Oxford Study Abroad Programme

OSAP STUDENT HANDBOOK - Preface

The purpose of this handbook, especially written for the benefit of the Junior Year Abroad students (and some graduates) who are Associate Members or Visiting Students in several Oxford colleges through the Oxford Study Abroad Programme (OSAP), is to make your stay in Oxford as problem-free and as smooth as possible. We believe that if you read these pages very carefully (and return to consult them every now and then) you will have a much easier and much more enjoyable time in Oxford. We include here some policies not mentioned in your admission letter which are binding on both the student and ourselves.

Naturally we can not anticipate every possible problem (or opportunity) but we hope we have included relevant and useful information on the major aspects of overseas study in Oxford.

This handbook will not tell you everything you need to know; you should also consult several other important sources of information:

The Oxford Student's Handbook, published by the Oxford University Student Union (OUSU, the student government, not the Union Debating Society.) This Handbook will be given to you during orientation (it is published in every year in October) and includes a wealth of information on student life in Oxford. You should bear in mind that it is written by students, and as they themselves say, reflects their individual points of view.
Vade Mecum, also published at the start of each term, includes a valuable list of many of the 300 clubs and sports teams, some of which you may wish to join. The names of the officers and their colleges are included.
The Oxford University Undergraduate Prospectus. You may have already been sent the sections, which describe the subjects available for study in Oxford and a description of your own college.
A handbook of the particular rules of your own college, meal times, etc. This will be given to you at orientation.
You should pick up an Oxford University diary upon your arrival. This book will be invaluable to you. It will allow you to write in your tutorial appointments, which may vary a bit from week to week, and to keep track of other events. It includes lists of addresses and phone numbers of all the colleges, a handy map, and train and bus schedules. (You should get the latest schedules when you arrive since they change every now and then. There are special passes for those under 25 years old; ask at the bus and train station.)
When you arrive you may wish to buy one or two of the many books about Oxford in the bookstores. You should make a point of visiting some of the more beautiful and interesting colleges as you go along. Set aside one or two hours a week for this purpose. Especially beautiful colleges include Christ Church, Magdalen (it has a Deer Park), Merton, Trinity, New College, and others too numerous to mention!
The University newspaper, The Cherwell (pronounced Charwell), is published each week. Along with the bulletin boards, and the mail in your own box, it will alert you to events of all sorts. A useful broadsheet, Daily Information, lists events and is posted all over Oxford.
Lastly, for information on the outside world, you will wish to read one of the many British newspapers. The International Herald-Tribune, which includes much American news, is on sale at many shops, including the large W.H.Smiths on Cornmarket. Time, Newsweek and The Economist also cover North American news.

The Porter's Lodge of each college is always an invaluable source of information.

As you read this handbook, you will note that some of the advice offered is inevitably of a personal nature. We hesitate to offer advice on the social customs of Oxford since we do not wish to imply that you need advice on how to behave with others. However, in many discussions with North American students last year, we were strongly urged to offer these special tips. There is no doubt that they will seem superfluous to some, but if even one student is helped it will be worth it. Our students come from different parts of North America and should realise that they are in a different environment where the customs and attitudes are necessarily different. For clarity's sake, we have generalised (and put in a few words) about subjects upon which books have been written. With these caveats, and only on the strong advice of past students, we offer some thoughts on how best to get along in Britain inside and outside of the classroom.

In conclusion, we also wanted to emphasise that this handbook was written by two Oxford dons (one is an American; the other is British familiar with North American students) working together (each has been an overseas student himself). Naturally each of us has their own point of view and each of us would not necessarily agree with every emphasis and nuance in this handbook. We hope it will be useful to you; we urge you to read it carefully and often (using the index) and we welcome you to Oxford and to a new world.

For more information on Oxford University, go to: http://www.ox.ac.uk.

For a list of courses, go to: http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/courses/index.shtml.

For advice for Visiting Students, go to: http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/forms/pdfs/vsugradnotes2002.pdf.

For more information on New College, go to: http://www.new.ox.ac.uk.

For more information on New College Student Union (Junior Common Room), go to: http://jcr.new.ox.ac.uk.

For more information on Magdalen College, go to: http://www.madg.ox.ac.uk (Visiting Students only).

For more information on Magdalen College Student Union (Junior Common Room), go to: http://jcr.magd.ox.ac.uk.

For more information on Trinity College, go to: http://www.trinity.ox.ac.uk.

For more information on the Trinity College Student Union (Junoir Common Room), go to: http://www.chch.ox.ac.uk/jcr.

For more information on Christ Church, go to: http://www.new.ox.ac.uk.

For more information on Christ Church Student Union (Junior Common Room), go to: http://www.chchjcr.org.

November 2007