OK, so I realise so far I might have painted quite a bleak
picture of Oxford life. Forgive me, but I like to be real about things. I could
have told you what you might want me to hear, speaking as an alumna of what has
just been voted as the best university in the world.
As I’ve
stated before, I am not by any means saying that Oxford was all bad. I’m simply
being honest about my impressions and feelings about being part of its
community for 4 years.
There
is no doubt that some of my fondest memories were fashioned in Oxford. I made some
of the greatest friends ever in that place, many of whom I’m sure I will be
friends with for life.
COLLEGE LIFE
The college communities of Oxford
make it possible to get to know people on a much deeper level than you may get
at other universities. Composed of over thirty colleges, Oxford allows each
student access to a close-knit community of fellow students of many different
subject ranges. I’ve spoken to some of my friends at other universities about
this and they say that most of their friends are on their course, because they
don’t really come into contact with those studying other subjects.
Somerville
was my college, and I am glad it was. It is one of the more inclusive colleges
in Oxford. I never felt out of place at my college; I felt welcome. Not so at
some other Oxford colleges, for example Christ Church. As well as originally
being a women’s college, Somerville was committed to levelling the playing
field in other arenas.
Even
though Somerville isn’t one of the richer colleges, … OK, hold up, I’m going to
have explain this. Yes, Oxford University is one institution. Yet each college
is different in its own way. As well as differing in the times that they were
founded, having different principals presiding over them, separate
accommodation and separate choirs and sports teams, Oxford colleges can also
vary drastically in how much money
they possess. My college is in fact owned by St. John’s College, a much larger
and you guessed it, much richer
college five minutes up the road.
It’s no
surprise that a college rich enough to buy another college’s land is going to
have much more to offer its students. My friends at John’s could get up to £500
worth to spend on “academic-related” products. So you could get a tablet for
free. Not so at Somerville!
A
student’s financial expenditure could also vary drastically depending on which
college they attended. Thankfully, my college was very good at subsidising
things like meals, so although we had to put down a mandatory deposit towards
catered meals at the beginning of each term, we didn’t have to pay more than
£75/80 each term, and if we did not use up all the money allocated, we could
get our money back at the end. That wasn’t so for my friends at Pembroke, who
have to pay for “formal” meals every week, regardless of whether or not they go
to them. And they don’t get their money back. Plus, their food isn’t even
particularly good.
I’ve
never understood why, although attending the same university, a student’s
experience should differ so enormously from college to college. I don’t think
it’s fair, and many would agree.
However,
the collegiate system itself does work quite well in practice. Somerville was
in many ways like an extended family, where every time you walked across the
quad (big grassy lawn found in every Oxford college) [Oh and yes at Somerville
you can walk on the grass – a privilege you don’t get at some other colleges!
Proof that we’re less stuffy.] you would bump into someone you knew and have a
five-minute chat. Through living together, sharing kitchens and just everyday
college life, you got to know people really well – whether they were in the
same year as you or not. I liked that.
 |
| The entrance from my college, Somerville. (That was my brother's hand, LOL.) |
BUSTLING SCENE
Oxford is not a boring place. There is
ALWAYS something happening in Oxford. Whether it’s a big shot coming down to
the Union, or a big sports event between Oxford and Cambridge, or the big
Christian Union-organised annual carol services, there’s something for
everyone. There are new societies set up pretty much every term.
In my time in Oxford I got involved in as much as I possibly
could.
I was a
member of my college choir; my college Christian Union and the university-wide
Christian Union played a big part in my student life; I loved my church; I
joined the athletics club; was part of the ACS (African and Caribbean Society)
– admittedly more in my second year than any other year; I’ve already mentioned
the Oxford Union; was heavily involved with Oxford Students for Life, the
university’s pro-life society; was part of Rhodes Must Fall; was part of
Somerville Music Society; Somerville Writing Group; the university’s Alliance
Française;
a gender equality group set up at college known as the 1920s Society; and even
performed in a little play during the Cuppers competition led by the Dramatic
Union in my first year!
If
anything, the problem was that there was TOO much to do. For someone with as
many interests as me, the hard thing was admitting to myself that I couldn’t do
everything. To this end, I did have
to let some things go, but in my second year I got to have the most fun –
because I had NO exams! I’m glad I got a year off exams so that I could fully
enjoy university life without quite as much stress, but in retrospect, having
survived finals, I wouldn’t have minded if they had been split over a couple of
years instead of being spread out over a few weeks!
INTELLECTUAL DEBATE
A lot of people that have
left Oxford talk about how they miss the intellectual debate that is part of
daily life there. It’s only been a few months for me so I haven’t felt it yet;
besides I seem to end up having deep conversations with people wherever I go!
But
that was another of the things I liked about Oxford. Unlike some groups of
people I’ve been with, where the conversation can go on for 10 minutes about
what kind of foundation or nail varnish is best – boring and completely
irrelevant for someone who doesn’t wear make-up! – in Oxford, our conversations
would often centre on ideological viewpoints, like the key issues behind
politics and faith. Conversations were never boring.
They
could get quite heated, though. See, the thing about Oxford is, a big part of
the reason people got there is that they can express their views confidently.
That sadly leads to a sense of entitlement and arrogance about some people when
they speak. Some people want to have a discussion with you where you exchange
views and listen to one another’s points of view. Others just want to shout you
down without giving ear to your opinions. That did get on my nerves.
One of
the things my friends and family told me before I went to Oxford was, “Make
sure you don’t turn into one of those arrogant snobs!” And I pray to God I
didn’t. I actually think I would cry if someone told me that post-Oxford I have
turned into an arrogant snob. Because arrogance is one of those character
traits I can’t stand, and I’d hate it if that became part of who I am.
CENSORSHIP
Now,
I’m far from your typical Oxonian. As I said before, I’m a black, female,
Mancunian, Christian Oxonian. Proud of each of those adjectives, but probably
none more so than that last one. Christian. I didn’t choose to be born black,
be born a girl, be born in Manchester, but I did choose to become a Christian.
Each forms an important part of my identity, but my faith is the one that
shapes me the most.
And in
Oxford I regularly felt as though I was under attack because of my faith.
This
isn’t a pity party: I’m not new to this. Christians are supposed to be
persecuted; it comes as part of the package.
I get
that some people don’t believe in God. I get that some people think “organised
religion” (even though that’s not what Christianity is to me) is stupid. I came
to realise that the most widespread worldview in Oxford was liberal atheism. But
I don’t get how placing views that are anti-religion and anti-Christianity on a
pedestal is fair.
And I
saw that happening time and again in Oxford.
I
simply gave up on OUSU, Oxford University Student Union: aka the organisation
which every student contributes to and which holds itself to representing the
entire 22,000 student body – because I felt entirely unrepresented by it.
Yes, as
a Christian there are certain things I believe that go against the grain of
wider society. I believe in the Bible, a book which hasn’t changed even though
society has.
One of
the things that I believe which is shaped by my faith is that life begins at
conception. I am pro-life. (I'm pro-life and I don't see why that's a problem.)
So are
a lot of other people, and not all of them are Christians or follow any faith
at all.
OUSU
didn’t care about them. Debates on pro-life matters were regularly shut down in
Oxford. One was with the claim that a debate over whether abortion culture was
harmful to wider society would pose “security concerns, both physical and
mental” to students. Twice I went to OUSU Council meetings where the opinions
of pro-life people like myself were completely discounted. Although the student
union claims to represent the entire student body, it already has a “pro-choice”
policy. That means from the offset they are biased towards those that are in
favour of abortions, and against those who are not. I don’t really see how they
can in so doing, represent the entire student body.
At the first [of these OUSU
Council meetings], there was a proposition on whether or not OUSU should donate
£200 (which, by the way, is about a quarter of OUSU's annual budget) to finance an
abortion campaign. I spoke quite impassionedly against the motion, and there
were quite a few people out there on the same side as me. But of course the
motion passed. After all, this is a student body that is already committed to
donating £50 to Abortion Rights each year.
Again, two weeks before I was due
to leave Oxford, a motion was discussed calling for the pro-life charity, LIFE,
which supports women through pregnancies and helps terminally-ill patients
across the country, to be banned on
university grounds. Come on now, this is not an ISIS-supporting network, it is
a charity that does a lot of good across the nation. But it was being touted as
though it were an extremist breeding ground. One girl said that the claim that
abortion is linked to post-traumatic stress, depression and ill health is
COMPLETELY UNFOUNDED and that LIFE was making it all up.
I got fed up. I got annoyed. I
got frustrated. And then finally I figured, I’m
leaving this place in 2 weeks anyway, I don’t have to deal with this rubbish
anymore. And I walked out of the meeting.
 |
| Never have to deal with OUSU again. |
That was after 4 years of it.
Four years of having my beliefs constantly rubbished and hounded. Sure, I can
walk out because I’m done with Oxford now, but my heart is not happy thinking
of all the other Christians or people who have similar belief systems as me
being hounded and silenced across the university simply because the way we see
the world doesn’t fit the way they WANT us to see it.
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