Student experience 2022 video transcript

[Music]

Rachel - Mathematics student:
I was very nervous before coming because naturally you don't really know what to expect from university and I found within like the first day just getting here, you just meet so many people who are really interesting - also equally nervous.

Julia - History and Politics student:
I think it's normal to feel nervous and have a sense of fear of how big this institution is. I think the college system really helps to bring a little bit of a microcosm of you know university life so you have the same experiences as you know some of your friends going to other universities: you're living with different people, you're meeting new friends constantly.

Bradley - History student:
I think you just got to throw yourself in and I think that's what would be true of not just Oxford but university life as a whole. You've got to just kind of throw yourself into whatever you're doing no matter what uni you're going to. There'll always be concerns that you're not going to fit in.

When I met you, you were in the same boat - you were you were just like 'I don't know anyone, oh my god what do I do?' I met you and we didn't know anyone at all and we became friends.

Madeline - French and German student:
Actually when I came here I was completely pleasantly surprised by how easy it was to meet people and I think that was partially because when I first got here it was um a couple weeks before the term actually began and there was a whole series of events that the MCR put on that really allowed me to meet people really quickly and I met people in my hall, I met people by coming to  meals and going to the events, and they remain like my closest friends here so right away there was that sense of community.

Milind - Biochemistry student:
It's a common misconception that Oxford's only for kind of posh people or the elite, but it's definitely not the case you know even if it's just walking around college or walking around Oxford it's such a diverse city nowadays and they're people from all types of backgrounds.

Julia:
One of my highlights has been you know going to a lot of the societies centred around like different cultures. I go to Polish Society, I go you know to German Society um there are also events I think there's like a Northern Society as well.

Kirsten - German student:
I gave the chapel choir a go in first year, I go rowing a go which I had absolutely no idea about before ever coming to university. I've done things outside of college as well so -

Bradley:
I also gave rowing a go.

Conrad - PPE student:
I've never surfed in my life - nor do I to be honest ever plan to - but I've been to all the surf socials because everyone's so sort of welcoming and inviting and it's so so easy to just find your own.

Bryan - Chemistry student:
There are a lot of people here which means you will somehow definitely find someone who likes the same thing as you. For example I really like a board game that was really really frequently played in China which is called Mahjong and I have been able to find a few people that are quite interested as in that as well so we play that uh quite often.

Conrad:
A lot of the access stuff I've done in particular working in east London, where I'm from. People will say to me stuff like 'what about people who look like me, people who listen to the same music I do?' and I'm telling you personally I'm massively involved in the African Caribbean Society. For that reason I've also got some my absolute closest friends here who also share my interest in for example going to the [Oxford] Union seeing speakers or just being out on the lawns - I've tried croquet for the first time. It's honestly - I would never worry about finding people who share the same interests or background as you as long as you make the effort it is literally within like a seven minute walk pretty much anything you could think of.