Student Bloggers

Currently Studying at: St. Catherine's College, University of Oxford, England

Homeschool: Northwestern University

Hello all! My flight back across the Atlantic departs in just three days, and I’m feeling pretty emotional about this wonderful adventure finally arriving to its end. With my final blog post, I thought I would reflect a little on my experience and tell you guys how I made the most of my time at Oxford.

Broad Street, one of the main roads in town, at sunset

As a general rule of thumb, I always tried to spend my time in ways that I could not have at home and doing things that made me consciously aware of the fact that I was studying abroad. Instead of spending my leisure time watching Netflix or choosing to get coffee from Starbucks and eat at Burger King (all of which I very much like doing at Northwestern), I wanted to soak in all the unique things that Oxford and the UK had to offer. I substituted evenings spent binging shows for evenings at formal halls, my old-time favorite iced latte with soy for my new favorite afternoon tea and scones, and Burger King chicken nuggets for Sunday roast paired with a warm cup of mulled wine. Even when studying, I would rarely choose to study in my dorm, instead opting to sit in a local cafe or one of Oxford’s many exquisite libraries. One of the moments when I was most hit with the realization of being at Oxford was a chilly afternoon when I made the trek out to the oldest reading room in all the libraries and sat there reading literature about the lasting repercussions of American slavery. I looked up from my article and saw that the library book right in front of my nose had been published in the 1500s—it had been sitting on that shelf since before the start of New World slavery and centuries before the creation of the United States. It may sound cliché, but for a politics and history nerd like me, I was awestruck at the very slice of history that I was living in. I always knew that I wanted my study abroad experience to be filled with pinch-yourself moments, and in order to experience those, I had to seek out the novel and the different.

A traditional English breakfast from Café Coco, one of my favorite brunch spots in Oxford!

My term abroad at Oxford was just nine short weeks (including fresher’s week), so I also tried to be very efficient with my time. When I was not studying or in tutorials, I was either attending Oxford events, traveling, eating, or sleeping (although sleep was definitely sacrificed at times). I gave up YouTube and Netflix (unless it was watching with friends), and no time was spent scrolling aimlessly on my phone or online shopping, a pastime which I have been known to be very guilty of. Looking back on my experience abroad, I’m very happy to say that I have no regrets with how I managed my time. I succeeded in growing as a thinker, enjoying the Oxford experience, and traveling all in the span of one term, which I definitely would not have been able to accomplish if I had sat around doing nothing for a couple of hours every day.

Christ Church Hall (rumored to be the inspiration for the Great Hall in Hogwarts)

I also knew that I wanted my time abroad to not just be filled with new places and things, but new people to experience these together with as well. To that end, I recommend taking every opportunity to meet the people around you. It can be quite scary to be abroad and by yourself for the first time, but many visiting students and freshers are feeling the exact same way! Invite the people who live in your staircase to study together. Attend the bops (big organized parties) that your JCR puts on. Take a break from studying, go eat a sit-down dinner in the dining hall, and talk to the people next to you. Keep up to date on college events by regularly checking your JCR Facebook group and reading the Listserv emails. There were definitely a couple of times when I wanted to smack myself in the head for not being early enough to buy event tickets before they all sold out!

Ball time!

I really believe that Oxford has so much to offer to the visiting student. It’s a beautiful place with a new culture, a college experience unlike anything elsewhere, and one of the best and most unique educational systems out there. Oxford helped me learn so much about the world, led me to discover many new things about myself, gave me lifelong friends, and left me with unforgettable memories and experiences. It was an incredibly bittersweet moment for me to step out of my last tutorial. Bitter knowing that I now have to leave, but also sweet knowing that I made the absolute most of a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

Next time I’m in London, I’ll be sure to take a trip back up to Oxford. I’ll wander up and down all the streets again, have afternoon tea at my favorite coffee shop, look up at the library and reminisce about all the days I spent in there once upon a time, hunched over a book, furiously reading away, living out a dream. Thank you so guys so much for following me throughout my journey abroad, and I wish wonderful adventures upon all of you, no matter where you may end up!

A picture I took of the Radcliffe Camera on my very last day in Oxford