I've lived here long enough to know the streets and shops and to have a regular routine.
Transitioning from home to abroad
I attend Wellesley College back in the United States, which has a robust partnership with colleges and universities all over the world.
Oxford University is one of those that my school already had as a partner, so I didn’t need to do extra work to convince anyone at Wellesley that it was a good choice.
Keep in mind that you’ll need to do the research for your college, as not every U.S. school has a similar partnership.
This doesn’t mean that you can’t study abroad at Oxford; it just means that you’ll need to do extra work concerning your transfer credits, scholarships, and housing costs.
Start with your advisor, who will be a great source of help in navigating the experience, whether or not Oxford is already on the approved study abroad partners list.
NOTE: Natalie talks more about this process of balancing transfer credits and program requirements in her post on what I wish I knew before studying abroad in London.
If your school doesn’t offer Oxford University as a partner school, don’t give up.
You can petition your registrar to add the school as an accepted source of transfer credits (they’ll probably say yes, as Oxford is so well recognized).
If you can get Oxford University to be an official partner of your home university, there are huge benefits to this, the biggest being that you can use some or all of your tuition towards your study abroad.
Or, you can go through a third party program like Oxford Study Abroad Programme, which serves as a liasion between your home university and Oxford.
Just be aware that the 3rd party programs are more expensive, as your home university tuition typically doesn’t transfer, and that you’ll be paying for much (or all of it) out of pocket.
Practical Tips for Preparing to Study at Oxford
While you’re leaving a college to go to another college, the experiences between American and British higher education and life can be shocking.
Here are a few things to consider as you make that transition:
Oxford works on a trimester system.
Semesters at your American college or university run roughly from August to December, and then from January to May. You’ll also have the option to take extra classes during the summer, but these are optional.
At Oxford, you’re working on a trimester system, where you’ll have 3 terms of 8 weeks each. You’ll get to take more classes this way, but the work load can feel much more intense since you’re compressing into a 2 month period.
The terms are:
Michaelmas, mid-October to early December
Hillary, mid-January to mid-March
Trinity, late April to late June
You’ll start much later in the year than you’re used to, you’ll have much bigger gaps between terms, and you’ll end much later into the summer than American colleges and universities do.
Colleges and universities mean different things in England.
In the U.S., the terms “college” and “university” are nearly interchangeable, with the only real difference being that an American university grants doctoral degrees, while an American college grants either a 2- or 4-year degree.
At Oxford, “college” and “university” do not mean the same thing at all.
Oxford University is the umbrella institution, and then there are 38 colleges within in. There is a strong distinction between the colleges and what each offers, and you’ll have to be accepted to a specific college as part of your application process within Oxford.
Your life at Oxford revolves around your college, and you’ll eat and sleep here, and take classes with other people who live in your college.
Class formats at Oxford are very different.
Unlike classes at American colleges and universities, where you’ll join 20-30 others in a discussion or lecture-based classroom, there’s a huge focus on independent work at Oxford.
You take tutorials instead of classes at Oxford, and you have to be very self-directed to do well here.
Your course involves one-on-one meetings with your professor, who gives you work to do between meetings. This work is typically a paper on a specific topic within the larger subject of your course.
You’ll take 2 of these classes each term, so you will end up writing 2 papers per week and doing the research and editing that comes along with that.
Explore more of the UK in these posts:
5 Things You’ll Love about Studying Abroad in Oxford
Today, I'd like to share with you how Oxford looks through my, still new, eyes - here are 5 things I love about Oxford.
5: The Colleges
The Bridge of Sighs, part of Hertford College
Oxford is visually breathtaking.
The university is the oldest in the English-speaking world, and because its colleges date in their origins between 1249 and 2008, they features a huge variety of architectural styles.
As a student, my university ID lets me into most of the colleges without trouble, meaning that I can attend Evensong services in Christ Church or go to my tutorial at Pembroke College, even though my own college is quite a walk away.
I love that the college system gives students so much variety in what they can experience and explore.
4: The Libraries
The Tate Library at Harris Manchester College
The Oxford library system is absolutely incredible.
You’ll get access to the entire system as part of your enrollment at Oxford University, and I think it’s one of the greatest benefits in being a student here.
The Oxford Libraries include a total of 40 different libraries all around the city, with over 11 million books and printed items.
The most famous is the circular Bodleian Library at the heart of the campus, but all of them are worth visiting, in my opinion.
Many of the libraries are also incredibly beautiful, internally or externally.
These are perfect for writing and revising papers for my tutorials, and many students have their favorite desks in specific libraries that they’ll go back to again and again.
Knowing that I have so much knowledge at my fingertips is amazing, and for a nerd like me, it's heaven!
3: The Covered Market
The Covered Market is a historic market near the center of Oxford with lots of little independent shops and cafés.
The shops range from flower stores to a hat shop, and include a butcher and plenty of places to sit down for tea (or coffee, if that's your beverage of choice) or have lunch.
I have a favorite café with both indoor and outdoor seating that serves warm drinks and delicious cakes!
2: The Unique Traditions
Students participating in the Torpids on the Thames
Oxford has plenty of traditions that I would be unlikely to experience anywhere else.
Punting on the Thames is a popular option in spring, as is playing croquet on your college's lawn.
Last weekend, I went to see Torpids, a special boat race in which the object is to "bump" the boat in front of you to move ahead.
The race developed because the part of the Thames on which the race is held is too narrow for traditional boat racing.
It was a very fun and strange experience that represented, to me, the many ways in which Oxford is unique.
To get the most out of your study abroad experience at Oxford, get involved with as many activities as you can easily balance with your school work.
Yes, it’s great to have high marks on your academics, but no one studies abroad for the privilege of sitting in a dorm room for months at a time.
1: The Opportunities
Students at the first ball I attended at Oxford University
However, if I had to choose the single thing I loved most about Oxford, it would be the incredible range of opportunities available to students.
As a student, I've attended a wine tasting class, balls, college parties, formal dinners, lectures at the Oxford Union, and more.
The city and university are so rich in what they have to offer that I know I'll never be able to try it all, no matter how long I stay here.
All in all, I feel incredibly lucky to be spending a year in this beautiful small city.
One of my parents was a fellow at Oxford, and as a result, this happens to be the city where I was born, though we moved away soon after.
Maybe this year is the fates bringing me back; who knows what's in store next!
