If there ever was one universal definition of the ‘student experience’, or even the ‘Oxford experience’, you can’t get away from the fact that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic has damaged such a lifestyle.
That being said, the University do a lot to keep some semblance of it alive – many libraries in Oxford are still open to go and study in, for example. In the first term, I managed to get down to the Radcliffe Camera for a study session – and it’s something I wholeheartedly recommend.
Even though the pandemic has laid waste to pubbing and clubbing, to other Oxford traditions like many aspects of the matriculation ceremony, there are still so many ways to escape the intense workload of your degree and have a good time down in Oxford.
In my first term, the one thing I could always lean back on was simply going out for a walk, and that hasn’t changed at any point since the pandemic. Since the first lockdown back in March 2020, I decided to start walking, once a day at first in compliance with the rules before going on two or three daily at times, something I maintain to this day. Something about putting your earphones in, getting some fresh air in your lungs, and allowing your mind to wander away from your social stresses or your work stresses is intensely therapeutic. I recommend the Uni Parks, an entrance for which is a mere five-minute walk from Catz, and also Christ Church Meadow as good walking spots.
But one of the most appealing parts of coming to university is the social side – going from a home, family environment into a flat of people your age from across the country and world that you’ve never met before. You’re put into that pressure environment, by design, and you naturally socialise. I’ve never been a social guy, at all, I was always quiet, anxious, and often looked for any excuse I could to evade any social situations – aspects of my mental health I contend with to this day. And yet, I’ve found that going to university and being in a flat and having a totally different, larger friend group has forced me to confront those deep-hidden fears and become a much more sociable guy. Most importantly, no single aspect of this household experience has been damaged by the pandemic. If you fancy a cup of tea and a chat, or if someone’s cooking, COVID doesn’t come into the equation.
Even in terms of the nightlife, I still found ways to have a fantastic term, despite four weeks of it being spent in the short November lockdown, and with the pandemic ongoing throughout. The household is so important with this – COVID has no impact on what socialising you can do within your household with other members of your household. Sure, hitting the pubs and the clubs with them would be amazing, but you can make nights in just as memorable, and you can have classic university experiences with them the same way you would normally.
Of course, the COVID pandemic in relation to uni life is a massive obstacle, and a point of massive frustration for any student, myself included. I rue the fact that a significant portion of my first year has been effectively wiped away by the pandemic. Despite this, the times that I have had in Oxford still remain the best times of my life. I met unforgettable people, had unforgettable experiences both socially and academically, all in the midst of the ongoing battle against the pandemic. If I can do it, anyone can; there is still a student lifestyle out there, waiting for you to live it.
-Dom Phillips, 1st Year History and Politics, St Catherine’s College, University of Oxford