Sunday, October 13, 2013

First Impressions

Things are off to a flying start here in Oxford. I still can't believe that this institution is actually a university. Sometimes, I need to take a step back and tell myself that this is not a JK Rowling Novel, and that I should be reading and not staring mouth-agape at stone walls and secret gardens. There is so much beauty spread throughout the campus, that it can truthfully be a bit distracting from the entire purpose of why I am reading at this institution.

Morning view from my desk at college accommodations (Magdalen Tower)
Radcliffe Camera - Part of Oxford's Library System
College Grounds

The university is unique, in that it is broken down into a college system. This is associated closely with Oxford and Cambridge and is known as the Oxbridge System. It means that each student is associated with both a department and a college. Traditionally, the student lives in accomodations provided by their college, and takes classes outside of the college. If you're an undergraduate student, you take tutorials at the College you attend - small tailored group sessions that allow you to interact with experts in the field. Graduate students taking the research route, do not generally do this - but instead complete their research independently from their college and interact mainly with one supervisor affiliated with their department. This is similar to the model that we use back in Canada, although there seems to be less interaction between students and their supervisors in the UK.


My beautiful morning walk to Zoology

I'll admit that the College that I applied to and was admitted to was chosen quite haphazardly. I had heard fantastic things about every College at Oxford. I chose Magdalen because it guaranteed three years of College Accomodations, and because they had a deer park that inspired CS Lewis (a former fellow of Magdalen) to write his well-celebrated books about the fictional land of Narnia. I couldn't be more delighted with the choice that I made.

'New Building' - Magdalen College
The college is beautiful in every single way. We have a fantastically active Middle Common Room (MCR) which is the equivalent of a student society for graduate students. The MCR has a beautiful common room, with a tin of chocolate biscuits available for a cup of tea, tonnes of board games for those nights when you need a break from studying. They also have a beautiful bar which is well celebrated around the university as being one of the more lovely, and affordable places to indulge in a pint or two.

My department is interesting in that it shares a building with Psychology. People in the department have been fantastically welcoming, in particular my supervisor who is incredibly kind and very renowned in the field of ecology. It's going to be an absolute delight to work with him. I'm incredibly excited.

The Rhodes Community has been fantastic, and far more cohesive than I anticipated. It's refreshing and wonderful to have access to such a fantastic group of people! Everyone is whip-smart, motivated and so welcoming. It's like having a little family away from home. We've been meeting up for different events throughout the first week, and I'm pleasantly surprised by how close we have become over a short period of time. The Canadian group immediately hit it off! It feels as if they are an old group of friends from home. They've been instrumental in making this transition so natural.

Hanging on top of Magdalen Tower w/ a few dozen Rhodies of 2013

The weather has been moderately nice throughout my time here. We haven't had much in the way of beautiful weather, save one day - but most days are a bit cloudy, often with a little bit of drizzle. The last few days have involved a significant amount of rain, but it's not much different from Eastern Canada.

I've been doing plenty of reading, walking around, and getting my bearings around town. It's been an adjustment to move to a city, in particular, the direction of the traffic makes it quite confusing to move about from one place to another. I'm starting to get a better handle on things, and will be purchasing a bike when I get slightly more comfortable with the way of the road.

I'm off now for a little bit of Brunch with the middle common room group. It should be lovely! Wishing everyone back home a fantastic Thanksgiving weekend.

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