In the library all day…race back…eat dinner…quick change…off we go…!
Long days in the library meant a quick turnaround before a night out, so by the end of first term we had perfected picking our outfit, doing our hair and make-up and dashing out the door in half-an-hour flat.
So, though our Halloween costumes were never the most original, we still made it out… although not perhaps in the normal sense.
A rave? A club night? A party?
Nope, in my first year my Halloween pre-drinks took place at the college English Society (could my life get any more nerdy?)
Now, although this wasn’t perhaps the raucous occasion I had envisaged, it pretty much summed up Oxford’s eccentric ways. Five senior tutors greeted us in a beautiful historic room at the top of our college. The speaker for the evening had come to discuss her new poetry collection.
When a witch, a devil, a mime artist and a ghost walked through the door, she seemed a little bemused. Who knows why? The tutors barely batted an eyelid.
After listening to the talk, we raced to the college bar before heading to one of the uni club nights. I don’t remember much about that part of the evening but the fancy dress drinks reception will always stick in my mind, for it was just so Oxford.
Where else could you mingle with academic experts dressed as a ghost?
Top Tips
If you’re planning on applying to Oxford, be prepared for bizarre evenings such as these. Whilst they may sound slightly bonkers, it is these experiences which make Oxford, well Oxford!
The tutors aren’t just academics you see across a lecture hall, you will get to know them pretty well and they will get to know you. Socials with the tutors are common, with dinners, drinks receptions and subject society events taking place each term.
Be yourself – this post surely shows that the great thing about Oxford is you don’t have to conform; the eclectic mix of people is one of its many attractions.