There and Back Again: an Oxford tale

by Rory Scher

“To travel is to discover that everyone is wrong about other countries.” ~ Aldous Huxley

Oxford University: One university, many colleges

All Souls Rhodes: Pres. Clinton was a Rhodes Scholar.

Christ Church

St. Edmund Hall “Teddy Hall”

St. Edmund Hall: a College in the strict sense since 1957.History back to the thirteenth century. However, it can claim the oldest academical society for undergraduates. Has a strong rivalry with Queens College and Keble College and is known or labeled to be the most “social” of Oxford’s colleges.

Radcliffe Camera

Bodleian Library: 50,000+ books

LIBRARIES

Jane Austen’s original worksKing George III

“The world is a book and those who don’t travel read only one page” ~ St. Augustine

College bops Travie McCoy & Bruno Mars

Formal hall Desert YUM!

Oxford: More fun than imaginable!•Bops•University and college level organizations•Churches•Sports•Pubs•Form Hall: every Tues. eve – gowns had to be worn

How I plugged In:•Church and CU•Volunteered at a Primary School•An Ultimate frisbee group•Organized events•Archery

Other things I did while at Oxford:

Day trip to BathFamous places

Punting

London

5th of November

Focus Group

Rosetta Stoneat London Museum

Adventure Weekend: LAKE DISTRICT

Thanksgiving: American students provided the entertainment by creating a short film and reading the history of ThanksgivingChristmas: Teddy Hall feast, Teddy Bear Picnic song, Carols on the Quad, Oxford Christmas Market

THANKSGIVING & CHRISTMAS

Teddy Hall Library

The Tutorial method:•One tutor per course•One essay per week per class•Optional lectures• Year end exams for students

The library used to be a church

Me & my tutor,Dr. Styles. At least one member of her family has gone to Oxford and then taught there consecutively for over 100 years

A different system yet common goals:USA: more organized, & planned, 4yrs, classroom setting…UK: concentrate early, 3 years, one on one, student is completely responsible for preparing for exams and tutorial…

It’s more than…

Me and Good Ole St. Ed

High Street

Botanical Gardens

My room

Oxford Castle (prison)Moo Moos!

Interesting Differences

Similar enough language to make living easier but enough differences to make you realize you are not in the USA

“I hear American girls love boys w/accents” Queue NOT line Ya’ll = American Alright? = what’s up Zed = z U’s are added to random words : colourization The quad is for oxford alumni only and NO ONE from Cambridge

“Adventure is a path. Real adventure – self-determined, self-motivated, often risky – forces you to have firsthand encounters with the world. The world the way it is, not the way you imagine it. Your body will collide with the earth and you will bear witness. In this way you will be compelled to grapple with the limitless kindness and bottomless cruelty of humankind – and perhaps realize that you yourself are capable of both. This will change you. Nothing will ever again be black-and-white.” – Mark Jenkins