Anyone studied/studying at Oxford ? Wondering about workload.

[TheodoresMummy]

Have made the decision to go to Uni !!!

Whilst looking at some prospectus', I thought I would have a look at Oxford (because it's fairly close to us and it was a dream of mine to go when I was younger).

Well it looks as fab as it always did (although being a married student with kids would not allow the level of involvement that I could have had years ago).

All of the colleges accept mature student applications. One college is exclusively for mature students.

The workload looks full on, but the terms are only 8 weeks each. So with family support (which I am lucky in having) could I do it ? Am I crazy ? I looked over a sample entrance exam for the course I am particularly interested in and it wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it might be.

Anyone got any thoughts ?

Warwick University is a very good university (generally in top 10 for everything) and not so far from Stratford upon Avon. It won't have such onerous residence requirements although entry requirements tend to be around AAA for many subjects (perhaps mature students are treated differently?)

ohh I went to Warwick Uni campus not that long ago to give a talk, it was fab.

Warwick uni is a very good university.

Its a 'Russell' group uni -explanation od such here.

russell group unis

Theodoresmummy - I have only just seen this. Someone in my family teaches PPE at Oxford and I also did PPE myself. Do CAT me if you would like some more detailed info/advice.

Thanks Oldiemum.

Will take you up on that offer.

Just off to set up CAT.

OldieMum - can't set up CAT as it costs and I don't have a credit card.

My main concerns about studying at Oxford was the workload.

How many essays each week ?

Does your relative know the PPE tutor(s) at Harris Manchester ? If so, do they insist on collections ?

And do they know any particularly friendly PPE tutors who would be happy to respond to an email or two (as someone earlier suggested) ?

Hope you see this, thank you !!!!!!

As well as varying from college to college whether they do collections, colleges vary in how seriously they take them -- generally they are just something not to fail hideously but no one cares exactly how well you do apart from that. The idea is to make sure that you do at least give some thought to work over the vacations.

That's reassuring lemonaid.

Would def work throughout the holidays.

Actually, probably better if they do set you collections. Good practice for the important exams, eh ?

Workload varies a lot between colleges. At my college in my subject they set us two essays a week plus language work - at other colleges I had friends who just did one essay a fortnight. Some colleges have reputations for being laid back, others for being workaholic - the student union used to produce an Alternative Prospectus that told you about things like that.

Actually it may be worth contacting OUSU for information about mature students at Oxford - they may have a rep.

My relative does know one PPE tutor at Harris-Manchester (quite well, in fact) and I was going to offer to put you in touch with him. My relative would also be happy to talk to you. I can't think of a clever way to get round the CAT problem, however. Do you have a spare e-mail address you wouldn't mind putting on here, or something similar? I have to confess I don't know how MSN etc actually work. I'll also try CAT-ing you and see if that works.

The workload varies between colleges, but in PPE students usually take two 'papers' (i.e. subjects) each term and have some kind of work set for each paper every week in full term (an essay, or a class presentation).

Lemonaid - collections are now taken much more seriously than in my day. Students doing less than well find that they attract quite a bit of attention from worried tutors! Indeed, the whole atmosphere is much more serious and work oriented than it was years ago.

I did languages. We had, weekly, what I thought was a fairly light load of classes but quite a lot of work.

Weekly, we had:

• 2 translation classes
• 2 prose classes
• 2 conversation sessions
• 2 or even 3 tutorials.

And in final year, an essay-in-the-language preparation class was added.

For those sessions, we were required to produce: a translation into and out of each language (i.e. 4 pieces), and an essay for each tutorial (so 2 or 3 - sometimes you'd fit in 12 sessions in a term). Mine was seen as one of the more hard-working colleges.

Lectures are all optional. I went to a few, but the ones I stuck for the whole 8-week term were definitely those with the most engaging lecturers. Some just stood there and read their notes based on the (admittedly seminal) book they wrote in 1962.

DW, who went to a different university, thinks we had it pretty easy having only 8-week terms, but admits the per-week workload was heavy compared to hers.

Lectures in PPE are no longer optional - they are now integral to the syllabus (Oxford makes into the 20th century, now that we are all in the 21st).

Thanks OldieMum !!!

Just use my usual email (i'm soooo slack !!)

[email protected]

Sorry, when I said lectures optional I just meant for my course at that time. I think other people had essential ones (physicists and the like). Don't mean to generalise.

I think I am probably the only person on here old enough to have an "undivided" second from Oxford (although I know there are a couple of others around who are not on this thread who are in the same boat ).

In your shoes, I would definitely think about what you want to get out of it. I think, tbh, I would find being around young 18 year olds who thought getting drunk and having sex were exciting a bit trying. The reputations which the colleges have may look very different at your age rather than at 18/19 as well.

Agree, anchovy. That's why Harris-Manchester is probably a good option. I was in the very last year when they awarded undivided seconds, BTW!

Oooh, me too OldieMum - I graduated in 1985 (English literature).

I also did the 4th term entrance exam and got a 2E offer - I think its fair to say I had the unpressurised version of Oxford life!

Ah, how unreliable memory is, then. I graduated in 83. I was a library nerd, however, and worked all the time.

(Phew - thought you were going to make me take the "OldieMum" name)

OldieMum I was at St. John's in the early 90s, so probably by "fail hideously" I mean "get anything less than a solid 2.1" at least, that was the attitude inculcated into us and has probably rubbed off . I do remember, now I think about it) the tutors getting a bit aerated one term when we all didn't do very well in some paper or other and making us have extra revision classes, so I suppose "not caring" is a relative term...

Lemonaid - I was St John's in the early 90s as well and I remember that attitude well.... Actually in my subject (Classics) a 2.1 meant you were a bit weak I was set a penal collection once because I got a 2.1 in a collection (though to be fair that was by a certain barmy Classics don who would have been sacked long ago if he'd been anywhere other than an Oxford college).

Aaargh! Do we know each other? I'm now trying to remember the female classicists... oddly, I can remember what a couple looked like but not their names. I do remember that the Classicists at SJC were really expected to get Firsts, you poor things.

Am almost positive that none of them was six inches high, though (although, I suppose, would one necessarily notice a six-inch high classicist around the place?)...

I was at SJC too - think I overlapped with Kathy by one year (I did the infamous "year abroad").

You probably overlapped with me, too, then (based on highly scientific principle that Kathy is the same age as me. Are/were you more than six inches high?