Student review [#37743] for Computer Science
at University of Oxford

While I really think the nightlife would have been much better at some of my other college choices, there are definitely a few decent nights a week that make the experience worthwhile. The O2 Academy has decent artists and DJs and tickets are cheap – although I found you should definitely plan to hail a cab as you get used to walking or cycling all over Oxford. It’s really nice not having to worry about a taxi after a night out as Oxford is generally quite safe to walk around at night. The housing system is a bit different here, and sometimes I think an apartment would have made planning a lot easier, but you’re definitely closer to college than a bigger university, so it’s still there. The quality of accommodation no doubt varies, and allocation systems also vary – luckily at my college, St. John’s, room prices only vary by a few hundred and all freshman rooms are pretty good market (around 3,000 per year). Other colleges use a grading system, but a new student shouldn’t expect to choose a specific room type. It is expensive and the food in Hall varies from university to university. At St John’s College I cook for myself because the portions aren’t great. In terms of working pressure, it’s always heavy and the support you get varies. Personally, I do history and economics like an honors degree, and economics lessons are mostly posted on the learning portal, while history lessons are disjointed, perhaps a little irrelevant and not well supported online. You are kept up to date with job openings but are largely responsible for them yourself, but the Freshman Fair provided a good opportunity to register with Internship Services. The assumption that Oxford graduates have it easy leaves institutions here a bit too relaxed, so career opportunities are hardly offered by the university itself.