Work and Study

Your FIrst term

Without trying to scare you too much, your first term at Oxford will likely be one of the most chaotic periods of your life. There’s so much to do and see-it’s impossible to squeeze everything into those eight weeks. Compared to other universities, Oxford has very short terms. Each teaching week is numbered, from 1st week (meaning the first week of what the University calls ‘Full Term’) to 8th week. When you’re in Oxford, expect to hear these as official shorthand, instead of actual normal dates-so expect your essay to be due for “Thursday of 5th”, not Thursday 11th November.

There’s also 0th (“noughth”) week, the week before term begins, and 9th week, the week after term ends. Isn’t that really complicated? Yes. Wait until you start trying to calculate -1st week...

Much like the names of the terms and the weeks, Oxford time generally is pretty weird. With everything crammed into eight weeks, a week feels like a month! But by the end of Michaelmas, you’ll be wondering where all your time went. It’s over before you know it!

the terms are as FolloWs:

mIChaelmas - the busiest term. Everyone is starting over again, so it’s a great time to try something new. Michaelmas has Halloween, Queerfest, the Merton Winter Ball, and Oxmas-you won’t be short of things to do.

hIlarY - wet, cold, and a little sad- you have neither Christmas or the long vacation to look forward to. But it might snow at some point, so get ready to see that all over your Instagram feed...

trInItY - the warmest, most beautiful, duckling-filled term. You’ll find (almost) everyone relaxing at Port Meadow, having garden parties and plays, and relaxing after a hard year of work. You’ll find the rest of them with their heads down in the library studying for Prelims or Finals.

0th week of Michaelmas is Freshers’ Week. Look out for an invitation to the Oxford SU Freshers’ Fair, where you can find out more about the different societies here, as well as picking up lots of free pens, tote bags, and a printed copy of this guide (the biggest selling point, let’s be honest).

It’s normal to have a few organisational mishaps in your first few weeks, and good tutors will understand this. Equally, don’t stress too much about your first essays or problem sheets-they will be quite different to the work that you’re used to. Don’t underestimate the jump from A-level to undergraduate study - or equally from undergrad to graduate study - as it’s huge. You’re not expected to know everything, otherwise there would be no point in you studying here! So don’t worry if your tutor’s feedback in your first week isn’t the best. It’s inevitable, and definitely not a reflection of you. See our section on impostor syndrome (page 70).

By the fourth or fifth week, you will probably have things figured out, and have a solid routine. But, most likely, you will also be feeling pretty tired. This is (unfortunately) normal. In fact, it’s so normal that it even has a name: ‘5th week blues’. In 5th week, your college welfare team will likely run some events to perk you up. Think welfare picnics and alpaca visits (worth every penny of the tuition fees). But unfortunately free cakes and fluffy animals won’t solve all your problems. Please remember that the university and your college offer a range of services to help you with any stress you might be feeling. See our Welfare section on page 64 for more information.

The end of term is commonly busy with college balls and Oxmas dinners. Another odd Oxford word, you may cry! Oxmas is Oxford’s answer to Christmas - because Michaelmas term finishes so early, festive events take place in November. So it’s good news for those who wish Christmas could be every day, as you’ll now get two. Plus, the term has usually started to wind down by the time the dinners and celebrations are held, so you can celebrate without deadlines looming.

teaChIng stYles at oxFord - Lucy Heywood

Tutorials (or ‘tutes’) are weekly classes, where you’ll have the chance to discuss your subject with a tutor who is an expert in that academic field. A great thing about Oxford is that teaching groups are usually pretty small, so depending on your subject and college, your tutorials may be one-on-one, or with a couple of ‘tute partners’.

Each week, you will likely be set a piece of work (such as an essay) to complete independently before your tutorial. This is your opportunity to delve into the topic alone, forming your own thoughts on it. Then, in tutorials, you are given feedback on the piece of work that you submitted. You may have to present and defend your ideas to your tutor and tute partners, who will challenge your thinking to help you develop it.

Sound familiar? The admissions interviews are based on tutorials, so you can approach them in a similar way:

• thInk out loud. Trust me, it gets awkward if it’s silent. Even if you think that you don’t know the answer to a question, discussing it with your tutor or tute partners can help you come to a conclusion. • don ’ t Be aFraId to ask questIons. You’ve likely worked independently all week, so if you have any uncertainties, just ask your tutors! Get your money’s worth...

• don ’ t Be aFraId to ask Your tutor to rePeat somethIng if you don’t understand. Academia is often complex and your tutors will sometimes pitch their ideas at their level of understanding. This also gives you a bit of extra thinking time.

• resPeCt Your tutor and Your tute Partner . Some people struggle more than others when it comes to tutorials. It can be really intimidating to share your thoughts on a topic. You can disagree with your tute partner, but remember to be respectful and supportive. This is a tutorial, not an interview; you don’t have to prove yourself anymore.

Try to enjoy your tutorials as collaborative discussions, not competitions.

As well as tutorials, you might also have classes, depending on your tutors’ preferences and your subject. These might take place in the form of seminars, a more interactive version of the classes you had in school. These are usually held in groups bigger than those you will see in tutorials, and will focus on the discussion of the topic that you have been exploring that week. Some classes will require a presentation or a piece of work to be presented, but the larger group means that they tend to be a little less intimidating than tutorials.

If you’re a STEM student, you might have Labs. These are practical sessions, and typically take up an entire day; usually, they will include a variety of experiments, either with your Lab partner or group, before progressing into more independent tasks.

leCtures

Not every module will have lectures, but plenty do. Most of these are held in the Examination Schools on the High Street (but double check, as some faculties choose to host them in their own buildings!). Lectures give a broad overview, which can make them helpful as introductions to a topic before you delve into your reading. Taking basic notes in lectures can help with your understanding of a topic, but don’t get so caught up in taking notes that you forget to pay attention. You will likely be given a sheet with key phrases and sources, so don’t feel that you have to write down every word that your lecturer says!

Also, bear in mind that the topic of lectures may not be in the same order as the topic of your tutorials or classes, which can render them a bit useless. It’s important that you look at your lecture list and figure out a schedule that works for you; if the lectures do happen to be in a peculiar order, or clash with one of your contact hours, remember that many of them can be accessed as recordings on Canvas, which also provides subtitles (those these are not always the most reliable). 17