Tag: Oxford University
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The London Underground | Holly Goes Abroad
Folks, I’m here to tell you that I have discovered my long-lost love: the London Underground. I had never used the tube until a few weeks ago when my friend and I made a spontaneous trip to London for the day (click here to see the resulting bookshop crawl) and now my life has changed.…
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Oxford Union | Holly Goes Abroad
Today I’d like to talk about a wonderful, fascinating, and controversial aspect of Oxford University: the Oxford Union. Founded in 1823, the Oxford Union is a hub for debate and speech both by students and guest speakers alike. Each week there are a plethora of events, from celebrity speakers and formal debates to pub quizzes…
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Burns Night (and Haggis?!) | Holly Goes Abroad
A few days ago I had the pleasure of celebrating an interesting and hilariously fun tradition: Burns night. This Scottish tradition is typically celebrated on January 25th in honor of Robert Burns (1759-96), who is considered the national poet of Scotland. There were bagpipes, several toasts, many lines of poetry read in thick Scottish accents, and…
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Looking Back on 2017
For the past few years I’ve made one of these posts reflecting on the concluding year. After reading what I wrote at the end of 2015 and 2016, it hit me just how much has happened in 2017. I got accepted to study abroad for an academic year at Oxford University. My friends and I…
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Thanksgiving in Oxford | Holly Goes Abroad
This past Thursday was my second favorite holiday (after Christmas, of course): Thanksgiving!! Every year since I can remember all of my family members have come over to my house for Thanksgiving dinner. Sitting crammed around our too-small dining room table is one of the few times each year when we’re all gathered together in…
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Formal Dinners | Holly Goes Abroad
One of the questions I get asked most about studying abroad is How is the food? Fortunately, food at Oxford is excellent! Today I’ll be talking about formal hall, a three-course meal in your college’s dining hall at which you have to wear your gowns (black cape things) and sometimes even gowns (long dresses). I’ve eaten at formal hall…
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British vs. American English | Holly Goes Abroad
When I first told my friends and family that I wanted to spend a year abroad in England, many of them tried to reassure me by saying, “Well, at least they don’t speak a different language!” Little did they know that sometimes it feels as though it actually is a different language. There is a surprising number…
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University Parks | Holly Goes Abroad
Recently my friends and I have discovered a hidden gem in Oxford: University Parks. This expanse of green grass, woodsy alcoves, and a meandering river is the perfect place for a study break in the midst of reading literary criticism and writing essays. The weather here has actually been surprisingly nice thus far, so we’ve…
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Freshers’ Week | Holly Goes Abroad
Freshers’ Week: that infamous transition period after everyone is on campus but term hasn’t yet officially begun. I had heard many things about it before coming here but I wasn’t sure which rumors had merit and which were false. Did people actually just go out and get drunk every night? (Yes.) Was that all there…
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LIBRARIES | Holly Goes Abroad
There are so many amazing things about Oxford that it’s incredibly difficult to choose just one favorite. However, if I had to pick a single thing that I absolutely adore about living here it would be the LIBRARIES. My bookish friends, I am in library paradise. There are still so many libraries that I have…
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