Hey! I’m Zaynab, a 2nd year law student at St. Hugh’s College. When people ask why I picked Hugh’s, my answer is probably a little unorthodox. I had never visited Oxford before applying (it is a wee bit far from my home in Glasgow) so I was at a loss when it came to choosing colleges. I did the only thing I decided was logical: googled all 45 colleges then narrowed it down to around 10 purely based on how pretty I thought they looked. My teacher then suggested St. Hugh’s as the Principal (Glaswegian-born) is a very accomplished constitutional lawyer. Funnily enough, Hugh’s was on my narrowed down college list, and thus distinguished itself from the other 9. I do not regret my choice at all; St Hugh’s has become my home away from home. If I had to pick another college to go to, it would be Worcester. It has beautiful gardens, brilliant sports facilities and is another large college.
There are a plethora of reasons to pick St. Hugh’s, many of which I had no clue about when I applied. First, it has the stunning gardens (possibly one of my favourite features): 14-acres of lawns (which anyone can enjoy – apparently you can’t walk on the grass at quite a few other colleges), flower beds and mini-woodlands. I have particularly appreciated the remarkable gardens during this past year; with so much going on in the world around us, living in such a serene setting has greatly contributed to my wellbeing.
Second, St Hugh’s is big. There are over 800 students at the college, and all 400 undergrads are guaranteed on-site accommodation for the duration of their degrees. This means socialising is super easy. Within my first term I got to know pretty much my entire year group as well as students in older years. The fact that most people live on site means the community is vibrant and welcoming. If you love socialising as much as I do, Hugh’s is a great place to quickly meet lots of people. If you are not a big socialiser, having a large cohort means you are more likely to find a group of friends you fit into, within your own college.
If you aren’t already convinced, our college has, not one, but two charming college cats: Professor Biscuit and Admiral Flapjack (would definitely check out the college Instagram pages for some wholesome cat content). Whether they are frolicking through the gardens, strutting down the corridors, or snuggled on your bed, they do spread a smile around. The college cats are another pretty unique feature of college which bring the community even closer together; everyone bonds over our beautiful cats, it’s kind of impossible not to.
St. Hugh’s is a less well-known college, at least relative to the likes of Christ Church. The first thing I normally get when I tell someone at another college that I go to Hugh’s is ‘isn’t that SO far?’. Definitely not. The distance of college is really exaggerated. I have never found college to be an arduous trek from anything. I actually enjoy the fifteen-minute walk to town which has proven to be a great time to make some friends! In addition, we are the closest college to the famous Port Meadow, a five-minute walk from the Oxford Canals, and under a ten-minute walk from the edgy Jericho district. For me, Hugh’s location is ideal; close enough to everything you need, but not too close that you feel suffocated by the tourists and busy-ness of the town centre.
Although I do love my college, if I could change one thing, it would be the lack of diversity. Oxford as a whole is not a figure for diversity, and college does fall beneath the university average in terms of both state school representation and BME proportion. Still, change, albeit slowly, is coming about and until then college and university societies are brilliant ways to connect with people from similar backgrounds to you.
Overall, the general vibe of college is friendly, relaxed and wholesome. You will be surrounded by warm faces who are always happy to chat. And that’s not just the students, but the friendly porters, lovely catering staff, and of course the college Principal. It is quite natural to feel intimidated by a place like Oxford, and I know the thought of ‘academics’ and ‘oxford-type’ students dauted me. Since I have come to Hugh’s I have never felt intimidated by anyone, despite coming from a pretty underrepresented background. And if there is one person who truly inspires the college community, it has to be Dame Elish Frances Angiolini (our principal). Definitely the most accomplished person I have met but also the most down-to-earth and caring. She hosts many events for students and will go out of her way to chat to you. I think that’s what you’ll find at our college: a lot of extremely interesting and talented, yet modest and charming people.