Oxford's biggest student newspaper, produced by and for members of the University of Oxford, since 1991.
As one treks through the vast expanse of Magdalen College’s grounds in the deep dark of November’s winter, one can feel only trepidation. But for what? For feral deer leaping out of the dark? For the hidden banks that come out of nowhere and slide you down into a cold, chilly Isis? A blazing inferno around which […]
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As the darkness approaches earlier each evening and the essay crises (or problem sheet calamities – not that I know about those, instead hiding in the depths of the library to study literature) grow more frequent, there’s a glimmer of light in the shape of BBC iPlayer at 8pm every Thursday. You can find me, on a quiet […]
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I went into the Edinburgh Fringe Review without any real expectations. I signed up to do it on a last-minute whim, applied for a travel grant from college, and the next thing I knew I was on the train to Scotland. The concept was appealing: a week sharing a flat in central Edinburgh with a […]
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Living in Oxford sometimes feel like living in a bubble: the big quads, formal halls and black-tie events seem to bring us ever further away from reality. I wished so many times that I could go back to the normal-looking, charming streets back home with shops that don’t just sell souvenirs or over-priced food. But […]
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From cannon-bluster to the Turl Street dash, and from recognition in the Daily Mail in 1979 to more modern recognition as a particularly fierce rivalry on Wikipedia, the Turl Street rivalry between Exeter and Jesus is rather exciting, as far as college rivalries go. Compare the pitiful ‘wars’ of recent times exemplified by the petty […]
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If I’d heard the word “Paris” before July this year, I’d have thought of the Eiffel Tower, croissants, nice coffee, cultured, attractive people, and enough cheese, bread and wine to make any Tesco aisle look poorly and scarcely stocked. Or maybe world-renowned art galleries with original masterpieces dating back centuries. Or King Louis XIV’s monumental […]
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Swapping the dreaming spires of Oxford for the twisting spires of Barcelona. ‘Puc fer-te una pregunta?’ Can I ask you a question? Honestly, I’m in a hurry, running an Oxford five minutes late and sweating slightly. I get asked questions all the time. Does it have to be now? It helps to be addressed in a language […]
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When I first heard of Charity Concierge, I couldn’t believe my ears. Free tickets to the Latitude Festival in exchange for a mere three shifts of menial labour – a little light tent pegging here, a spot of waitressing there – and the added benefit of raising money for an excellent charity? Count me in. […]
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Imposter syndrome is an idea spoken about a lot in Oxford, especially during the start of the academic year. It’s the feeling that you don’t quite belong here – that your offer was a result of a mistake and someone else should have been accepted instead. Imposter syndrome is not unique to Oxford, but the […]
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Image description – Library books tunnel The ‘Oxford bubble’ is a concept we all know well – when in the bubble you can think of nothing but your Oxford workload. Completing your essay feels like a matter of life and death. But it is also a dangerous one. When I was in my worst place, […]
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Bethan Roberts reflects on the stress of collections As everyone knows, the best way to start a term at Oxford is with a healthy burst of exam stress. At least it must be, since every term begins with a collection. As I start my final year, I still do not understand collections. As we all […]
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Sarah Alford challenges the popular perception of the clubbing scene I went to a Freshers’ clubbing night on Wednesday. Not the sort of anecdote I expected to be telling, for I would ascribe the same amount of enjoyment experienced on a night out as to what I feel during collections I haven’t revised for. But […]
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The season is now, officially, over. On the day before the temperature dropped from 33°C to 22°C the plaza was packed, with Parisiens, locals and international holiday-makers alike. And what a spectacle it was, with an 80s music concert and performances of Saracen twirling and fire dancing. The sparks literally flew 5 metres into the […]
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For a newly-launched non-profit, founded and run by two Oxford students, entirely through one social media platform, we were overjoyed to have received 70 donations for our first ever book drive: as Homeless Oxford Literature Drive (HOLD) approaches its second drive this MT19, we hope to raise many more books, and want to encourage as […]
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Balliol has over the centuries seen a number of great figures cross the verdant lawns of its quad and grace its JCR – everyone from Tory leadership contenders, to the great Roy Jenkins, and even a number of Norwegian kings. However, none loom larger in the contemporary Balliol imagination than the illustrious ‘Pantry Ducks’ (as […]
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“Ohh, interesting… that’s quite far out, isn’t it?” – The automatic response of any high street collegiate in the textbook exchange of introductory questions. One repressed eye-roll later and I find myself speaking in defence of my humble, radically modern home, St Hilda’s, perched on the river across Magdalen Bridge (that’s right, Cowley country). Yes, […]
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When I came to Oxford for my undergraduate interviews, none of the other applicants had heard of Whitby. And yet, when I actually started my degree, everyone had heard of it. Even the master of my college came out with the classic ‘been-on-holiday-to-Whitby’ line about how wonderful the fish and chips there is. And now, […]
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“You are not special. You are not a beautiful and unique snowflake. You are the same organic and decaying matter as everyone else” – Fight Club’s Tyler Durden bluntly informs us. One of the words to make its entry into the 2016 Collins English dictionary, the term ‘snowflake’ is often used as a derogatory shorthand […]
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Image Description: The confusingly named City5 and City8 buses outside Queen’s Lane bus stop. It’s been annoying me for some time how inconsistent the numbers are on buses in Oxfordshire. I realise this doesn’t hugely matter. But it does probably make journey planning confusing for people visiting the county, and we’re not exactly short of […]
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