Worcester College the alternative prospectus

Worcester
College
the alternative
prospectus
contents
1. introducing Worcester College
2. in our eyes…
3. the jcr
4. work at worcester
6. entertain yourself
8. high societies
10. a good sport
12. feeling charitable
13. going green
14. humble abodes
16. food for thought
17. look after yourself
18. religion
19. across the pond
20. a day in my life
24. glossary and contacts
Designed and edited by Alicia Tew
many thanks to everyone who contributed photos to
these pages:
neilly furze, phoebe cooke, joanna hunter, cecilia ting,
ollie beer, aj campbell, robyn boosey, rakhee radia,
jana sadler-forster, david helyar, kunal desai, hannah
goldie, may chan, bi scott, joel harland (and many
others).
introducing
Worcester College
Editor Alicia Tew welcomes you to the student‟s view of
Worcester College
So you’re looking around to see which college is going to be right
for you. Applications are scary enough without having to find out
which college will suit you best. Here are some quick pointers
about Worcester that might make it easier for you to see if it’s the
kind of place you’re looking for.
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Relaxed, positive attitude to balancing work and play
Large grounds with lots of green spaces
3 mins walk from city centre
Cheap food
Fantastic accommodation
Sports facilities on site
Strong in arts, sports and academics
Lake. Ducks. What more could you want?
Everyone loves their college. This prospectus is here to give you
some idea of why Worcester students are so happy here, and why
it’s rumoured that 80% of students here would apply to Worcester
College next time round.
In the next few pages, you’ll see Worcester College through the
eyes of its students. We have found that through good times and
bad, our tutors and the college system has supported us to make
the most out of life at Oxford.
Where is Worcester…? A Hidden Gem
Hidden behind a rather unprepossessing wall at the end of
Beaumont Street, it’s one of Oxford’s best-kept secrets. Off the
main tourist track, but just three minutes from the very centre of
town, with a bar, lake and sports ground on site, Worcester really
does give you the best of all worlds.
1
in our eyes...
It‟s a beautiful place – there‟s a
beautiful atmosphere because
everyone‟s really sociable.
There‟s a lot of diversity in the
college and the location is really convenient as well. It‟s basically an awesome place!
Carl Hewson, Third Year
Engineer
It was the only college that I could
imagine myself walking around in my
pyjamas. Basically, it‟s really relaxed, not
intimidating and very comforting. You
always feel at home.
Nai Webb, Third Year Historian
Food is phenomenal, extremely convenient location right
next to the city centre. And another really good advantage is
that we‟ve got sports grounds
on site. We‟ve got a massive
contrast in accommodation,
which is really cool because
you could be living in a
historical fifteenth-century
room one year, and the next
living in a brand-new, modern
building with en-suite.
James Wells
2
the jcr
JCR President Maanas Jain introduces the Worcester
College JCR
JCR stands for the Junior Common Room, and a number of things fall
under this name. First of all there‟s the actual Common Room, which
acts as a get together area for Worcester students. Because Oxford
doesn‟t have its own central venue, each college has its own, of which
all students become a member. There are comfy chairs, a new TV and
DVD player, creating a place for students to relax. Often there will be
events that take place in the JCR so that everybody can enjoy them.
The 420 undergraduate members of the student body who live in and
around college and use the JCR common room are also known as the
JCR. A JCR Committee is elected to organise everything students have
to do, from organising the bops (the big college parties in the bar) and
sports teams, to putting on plays and arts festivals; from organising
careers fairs and fancy dinners to making sure everyone is having a
great time. We have JCR meetings four times a term (with free pizza!)
where students can bring up motions with ideas for how to make
Worcester JCR a better place, though this is, of course difficult!
There is also a college bar for JCR use, not only for parties or watching
sport on the big screen, but also for relaxing with a pint or a juice,
playing darts or pool and chatting to your mates. The best thing about
the JCR is that everyone knows everyone else. You‟ll walk around
college recognising nearly everyone you bump into, because it‟s a small
community in which everyone plays a part in making it the best it can be;
where everyone can enjoy themselves and make some really good
friends over their three or four years here.
3
work at worcester
Work hard, play hard... Marielle Cottee explains how
coping with work presents no problems at Worcester
Work, we‟ve heard, is probably the main reason for you to be at
Oxford. Unlike some colleges, Worcester does not possess any
particular reputation for constant frenzies of academic work,
perhaps because the college life is so strong that we don‟t need
that sort of reputation. Contrary to misguided rumours, work rarely
gets in the way of student participation in extra- curricular activities.
That said, there are significant
quantities of work to do, and at
Worcester there is an atmosphere
suited for work done in a relaxed
fashion. „Modestly laid-back‟ are
perhaps the words that most
effectively describe the students‟
approach to their work. It is a silent
part of Worcester life that perhaps
only becomes obvious close to
examinations.
Admittedly, there is an incredible quantity of work squeezed into the
eight week term. The amount of work people appear to do depends
on their subject, their tutor and of course, how much work they
want to do. Arts students tend to have only a few lectures a week,
most of them considered fairly optional, and a couple of tutorials a
week for which essays are
written. Therefore, much of
their learning is self-driven.
Science students on the other
hand have a much more
structured timetable, with
frequent nine-til-five days,
including a lot of lab work, but
less work outside timetabled
hours.
4
Books are the key to studying at Oxford, and regular use of
both the college and departmental libraries is necessary.
Worcester is well situated for the all the key sites of Oxford,
and the furthest department is only a maximum of fifteen
minutes walk away, which is about five minutes cycle ride.
There are also three libraries at Worcester. The Upper Library
is a typical college lending library which is being constantly
improved as students request books to be ordered. It is open
twenty four hours a day and so is ideal for anyone with odd
working patterns, although apparently it is haunted. The Lower
Library is exclusively for reading (and writing) providing a
quieter alternative to the upper library. It is a beautiful, lightfilled room with large antique bookcases creating a perfect
working atmosphere.
Finally there is a specialised Law Library, as well as a JCR
computer room, both housed in 18th-century staircases in the
main quad.
If you feel that you want to buy some staple textbooks during
your Oxford career instead of scrambling for library books
every week then you can apply for a book allowance, which
presently stands at £100.
Though, of course, there is the dreaded „e‟ word: exams. Mods
or Prelims happen at the end of first year, when everyone
traipses off to the Exam Schools in their sub-fusc to show how
marvelous an essay they can write. All you have to do is pass
these to stay at Oxford. But there is an incentive to do
particularly well: Worcester rewards you
with a scholarship, an upgraded gown
and £200. Then come Finals followed by
post exam celebrations when you might
find yourselves going absolutely mental
while your friends throw (biodegradable) confetti and water over you
in celebration that you have survived
Oxford.
5
entertain yourself
Entz at Worcester are well-known
for being really good fun! Entz include anything from the legendary
termly bops, where we turn the college bar into a mini-club and everyone dresses up (themes have
included pink and black, bling and
babes, and The London
Underground), to croquet and
Pimms on the lawn in summer:
„Entz‟ are the entertainment
provided in college.
Not only are there karaoke and
open-mic nights together with pub
quizzes in the bar, but events are
organized outside college as well,
such as boat parties on the Thames
and paintballing versus another
college.
Every year in Trinity term, the Entz
team organize a Garden Party
which is held exclusively in the
garden of the Provost‟s lodgings.
There are always a bouncy castle
and lifesize board games, with
strawberries and cream to eat,
champagne and Pimms to drink and
live music to create a relaxing,
upbeat atmosphere.
6
There are three entertainment reps
on the JCR committee who are in
charge of making sure everyone is
kept entertained all year. We take
on all suggestions for social events
and if we think it‟s a good and
achievable idea then we‟ll do it!
Recently we‟ve had a hypnotist and
a magician perform in the Hall, with
free admission to all Worcester
students.
Although everyone also
goes out to the popular
haunts in Oxford as well,
the sort of events we organise help promote the
friendly and welcoming
atmosphere Worcester
College has.
7
high societies
Joanna Hunter explains how to release your inner creativity at
Worcester College.
“The great thing about Oxford is that no matter what your interests
are, from choral singing to salsa dancing, there will be a society in
which to find a kindred spirit. Worcester is no exception.”
Music
The arts thrive at Worcester. We are one of the
only colleges to have two chapel choirs.
Auditions for choral scholarships are held when
you apply to Oxford, but there are also places in
the choirs for students who audition once they
arrive. If you just want to sing for fun in a relaxed
atmosphere, we have an informal chorus which
is very popular and performs a couple of
concerts a term. The College Orchestra also
welcomes players of all abilities and meets
weekly for orchestral frolics, and there are plenty
of opportunities for making music of any kind.
Worcester has also begun to cultivate a bit of a
taste for Open Mic Nights in the bar. These
events have proved an enormous success, with
everyone and anyone getting up to sing or play,
albeit to varying standards!
Dance
Worcester is home to many enthusiastic dancers.
There are lots of opportunities on a university level
to learn how to dance for fun – including salsa,
quickstep, jive, tango, cha-cha, rumba and waltzwhich can also be done at a competitive level. Our
college is developing a great tradition of enticing
newbies into dancing by helping them to compete
in the inter-college Dance Cuppers competition
each year. In the last two years, we‟ve collected
over 8 medals and we‟re hoping for more! It‟s just
one of the many fresh ideas for creativity at
Worcester.
8
Buskins Drama Society
For any budding thesps out there, we are incredibly fortunate to have
one of the wealthiest and best known college drama societies in
Oxford: Buskins. Hilary Term means it‟s time for the arts week play,
and this year a sell-out production of Donkey’s Years by Tom Stoppard
received four-star reviews in the student press. However, the big event
for any Buskins
member is the
Worcester College
Summer
Play.
Worcester‟s
HUGE
grounds
are perfect for
summer
productions
and
rehearsals, and in
Summer
2008
Shakespeare‟s
The Tempest was
staged out on the
Nuffield lawn.
As the sun set
over the lake, the
audience
were
swept into a captivating, stormy performance where nymphs danced
and Caliban roared his dismay. Being part of the play is a great
opportunity to release your inner artistic self, and meet people from
across the university.
Arts
Worcester hosts an annual Arts Week which grows bigger and better
by the year. This year events included a salsa dance workshop, an
inspiring ex-hibition of students‟ art, concerts, and creative
opportunities a-plenty.
As you‟ve probably realized by now, opportunities at Worcester are
limitless. We are one of the only colleges actually to have an Arts Rep,
meaning that even if we don‟t offer something to satiate your appetite
just yet, new suggestions are always
welcomed. Combined with our on-site
sports pitches, filling your free time
with hobbies and interests old and
new at Worcester cannot go wrong!
9
a good sport
Kunal Desai reveals Worcester‟s sporting prowess
“Sporting college extraordinaire”. Not my
description of Worcester, but that of the last
issue of the Cherwell student newspaper. Of
course, you can always trust everything you
read in pa-pers... However, for the more press
-sceptical individuals amongst you, allow me
to elaborate a little. The first reason why
Worcester is brilliant for sport will strike you
the very first time you visit. Come through the
wonderful three-sided quad, wander round the
beautiful gardens and right there are the
sports pitches.
We are the only college to have our own
sports ground on site. Whilst other colleges
struggle out of bed for a half-hour walk to
their pitches laden down with sports kit, we
can almost roll out of bed onto the grass. I
say almost - I tried the whole way once and
it wasn‟t pretty - but you get the gist.
Equally, in-stead of organising a practice
days in advance, if I suddenly decide I fancy
a kick-about I can be outside with two teams
in ten minutes.
Our fabulous grounds serve as rugby, football and hockey
pitches in winter and spring, and grass tennis, cricket, rounders
and croquet pitches in summer. In addition, there are three hard
tennis courts, which also serve as netball and basketball courts,
and Worcester has a well-equipped gym that all Worcester
students can use for free. As well as these second-to-none
facilities, Worcester‟s JCR also has a permanent position on its
committee representing sport alongside a dedicated team of
ground-staff to support and encourage the college‟s welldeserved reputation for sport.
10
Currently University Champions in:
- Men‟s Football 1sts
(League and Cup Winners)
- Men‟s Football 2nds
(League and Cup Winners)
- Men‟s Football 3rds (League)
- Men‟s Hockey
(Double league Winners)
- Men‟s Cricket 1sts
- Women's Cricket Team
- Women‟s Hockey league
- Mixed Lacrosse
- Cross-country
Running
- Men‟s 1st Rowing VIII – First Division
- Rounders
- Women‟s Squash (League and
Cup)
- Men‟s Cricket 2nds
- Modern Pentathlon
“Don‟t give me details, give me - Oxford Triathlon
results”, Sir Alan Sugar once said ...and probably more.
on „The Apprentice‟. And this year
has been a particularly good one
for Worcester sport, as shown by
the summary of our achievements
(see above).
This term we are also hot favourites for the Cricket and Tennis
leagues. Basically, if you enjoy hitting a ball, this is the place for
you. Things are also on the up if you enjoy hitting people with a
ball in the vicinity, as the men‟s rugby team were promoted this
year, and are now playing in the upper echelons of one of the
most competitive sports around. In addition, the men‟s rowing
1st eight performed wonderfully at the last regatta to ensure
promotion to the First Division, at the very highest level of
college rowing.
If you do ever feel the need to make it outside college to do
some sport, Oxford has an excellent sports complex on Iffley
Road, catering for many different sports, including Astroturf,
rugby pitch, tennis courts, sports hall, 25m swimming pool
(opened in 2005), university „Pulse‟ Gym, and much more.
Anyone can join the gym for £45 or the swimming pool for £65 a
year.
Phew! Hope you‟re still with me, because the last point is the
most important. Pretty please, do not be intimidated by
everything I‟ve just reeled off. I just enjoy
doing it. The VERY BEST thing about
Worcester sport is the number of people
who play it – at whatever standard, and
whatever the sport. This last year has seen
the creation of a basketball team, badminton
team, football 3rd team, women‟s cricket
team, mixed rounders team, reserved
college punting, intra college volleyball and
5-a-side tournaments and even a dodgeball
league. If we don‟t play it – you can start it
up, and I guarantee many will want to try it.
11
feeling charitable?
Worcester students are keen to get involved with charity work,
as Rachel Cassidy describes.
Although a college or university‟s policy for charity donations isn‟t the
first thing you may consider when applying, it is an important facet of
Worcester and Oxford life. Each year the JCR appoints a charities rep
to co-ordinate fundraising, and to remind everyone that there is always
someone in need of your help.
Worcester hosts a variety of fundraisers
throughout the year, from charity auctions to
cocktail nights. Many are run in connection with
the University‟s „Raise and Give‟ (RAG)
scheme, and all are designed to enable you to
give to a deserving cause while enjoying some
of the best events in town.
A regular favourite is the „Slave Auction‟, when
students auction off anything from their
company on a night out to their services as a
master chef, all in the name of charity.
AJ Campbell donated a snowboarding lesson for a college
charity auction
What‟s more, giving doesn‟t have to mean financial donations.
Worcester organizes and has links with plenty of different
volunteering schemes. Many Worcester students get involved in
schemes like Jacari, teaching children for whom English is not a
first language and gaining valuable experience that can be useful
in later careers.
The charities rep also raises awareness of different charityrelated events in Oxford, such as fair trade nights and talks at the
Union. What‟s more, Worcester students contribute to charities
through the termly JCR donation: members pay an optional £3
per term to a common account, and then vote to share it between various local, national, and international causes which
students nominate each academic year.
12
going green
Enthusiastic environmentalist Mikki Haig reveals how
Worcester students can live greenly.
Worcester is undoubtedly one of the most beautiful environments in
Oxford to work, rest and play, a „hidden gem‟ admired enviously by
students from other colleges. With its expanses of grassy space, lake,
orchards and wooded walkways, it is easy
to understand why Worcester is referred to
as „the countryside college,‟ „the Magdalen
of the West‟ and perhaps most commonly
„the one with the LAKE!‟ The past year has
seen students getting more involved in
Worcester‟s gardens, as Oxford‟s only
student run vegetable patch has been
planted, weeded, and finally fruited, with a
haul of delicious English Strawberries to
enliven the summer term. More potatoes,
spinach, broccoli and other veg are on
their way for autumn and next year.
Although we are still not quite up to the
recycling standards of the colleges at the
top of the „green‟ league table,
Worcester‟s recycling system has been
improved in the last few years and we
currently recycle paper, glass, plastic and
metal cans, following the council‟s green
and blue box scheme. A new system that
has been rolled out across the college
over the next few months has massively
improved recycling at Worcester. Each
student can use recycling boxes in their
kitchen or staircase to split up their
rubbish and make sure that it doesn‟t get
chucked in a landfill. We can all help make
the college as Green as it is pleasant.
.
13
humble abodes
Housing Rep Max Symanski reveals Worcester‟s fine
student accommodation.
Here at Worcester we are lucky
enough to have some of the newest,
award-winning student
accommodation in Oxford, with two
new blocks just opened in Michaelmas
2007. Whatever accommodation you
are placed in, it is guaranteed that you
will be calling it home within weeks. The College normally has
accommodation for all years at Worcester to live in during their
undergraduate degree. Of course
there´s nothing preventing you from
living out though!
There´s a huge range of rooms on offer
and all the blocks in Worcester are
incredibly different. Our students love
the atmosphere of every staircase and
building. Rooms are graded so you pay
more for the better rooms. Some rooms
are cheaper for a reason, but if your
finances are tight then it´s worth applying for a lower-graded room
when you are given the chance to express a preference (that´s at the
end of each year). All rooms are fitted with telephone and internet
connections, and are equipped
with refrigerators. Rooms are
being updated and most
already have kitchens attached,
which you share with up to 6
people.
14
FISHBOWL
Upon arriving at Worcester and
being told I was living in 'the
fishbowl'
I
was
slightly
bemused, but not half as
bemused as I was when I
actually saw the building in
question, which did not seem
at all bowl-like in character and
certainly contained no fish.
However, within days of living
there I came to realise that the
word 'fishbowl' could not be
more appropriate - if staring
mindlessly out of your window
at other people for procrastination purposes or otherwise is your 'thing'
then you will love the fishbowl - the buildings literally form what I would
describe as an arena. But if you are unlucky enough to commit some kind
of exploit in said space, then you can be sure there will be someone to see
it. On the other hand, living so close to so many people is a great
experience and something the main quad and pump quad don't really offer.
Spontaneous picnics and mass sunbathing on Nuffield Lawn can happen
anytime. Life in the fishbowl, despite its dubious exterior aesthetic, is an
immense experience.
STAIRCASE 24
Although I have only lived in staircase 24 for a term I am a huge fan of what I
am confident in assessing as the best student accommodation in Oxford.
The rooms, although varying in size, are massive, modern without being
boring and your mum will LOVE the bay windows on the listed side of the
building. The en-suite facilities are also a massive bonus and the kitchens,
although smaller than Ruskin and JTM, have loads of windows and make
great unofficial social spaces, and also serve their intended purpose with
dishwashers,
outrageous
amounts
of
fridge
and
cupboard space and a
microwave. The location is
also convenient, right by the
pitches and the back gate,
and in the hub of Worcester's
new accommodation - all in
all, staircase 24 is as close as
a student will get to living in
luxury, the only downside
being that what you live in
after
you
graduate
will
probably be a hovel in
comparison.
Rhian Hayes
15
food for thought
Joss Richardson gives us the lowdown on food and
drink in Worcester College.
Worcester College is known for having a beautiful dining
room and great food. In the first year, since only some of the
accommodation areas have cooking facilities, most people
eat in hall. The catering staff prepare cooked and
continental breakfasts, hot and cold lunch and dinner.
Dinner is heavily subsidised, so for £2.03 you can have a
three-course meal, and there are two sittings in the evening.
The first at 6pm, nicknamed „normal hall‟ is the usual option,
whilst the second, „formal hall‟ is at 7.15pm and allows you
to dress up to the occasion. You can check out which days
you want to eat in formal hall by looking at our online
menus, and running down to buy a ticket!
TODAY’S MENU
First Hall:
Spicy Soup
Thai Pork Curry
Steamed Rice, Vegetable
Spring Roll,
Assorted Sweets
Second Hall:
Italian Salad
Ragout of Venison
Chive Potatoes, Summer
Vegetables
Pear and Ginger Cheesecake
Worcester is known for its delicious formal
food and there is even a rumour that we
have a chef from The Randolph Hotel to
cook twice a week. There is the option of
formal hall six times a week, which is far
more than most of the other colleges.
Everyone is always amazed that for £2 you
can be served a three course meal which
might include delicacies such as lobster
soup, pâté, guinea fowl, steak or venison
(and some impressive vegetarian options
as well!). It is definitely the best food that
£2 can get you in the city. There is always
an amazing atmosphere; everyone wears
formal gowns, grace is said in Latin and it‟s
an opportunity to relax with friends and a
bottle of wine.
We have the buttery, like a tuck shop, which is
open all day and sells a variety of hot and cold
drinks as well as chocolate bars and other
snacks. There is a seating area where people
congregate to read the pa-per or have a chat.
Worcester also has an excellent cellar bar with
cheap drinks and a juke box. There is a
selection of board games, a TV screen, a pool
table, a darts board and a table football table.
Our atmospheric bar, festooned with college
paraphernalia, is always a lively place to meet
friends and hang out in, either for a quiet drink or as a meeting place
before going out or going to formal hall.
16
look after yourself
Welfare support in college is strong, as Jo Clark and
James Moubray tell us.
It is well known within Oxford that Worcester is one of the
friendliest colleges, a reputation we do not take lightly. Worcester
prides itself for having one of the most accessible and supportive
welfare networks within the university. Every student is individually
assigned a Moral Tutor who is there to take care of any pastoral
issues which may be faced. Help can also be found from the
college Chaplain, the Tutor for Women, the nurse and a range of
other people, such as the Assistant Deans.
If would prefer to chat to a
student, JCR‟s Male Welfare
Rep and Female Welfare Rep
are often the first ports of call.
The LGBT Rep is also a
trained Peer Supporter. Peer
Support is an important aspect
of welfare within college, and
includes drop-in sessions and
free welfare picnics. Our panel
consists of about eight
students who are trained by the
university to provide support for any problems you may encounter
in your time here, no matter how big or small. Worcester has also
pioneered the use of the MSN Peer Support Surgery Scheme,
which makes Peer Support even more accessible and anonymous
for Worcester students.
Your time at Worcester will be some of the best years of your life,
mainly because it is such a fantastic environment in which to study
and live. Going away from home, often for the first time for many
students, can be daunting, and if you find your first weeks here
chaotic and scary then don‟t feel like the only one! It‟s perfectly
natural to feel like that and that‟s why the welfare team is here to
help you to settle in and to enjoy university life!
17
religion
With a beautiful chapel and a thriving CU, Worcester
provides plenty of opportunities for practicing your faith
The Chapel and choirs
The choirs sing four evening services during the week. Choral
music is beautiful when sung by a first-class choir, and it must be
conceded that those who attend the chapel (Sunday Evensong is
very popular) are sometimes more motivated by this aesthetic than
by a sense of spiritual yearning. For those with higher aspirations,
there are also services of Morning Prayer and a beautiful Compline
every week. The mixed choir sings on Monday and Thursday,
whilst the men‟s choir, with boy
choristers from Christ Church
Cathedral School, sings on Sunday and
Tuesday.
Worcester Christian Union
The Worcester CU meets once a week
and is one of the many Christian events
that go on in Oxford, run by the Oxford
Inter-Collegiate Christian Union (OICCU). We get together once a
week to catch up, look at a passage or theme in the Bible and pray
for each other and for the college. Our aim is to build the Christians
in college in fellowship and understanding, enabling us to take the
gospel out into Worcester. We put on plenty of informal events in
college to invite our friends to so we can share with them what and
why we believe in the God of the Bible, whilst also being active in
other aspects of college life. The 2 „reps‟ are responsible for the
running of the CU and are usually to be spotted during Freshers‟
Week getting to know those who have just arrived. The
International Rep should be around in Oxford in -1st week
generally helping the International Students settle in as well
There are lots of places to practice other religions in
Oxford, such as the nearby Synagogue, Centre for
Hindu Studies, and Mosque in Cowley
18
across the pond
If it‟s not just university that‟s new, but England too, then
you‟ll be well looked after in Worcester College.
Loads of support is provided by the Academic Office
for international students, from help when they‟re
applying to Worcester College to sorting out life once
they‟ve been offered a place.
The college also encourages people to apply for their
Junior Year Abroad (JYA) programme which mainly
links up Oxford University with undergraduate
students from American universities. JYAs are integrated with arriving
freshers from day one, so they will always be a strong part of college
life. We‟ve had JYAs return for postgraduate degrees lots of times,
because they‟ve made such good friends with the students in their year.
Worcester College makes sure that as many JYAs as possible get the
chance to live amongst students doing full-length undergraduate
courses, so you get a proper British experience. The grades that JYAs
receive from their work undertaken at Oxford are converted for
accreditation at home.
JYAs can stay just for a term, but are encouraged to stay for a full year,
for a real taste of college life. Many JYAs have rowed and played all
kinds of sports including football and tennis for Worcester College, and
got involved with other activities.
JYA students at Worcester have a designated Tutor to help them get
used to the English way of doing things. She organises a week-long
induction period in London and term-time trips outside of Oxford. Recent
visits have included Stonehenge and camping in Wales. Whatever
you‟re into, wherever you‟re from, Worcester will welcome you all year.
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a day in my life...
No two people live their lives in the same way. Days at
Worcester vary depending on the activities and subjects
you study. Here‟s the stories of how some of our
students live.
Rakhee Radia, Third Year Linguist
Oxford‟s modern languages course
is pretty literature-heavy. Each week,
you‟ll typically work on a new text if
you‟re doing two languages. As well
as reading the play, novel, short
story or poetry anthology, you‟ll be
set some secondary literature. It will
help you develop an opinion on the
texts, and prepare you for seminars and writing essays for tutorials,
where you‟ll then discuss them. On top of this you‟ll have classes in
grammar and translation (in college for French, in the department for
most other languages).
Worcester has tutors in French and German and for other languages
there are arrangements in place with tutors in other colleges; for
example, for Spanish my tutor is at Trinity so I share tutorials and
classes with their Spanish students. Luckily the faculty is only a few
minutes‟ walk away – so you can roll out of bed ten minutes before
lectures and make a last-minute dash for books. In the first year
everyone does the same literature, which is really wide-ranging. After
that there is a huge choice and hopefully you‟ll know what kind of thing
you like from the tasters you get in your first year. It‟s a real privilege to
be able to discuss some of the greatest literature in the world with some
of the greatest experts!
Everybody says it about their college but here it‟s really true –
Worcester is the best college in Oxford. It has the perfect location: just
off the tourist track but minutes away all the things you need. We‟re
closest to the all important Branos kebab van- and we are the closest to
the clubs! At Worcester we work hard and play hard – we dominate the
cheese floor at Park End on Wednesdays, end up with a ridiculous
number of sports trophies, get involved with drama and music and
university-wide societies... and yet we still manage to make it to those
9ams and come out with a degree somehow!
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Alicia Tew, Third Year Lawyer
In the mornings: Life here is varied, and it‟s as
exciting as you want it to be! Some days I‟m
awake happily at 9am. Some days, I‟m asleep
until midday recovering from an epic night out.
So whenever I roll out of bed, I switch on my
laptop and sort out plans for that evening. Then
I get started with the day‟s law reading (if I‟m
organized!), or go to a tutorial. Usually I aim to
get two or three hours‟ work done before lunch.
Lunchtime: some of my flatmates are home, so I sit
down and have lunch with my friends in our kitchen. On
sunny days we dive out onto the sports pitches or into
the orchard to soak up the rays.
Afternoon: the main part of my working day. I‟ve learned I work
best from 1-6pm, so that‟s the time I might spend in a nearby
library or in my room with some chilled jazz music on to keep
me motivated. Doing law is a good course if you like to structure
your own day, as the lectures are fairly optional so you can
decide when you work well and make sure you spend that time
productively. Then the rest of the day is yours!
Evening: the most fun part of the day. Usually everyone‟s free at
night, so I try and make sure I‟m not stuck at home working hard
more than a couple of nights a week. For most of this year, I‟ve
been to dancing classes twice a week, as well as practising on
other evenings. It still leaves me time to meet up with friends
after a quick dinner, so I go clubbing or meet them at the pub
somewhere. Also (as you may have noticed from this
prospectus) there‟s a lot of talented people in Worcester
College. I try and see my friends performing in plays, musicals,
concerts and go to art exhibitions when I can. With the odd
cocktail or black-tie event around too, Oxford offers a massive
social life for anyone who wants to take it.
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Joel Harland, Second Year Engineer
You wake to the merciless sound of the alarm, mashing in the direction of the
snooze button for those few precious minutes. Shortly after there is the
inevitable roll out of bed, 6am is cruel, especially when you‟ve been out
playing ice hockey till three the night before, but such was your choice when
you signed up to engage in the glorious pursuit that is rowing. Putting on as
many layers as possible to protect against the biting cold you head out to wait
at the lodge with the other slumbering half humans before heading down to
the boathouse.
The layers come off as you climb into your appointed seat, someone is
taking ages to get their feet while the rest of the crew‟s joints freeze up. Then
the boat is away, gliding through the silent misty water and warmth returns to
everywhere except the hands and toes. An hour later the crew returns from
the river. Those who do arts subjects to a lie in followed by a leisurely
breakfast, in Oxford this is sometimes mistranslated as „reading‟ or „essay
prep‟, and the Scientists to lectures.
Lectures give you time to ponder the
unknown and really rather frustrating force
that attracts your head to the desk while
simultaneously pushing your eyes closed.
Unsurprisingly you are sitting next to a
morning person, she scribbles notes
attentively and makes those annoying
sounds of understanding at appropriate
moments. Labs follow; since the work is
practical and often very interesting the brain
is kept more occupied. Then lunch which is
a hurried interlude, giving time for you to
discuss with your colleagues how you
accidently burned a hole in your book by
leaving a soldering iron on it.
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After 5 hours of focusing its always nice to leave, allow your mind
to vegetate on lesser things, and head for the dining hall where
you know there will be a cheap and sumptuous meal awaiting you.
Leaving hall, you are torn from the possibility of work by heading to
the JCR to play some table tennis. At about 8, you make a break
for your room to do the work that needs to be in for tomorrow
morning, but unfortunately are accosted by a group of friends who
invite you out. A glance at the watch, „Yeh, I‟ve got time‟.
There follows a few hours of good company, amongst other things there is
the usual subject banter. The Mathematicians criticised for the
pointlessness of their subject material, the Geographers complemented for
their colouring skills and the Engineers reprimanded for their criminal use of
approximation. Leaving the cosiness of the pub the group heads back to
college, you leave your merry companions and take a detour to Sainsbury‟s
where you pick up a few cans of Red Bull or rather its cheaper and surely
more potent cousin. This is your fuel for the now necessary „all-nighter‟, it‟s
the power by which you will do the impossible and finish the 8 hours of
work in for a 9am tute. This prospect does not daunt you however but
rather makes you feel heroic, you will beat the tute sheet, you will show it
no mercy because You, are a Scientist.
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glossary and contacts
A list of important words that don‟t mean anything outside Oxford
BATTELS Your bill for accommodation
BUTTERY The old-fashioned „coffee shop‟ of college; a haven for those
avoiding work; also where you buy formal hall tickets
BLUE Awarded to someone who competes for Oxford against Cambridge
BOP Free themed parties in the college bar
CELLAR BAR The college bar, located in the cellar
COLLECTIONS
i) A brief meeting with the Provost to discuss your progress;
ii) An internal exam in college to test the work of last term
CUPPERS Inter-college sports competition that allows teams to play
their University Blues
FINALS The main exams at the end of an undergraduate course
FORMAL HALL The second sitting of dinner with waiting service; formal
dress and gowns to be worn
FRESHER First year student
GOLDFISH BOWL One of the accommodation blocks
HILARY Spring term at Oxford
JCR i) The Junior Common Room; ii) The student body of undergraduate college and their representatives
LGBT Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender
LODGE Entrance of college, popular meeting place
MATRICULATION The formal ceremony during which freshers officially
become part of the university
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MICHAELMAS Winter term at Oxford
MODS One form of examination endured by first or second years either
at the end of Hilary term or Trinity term
PARENTS No, not the ones you scrounge off, but Second Year
mentors to help „guide‟ you through your first year.
P.P.E. Politics, Philosophy and Economics
PRELIMS The other form of first-year examination… no-one really
knows the difference!
PUMP-QUAD The bit of college where the bar and buttery are
QUAD The centre-piece of pristine grass as you walk through the
entrance of college
RAG Raise and Give; university-wide organised charity events
SCOUT Your very own personal room cleaner. Keep them sweet!
SUB-FUSC The formal attire worn for important occasions including
matriculation and examinations
TARGET SCHOOLS An access scheme encouraging students from
state schools to apply to Oxford
TRINITY Summer term at Oxford
TUTE A tutorial, the(at least)-weekly teaching session
WHITE CARD The crucial card that lets you into college, and lets you
pay for meals in Hall too.
WOOSTA SOURCE The college newsletter
Get in touch! Contact us for more information:
The Admissions Office
Worcester College
Oxford
OX1 2HB
01865 278 391
www.worc.ox.ac.uk
email: [email protected]
Oxford
Colleges
Admissions Office
University Offices
Wellington Square
Oxford
OX1 2JD
www.ox.ac.uk
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