All Soul’s College – Most prestigious college, but not open to undergraduates – only by invitation to best finalists

Tuition in Oxford university is traditionally done through a unique system of tutorials with one professor teaching one or two students at a time. Usually, the professor would give a reading list and essay question a week before tutorial. Then you would have time to prepare and write essay for discussion in the one hour tutorial.

Given the small amount of time for tutorials, you have to learn quite a bit yourself through reading. The tutorial is an opportunity to get more advanced ideas and a critique of what you wrote.

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Lighting a Pipe

A student lights his pipe after his exam.

The subfusc makes a strong contrast to the summer colours being worn around town this June.

This year’s summer eights has been held in great conditions, with sun and high heat.

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University church and apple blossom

Taking exams in Sub Fusc.

Students take their final examinations wearing sub-fusc. This primarily involves a black gown, white shirt and black trousers. Students have to carry a mortar board (hard hat) but they are not allowed to wear it until successfully graduating. University exams

Carnations.

A white carnation is worn for first exam. A red carnation for last exam and a pink carnation for an exam in the middle.

Jumping off Magdalen Bridge on May morning.

A long tradition is for students to jump off Magdalen Bridge on May morning. However, the river is quite shallow and after a series of accidents with broken legs, the bridge has been closed off to prevent students jumping in.

May Morning Singing from Magdalen Tower.

On May morning May 1st, it is traditional for the Magdalen college choir to sing from the top of Magdalen Bridge to welcome the first dawn of summer. This usually occurs at around 5am.

Boat Race.

One of the oldest long running sporting fixtures. The boat race began in 1845 and has been held annually with exception of war interruptions.

Oxford Tutorial.

The oxford tutorial survives despite budget constraints. The basis of the Oxford tutorial is a one or two students to one tutor. A student will do preparatory reading and write an essay. The student will then discuss the essay with the tutor. A student may only have 1 or 2 tutorials per week. They will gain extra notes from attending lectures.

2 Professors in Sub Fusc

Throughout Hilary (spring) and Trinity  (summer) Term, you will see university students taking their final exams. The students are distinctive by their sub fusc (black gown and mortar board) which they have to wear for doing exams.

If a student is doing his first exam they will often wear a white carnation.
A pink carnation means they are in the middle of their exams. A red carnation means that it is their last exam.

Traditionally students celebrate the end of their exams with being bombarded with flour, eggs and champagne. However following complaints from locals, the university proctors have outlawed this practise. Nevertheless the tradition dies hard and in surrounding lanes you may see packets of empty flour as students evade the scrutiny of the university proctors. Students who get caught can be fined a modest amount. But, such is the relief of finishing exams, fines appear little deterant.

Oxford University Exams School

On arriving in Oxford, many tourists ask for directions to ‘Oxford University’. There is no one building that represents Oxford University. The university is composed of many independent colleges plus exam schools and libraries.

The most important buildings for Oxford University include:

• The Exam schools on High Street. This is where students sit their final exams. In summer you can see the students arrive in sub fusc to sit their exams.
• The Sheldonian Theatre. It is in the Sheldonian Theatre where students matriculate and graduate. The first ceremony is on arriving, the second ceremony is after passing your degree.
• The Bodleian Library. The Bodleian Library stands at the heart of Oxford next to Radcliffe Camera Square. The old Bodleian is the main building, but their are a network of other libraries which complement the old Bodleian.

The Oxford University offices are in Wellington Square – hardly the most impressive buildings of Oxford.

Other famous colleges which make up Oxford university include:

• Magdalen College
• Christ Church

Oxford University homepage

Christ Church is one of the architectural highlights of Oxford university. Christ Church literally means the temple, house or Church of Jesus Christ. Originally Christ Church was part of the Abbey of St Frideswide but was taken over by Cardinal Wolsey at the height of his power. After Wolsey’s fall from grace it was rename the Henry VII college. After the establishment of the Church of England, in 1546, it was refounded as Christ Church Cathedral (formally titled The Dean, Chapter and Students of the Cathedral Church of Christ in Oxford of the Foundation of King Henry the Eighth) more popularly known as Christ Church College.

Christ Church in the winter afternoon sunset

Main Quad at Christ Church

Christ church cathedral and quad

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1. Oxford University is the oldest university in the World.

2. In 1214 Oxford was recognised as a university by the Church and the first Chancellor was appointed

3. National Boat Race, Oxford University always gets to the final

4. There is no building called Oxford University. Residents of Oxford enjoy laughing at American tourists when they ask. So where’s the university? The university is a collection of different buildings and colleges. Some of the most important university buildings include the Exam schools on High street and the Bodleian Library

5. Women were first admitted (gaining full membership) into Oxford University in 1920.

6. Women did come to the university to all female colleges earlier. Lady Margaret Hall and Somerville opened in 1879, followed by St Hugh’s in 1886 and  St Hilda’s in 1893.  St Anne’s, which in 1952

7. In the 13th Century there were riots between students and townspeople. Leading to a long standing rivalry between “town and gown”

8. Oxford is one of the 2 most prestigious universities in England. The other one being Hull university [1]

9. A tradition on May morning is for students to jump off Magdalen Bridge and into the river.

10. It is a tradition of the evening before May Morning for townspeople to put shopping trolleys and other sharp implements in the river below the bridge.

11. It is a tradition that on May morning many students are taken to local hospitals with broken legs and arms. Students are supposed to be clever, but this tradition suggests that maybe they are pretty stupid.

Recently Magadalen Bridge has been closed off to prevent students jumping in and injuring themselves.|

[1] Source: Blackadder IV. Episode The Spy.