With jam-packed 8 week terms, during my first year I remember feeling like I was constantly pedalling to keep up. There was so much more work than at school and also socials on offer every day of the week which were hard to turn down. By the time Christmas arrived at the end of my first term, I was in a state of exhaustion but had also had some of the best few months of my life.
So what does a typical day look like for a first-year English student?
Get up and head to breakfast (or if you're like me and think that breakfast is way to early, then grab a quick bowl of cereal in your room).
Check my pidge (college letter-box) to make sure no exciting post has arrived.
Some days I would practically roll out of bed into the college library, a few meters from my room but other days when I needed specific books or felt like branching out I'd head to the beautiful RadCam, a pretty inspiring place to work.📚📚
Now the problem with the RadCam is the strict no food allowed policy, so I'd either head back to college for lunch or nip to Heroes Cafe across the road, for a quick snack.☕
Some days there would be a lecture we'd attend but we only tended to go if they fitted with the week's work. Otherwise with so many essays to be getting on with, the lectures could feel like a stress! 🤓
So, after lunch it would usually be back to the library. We would be set a reading list for the week from our different tutors and an essay question. Oxford is big on independent learning, so from then on we were on our own. In a desperate attempt to try to decipher the texts and know my stuff in time for the tutorial I'd spend ages scouring through literary criticism.📚📚
When the reading eventually got too much (there are only so many interpretations you can read on Old English poetry before your brain starts to frazzle) I'd head back to college.🙈
The Porters greet students as they walk through the door and it really does feel like returning home after a day's work.🏠
Then it would be time for a cup of tea and a catch up with my friends. There should probably be more cups of tea interspersed above really...we drank a lot of tea in first year.☕
Then at 6pm the clock would chime for dinner and we'd race there in a hurried attempt to be first in the queue. We were always so hungry by this point in the day and would excitedly check out the menu. There were always two main options and a vegetarian dish, as well as sides and puddings.🍽️
Dinner was always a highlight in first year. With everyone in our group living in college, it was a time to chill, chat and discuss our days.😊
Then depending on the socials that week, we'd either head out to one of the local clubs or chill and watch tv together.🎉
Finally, I'd drop into bed exhausted ready to do it all again the next day😴😴😴
Top Tips
Day to day life at Oxford obviously varies, if one day is super stressful, try to remember the next day won't necessarily be the same.
The first term of first year can feel overwhelming but it does get better; everything is new at the start but once you learn the ropes, it begins to feel more achievable.