Oxford!

Colleges and Universities A-Z Smith College
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<p>OK, everybody, the gag is finally off and I can tell everyone that our daughter is going to Oxford to study English and history next spring! I am so excited for the opportunity for her. When she applied, she selected English classes with corresponding historical periods and I think they must have liked the complementary class arrangement. And I think her two years of STRIDE work in the Sophia Smith Archives also helped significantly. So those of you interested in applying to Oxford for study abroad, keep that in mind.</p>

<p>Well, I think a trip for us to England next spring is in order. :D</p>

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<p>WOW, congratulations to your D! And so wonderful to see a parent so delighted at her D’s progress!</p>

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<p>That’s so wonderful for your daughter! I’ve long wanted to study at Oxford myself, though I think my GPA will keep me from doing so. :frowning: I hope she truly enjoys it and that you do get that trip to England! </p>

<p>Congratulations to her!</p>

4

<p>Oxford grad here. Long time ago of course, though I still follow things there. Feel free to PM me with questions. </p>

<p>Congrats!</p>

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<p>Oh, HUZZAH!</p>

<p>You know, don’t you, that you’ll <em>have</em> to visit.</p>

6

<p>Oh, absolutely, TD! Apparently there is a five to six week break between trimesters in the spring. Perfect time to visit! She’ll be at St. Edmund Hall, one of the smaller colleges, about 400 students; she had liked the sound of its intimacy and informality.</p>

7

<p>The three best things about Teddy Hall are its location, location, and location! (It’s the center of everything!)</p>

<p>The next best thing is Terry Jones.</p>

8

<p>Gosh, I’m completely jealous. Has she read the Dorothy Sayers mysteries? <em>Gaudy Night</em>, I’m thinking of–outdated, but still fun. Or <em>To Say Nothing of the Dog</em> (for which she must read Jerome K. Jerome’s <em>Three Men in a Boat</em> first, but she should read it anyway). </p>

<p>I hope she enjoys herself, and you, too.</p>

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<p>I just love Oxford! I’m not familiar with St. Edmund Hall, but Oxford (the town, the colleges) is a wonderful, relatively small place that teems with history and students.</p>

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<p>Congratulations to your daughter! </p>

<p>I am so envious of the opportunities our D’s have through Smith. My D is off to Cordoba, Spain next spring. We’re tucking our pennies away so we can visit her. I’m living vicariously through her as she starts dreaming about plans for her breaks during her semester abroad and where she will travel after she is done.</p>

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<p>Mini, thanks for the offer to PM you; I will when the right question arises. I knew that Terry Jones is an alum which suited me just fine as I adore all things Python-ish.</p>

<p>MarySidney, no, I don’t think my daughter’s read any Dorothy Sayers (yet!) as mysteries are not her favorite genre (same here), but I’ll bet she will digest some this summer. I remember that PBS had a wonderful series many years ago and I loved Lord Peter Wimsey.</p>

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<p>Congratulations to you and your daughter! That is exciting news!</p>

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<p>Dorothy Sayers is the perfect mystery/crime writer for an English major who doesn’t otherwise like the genre.</p>

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<p>@NorthernWoods: What will your daughter be studying in Spain?</p>

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<p>My advice to anyone who is going to study in England, read Bill Bryson’s Notes on a Small Island prior to departure. It will give you a good window into British culture which is very different from that of the US.</p>

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<p>In a fit of synchronicity, we happen to be watching the BBC Peter Wimseys on DVD right now. STRONG POISON over two nights, HAVE HIS CARCASE last night and tonight, GAUDY NIGHT (which I liked very much from what I remember of it) whenever in the next week or so.</p>

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<p>S&P, thanks for the book recommendation; we’ll check it out. TD, I have to assume the BBC versions were what we saw years ago on PBS and they were utterly delicious. Enjoy!</p>

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<p>Studying abroad at Oxford has been a huge dream of mine for a long time. If you don’t mind may I pm you with some questions?</p>

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<p>Of course! I’m not sure if I’ll be able to answer them, but I can try. :)</p>

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<p>It is generally, but probably incorrectly, assumed that there are many differences between the US and the UK, but I don’t think that the British culture is that different from the US. I mean, of course, there are tons of differences indeed, but there’s no culture shock, although it obviously heavily depends on which part of the states are you coming from. I am of Nordic European background, and when I moved to the UK, there was no culture shock for me; many things work differently compared to my country, but with a few exceptions, there are no frustrating stuff. It can be taken for certain that many of you would say that yes, the whole European culture have certain similarities, even if you move to an other country, but for me, there was also no culture shock when I spend a lot of time in the states. In fact I fell in love with the US, and felt absolutely comfortable there from the first time I arrived. Therefore even if there are many cultural differences between the US and the UK, or the rest of the EU countries, but their culture is still incredibly close. Which is of course no surprise :)</p>

<p>Anyway, congrats to your D! Teddy Hall is a nice old college :)</p>