England will always have a very special place in my heart. When I was in sixth grade, my first trip overseas began in England. Maybe more significantly, I studied abroad there (at the University of Leeds) in 2016 during my sophomore year of college. It was during that semester abroad that I caught the travel bug, and I’ve been traveling the world ever since!
Which meant that when I had the opportunity to go back to England to spend a summer working on my master’s degree at Oxford, of course I said yes!
Arriving in Oxford
It’s sometimes strange revisiting a place, especially a place that you love. I can remember flying into England in 2016. It was my first time flying without my parents, my first long-term trip anywhere, much less to another country. I was scared and confused. Six years later, though, I was a much better traveler!
After an uneventful flight, I arrived in London and caught the bus to Oxford. Because it was England, of course it was raining. As I watched the countryside roll by through the window of the bus, I was so happy to be back! Instead of nerves, I was filled with eagerness. When I stepped off the bus onto High Street, I had a huge grin on my face. I knew it was going to be a great summer.
Oxford Sightseeing
Oxford is not a huge city, but it is a popular day trip for visitors to London which means the streets are often very crowded during the middle of the day. One of the cool things about living there for six weeks was that I was able to see much more of the city than I could ever cram into a day trip. While I was obviously spending a good part of each day doing schoolwork (that’s what I was there for, after all), I could spend all my free time exploring Oxford’s many secrets.
Some of the “must-see” spots include the Radcliffe Camera, the Bodleian Library, the colleges, Oxford Castle, Blackwell’s Bookshop, the Covered Market, and Christchurch Meadow, but honestly, there is so much history in this city, the list of things to see is endless. If you are reading this for travel suggestions, I highly recommend doing a guided walking tour of Oxford, since this city is full of fascinating stories you might never uncover on your own.
The Bodleian Library
When I knew I was going to get to study in Oxford, I kept telling everyone I knew “I’m going to have access to the Bodleian!” Most of the time, I only got blank stares in return, but the Bodleian is a big deal! Even if you are just visiting Oxford, you should take a trip to see the library. It’s a beautiful building. But I was fortunate enough to have an actual library card and get to see parts of the library only accessible to students.
This research library is actually made up of several buildings and is one of the largest libraries in the world. It is entitled to request any book published in the UK, and contains over 13 million items. Before I could use the library, I had to take an oath not to harm any of the books, just like scholars have had to do for hundreds of years in this library. My favorite place to study was in the Duke Humfrey’s reading room, which dates all the way back to the 15th century! (It was also used as the Hogwarts library in the Harry Potter movies.)
The Colleges
Travelers from the US are often confused by Oxford’s system of colleges, but to oversimplify, Oxford’s colleges are sort of a cross between a dorm building and a lecture hall. Students generally sleep, eat, relax, and take classes in their college, and there are 39 of them altogether across the city of Oxford. I took classes in Lincoln College while in Oxford, though I was not actually admitted into the college. My graduate program through Middlebury University simply takes over the building for the summer. This college dates all the way back to 1427, and going to class really felt like I was walking through history.
If you are simply visiting Oxford, many of the colleges have specific days/times throughout the week that they are open for visitors (usually for a small entrance fee). Christ Church and Magdalen are the two most popular colleges for visitors, but they are all beautiful.
Museums
Oxford boasts several museums, and many of them are free to visit. The most impressive museum in Oxford is the Ashmolean, which is a must see. The museum is dedicated to art and archaeology, and you could easily spend a whole day here. I also highly recommend the Museum of Natural History and the Pitt Rivers Museum. Finally, make sure to check what exhibits are going on the Weston Library. These exhibits are generally small, but very excellently curated, and it’s right next to the Bodleian. While I was there, the Weston had an exhibit on Howard Carter, who discovered King Tut’s tomb back in 1922. As an amateur Egyptologist, this exhibit was really fascinating.
Day Trips
Most people visit Oxford from London, but I went the other way around. I took several day trips to London during my summer in Oxford. A few times, I went sightseeing. I saw a few shows. Because I had already been to London on several separate occasions, I didn’t feel the need to cram in all the tourist stuff, and enjoyed simply exploring the streets at my own pace.
A few of the other day trips I took were to Blenheim Palace, Stratford Upon Avon, and Highclere Castle, plus multi-day trips to Bath and the Cotswolds. I think I might write separate blog posts about those places, so for now, I’ll just say that I really enjoyed spending a little more time in this part of England. When I studied abroad in Leeds, I did most of my sightseeing in the north of the country, so it was lovely to spend more time in this beautiful area.
Trying to sum up a whole summer in Oxford is tricky, and this post feels a little bit all over the place, but hey, it’s my blog. I get to write whatever I want. Needless to say, I loved studying in Oxford, and will cherish these memories forever.
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