Halfway Through My Time at Oxford

This is Week 5 here at St. Catherine’s, which means I am more than halfway through my academic time here at Oxford. In my previous posts, I had mentioned trying to settle into a rhythm here.

After arriving at this point in the term, I would say that finding this rhythm took longer than I had expected. Though I have a consistent schedule for my assignments, each week bring its own set of challenges. Because the topic of my papers is different each week, I never have the same week twice. Sometimes I need to spend more time on research, and other times writing the paper may not go as smoothly as I expected.

It can also be tiring because papers are the only assignments I have. This is a definite change from before, where I might only write one or two papers a semester for a class.

Despite the busy schedule, I have been trying to work some consistent events into my week. The day I turn in my weekly paper, I like to take some time to explore Oxford. This was not something I did right away, because it took me a couple weeks to figure out how to navigate my new schedule. But exploring was something I had missed from my time in London, and I am glad I have made it a priority.

On these days, I have gotten to see some wonderful sights around the city. Recently, I went to the top of University Church and got a panoramic view of the city, very reminiscent of my visit to St. Pierre Cathedral in Geneva.

And last week, I got to visit the beautiful deer park and Christ Church. Christ Church was a particularly fun visit because I am a big Harry Potter fan, and Christ Church inspired much of the design for Hogwarts Castle.

At this point in the term, I know what my professor’s expectations are for my papers, and I know how to go about researching and writing them. I’m glad that my secondary tutorial is based on film and my primary tutorial’s research is based on texts. That way the tutorials feel distinct, and I have some variety in my research.

What I have really appreciated is how honest my fellow students are about their tutorials. We are all open about how well or poorly our days are going, and it feels good to talk out our feelings. It is very comforting to know we are all going through the same experience, and that makes things easier.

Now, I find myself thinking about the end of the term quite a bit. Whenever you have had enough school, you naturally look forward to when you will get a break. I am lucky because I have gotten to be a student in a place that I have wanted to travel to for so long, which has made my time here feel less like school. Nevertheless, I am still looking forward to when I have no papers to work on. 

Though I am looking forward to being done with the term, I am by no means going to stop enjoying my study abroad experience. There is still much of Oxford to explore, and many more experiences to be had.