Oriel College Alternative Prospectus

Six Reasons Why We

Love Oriel...

LocationOriel first caught my interest because it’s right on the High Street: everything is within a few minutes of you. And yet despite its central location, it still has a sense of isolation – tourists aren’t constantly thronging on your doorstep. Now that I’m at Oriel, I see that we have a great general atmosphere too: everyone feels at home. ∆ Mike

3

AccommodationOriel guarantees accommodation for the duration of your course – no need to worry about the costs associated with trying to find a privately rented house.

∆ Mike

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FriendlyI love the atmosphere here at Oriel. I

really like having so many familiar faces around and people to just stop and chat to

when you’re around college. We’ve got communal spaces like the bar and the

JCR where you can see people as well.

∆ Freya

5

SizeOriel is a great college if you want to get to know as many people as possible. With only 90 in a year it didn’t take me long to get to know everyone. Of course there are natural friendship groups that form but everyone is constantly mixing thanks to the many different subject, sporting, and musical groups! I was always a bit apprehensive about everyone being rich geniuses in Oxford, but everyone has their own personality, from all ends of the spectrum. One thing we are united in though is our love for the Oriel; I’ve found the only rivalry we have is with other colleges!

∆Gillian

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2Tutors

The tutors thoroughly enjoy sharing their expertise and love of the subject with you.

They give you so much individual attention and ensure your understanding and opinions

are heard and nurtured.

∆ Rachel

4AffordableOriel’s affordable! Our meal and rent costs are some of the lowest in Oxford, the College provides generous travel grants, and hardship funds are available.

∆ Emma

We’ve come from a wide variety of backgrounds, places and schools to study at Oriel. But we have two things in common:

We love Oriel, it’s our home. We’re sure you’ll love it too.

Best of luck with your university applications!

Rufus Stirling, English; William Foster, Music; Christy Callaway-Gale, Spanish and Linguistics; Emma Williams, Law; Gillian McCloy, Physics; David Kelly, Chemistry; Imogen Duffy, Biochemistry;

Kit Owens, History; Rachel Evans, Philosophy and Theology; Melissa Barber, Engineering; Mike Whitehorn, Maths; Keith Chan, Law; Freya Walker, PPE.

Other who contributed include: Mia Smith, Classics; George Graves, History and Economics; Amy Lineham, Medicine;

Charlotte Smyth, Computer Science and Rosie Marshall, Biomedical Sciences.

We Created T he Oriel College Alternative Prospectus For You!

A demonstrated passion for

learning and a love for Oriel.

SportOriel has a wide range of sports teams which are very sociable. Many people in College play numerous sports – I myself play rugby and do athletics. We also have a very successful netball team (top of div 1) and boatclub (men Head of the River). Other sports on offer here also include hockey, football, tennis, squash, rounders, cricket, croquet and many more. There are uni-wide competitions in almost every sport, so you’re sure to find one for you.

There’s plenty of sports funding at Oriel, as the College understands that exercise can help to clear the head after a particularly tough week! As for facilities, we have FREE gyms on site, a boathouse, and a main sports ground within walking distance of the College (with a rugby pitch, a football pitch, an open grass area, and a clubhouse).

∆David

FacilitiesThe highlight of the facilities for the Oriel undergrads is

definitely the tuck shop – without a doubt the key to getting you through an essay crisis. The affordable college bar is

also very well equipped with pool table, speakers and quiz machines, as well as a television for watching all the main

sports fixtures. We have our very own college drink sold in the bar- the Glennieses- undoubtedly the best beverage in

Oxford. The bar and JCR are frequently equipped with more fun things such as game consoles as any JCR member is

welcome to suggest new ideas to improve these social spaces.

∆Imogen

Dinner & Formal HallOne of the quirks of Oxford is the distinction between ‘informal’ and ‘formal’ hall. This is actually pretty straightforward. ‘Informal’ is a casual evening dinner.

The centrepiece of Oriel dining is formal hall. Oriel is almost unique in maintaining this quintessentially Oxford tradition; we hold it six nights a week. It’s a three course meal where students wear gowns and suits. It’s hard not to enjoy - the Queen’s even attended! It’s also only £5.15 so is fantastic value for money.

∆Henry

WelfareOriel has a highly extensive welfare team to support you, including a trained team of students called peer supporters. They are here to talk to students about anything - whether you want some support or even just a cup of tea! Our male and female welfare reps also run weekly events in College, like film nights or welfare food. Second week of the second term (called Hilary Term) is ‘Wellness Week’ – a week of welfare related events including massages, meditation and mindfulness sessions!

Other than the students, there are also three members of staff on the welfare team. While they are in charge of discipline and welfare, they always put students’ welfare first. Oriel is also one of the colleges that employs a Welfare Officer whose job is purely to look after students. We are really committed to keeping our students healthy, happy and supported within our community.

∆Melissa

LifeAt Oriel

MusicOriel has a thriving music scene. A student-run college music

society supervises a lot of Oriel music making, and has recently organised events ranging from open mic nights and jazz nights in

the bar to full-blown concerts which provide a platform for instrumentalists and singers alike to perform to their peers. For

those who fancy singing in a more relaxed atmosphere, an Oriel a cappella group called ‘Acapporiel’ was recently established, and is

proving particularly popular.

See www.oums.org for a good overview of the ensembles at Oxford - but it’s still under representative of the huge range of performing

opportunities here. Musically speaking, Oxford has EVERYTHING.

∆Will

AccommodationI’ve definitely had the extremes of accommodation here,

going from apparently ‘the worst staircase in College’ to an amazing A* flat. My room in first year, despite being one of the oldest and cheapest rooms, was still far better than any

of my friends’ rooms at other universities. The size of the room was enormous compared to typical student rooms,

and the social aspect of living on one of the older staircases with a shared bathroom was one of the best parts.

This year I share a flat with one other student and it’s amazing, with a pretty much brand new kitchen complete

with oven and microwave and a sizeable living room.

∆Rosie

Freshers’ WeekIt was extremely easy to settle into Oriel, everybody is really friendly. The College family system at Oriel

is amazing! I was assigned ‘college parents’ (two students in the year above) and siblings (others in my

year). They contacted me before I came to Oriel, which was reassuring and made me excited for

Freshers’ Week. I can’t wait to be a parent myself!

The nightlife exceeded expectations with events such as a paint party, pub-crawl, UV rave (lol) and of course the College bop followed by tea and toast in the JCR!

∆George

LGBT QOriel is a very welcoming place to be LGBTQ. Everyone is very accepting and the College annually flies the Pride flag as a symbol of our commitment to diversity and equality.

The LGBTQ scene at Oxford has an incredibly lively and active nightlife. We also benefit from a LGBTQ scene with a richness and variety you may not find elsewhere. There are reading circles, campaign groups and the LGBTQ society is having a real push to add new and exciting events to their schedule to cater to all needs and tastes within the community.

∆Kit

FoodOne of the many great things about Oriel is the range of dining and eating options. Almost all freshers live in the

recently revamped Rhodes Building which boasts fantastic kitchens for self-catering. But the beating heart of culinary

life at Oriel is the Hall. This is where breakfast, brunch, lunch, informal and formal hall are served. Breakfast runs

from 8-9am and there’s a choice of continental and full English. Pricing varies depending on what you go for but

shouldn’t come to above £2.90.

Lunch is a more social meal and is always buzzing. Here there a great range of choice from salads to hot dishes. Needless to say vegetarian options are in abundance.

Again pricing varies depending on how much you eat but the average spend is about £3.50. Brunch, which happens on a Sunday, is one of the most popular meals of the week

and the range of options is overwhelming!

∆Henry

InternationalI’m originally from Hong Kong and have found Oriel very

welcoming. I was feeling a bit apprehensive when I first arrived, but I needn’t have worried as there’s a great support

team. The JCR’s International Rep organises a variety of induction events in Freshers’ Week (for something as simple

as setting up a bank account!).

Oxford also counts among its student societies every national/regional society and club that you could possibly

think of. I myself am a committee member in the Oxford University Hong Kong Society, and we organise a variety of

events/gatherings over the course of a year.

∆Keith

FaithOxford and Oriel are very supportive of all beliefs and faiths. The College is very accommodating for different beliefs and will happily adjust to any dietary need associated with your belief or faith. Although there are plenty of opportunities to drink alcohol, it is never forced on you. The College Chaplain is very lovely and makes an effort to get to know everyone. He is always eager for a chat, regardless of your faith.

I found out about the Christian Union during Freshers’ Week when I was invited to a Bible study in College once a week. I felt very welcomed and have made a lot of friends through the CU.

∆Gillian

DramaHaving done very little/basically no drama before, it was

something I was a little apprehensive about getting involved with at Oxford. The best place to start was the intercollegiate ‘Drama Cuppers’ competition which takes place in 5th week

of first term and is open to freshers only. Groups of ten are asked to devise 30-minute-long-pieces (new writing and

adaptations welcome!) and are given a slot to perform them at the BT Studio, a 50 seat venue.

It was really good fun and definitely made me feel more confident about auditioning for shows, slots for which are found in a weekly newsletter from the Oxford University

Dramatics Society (OUDS). The newsletter includes all the information you could want about up-and-coming shows,

and openings in their technical teams and casts.

∆Mia

Social LifeIn short, it’s great. There’s a variety of events on per term, from film nights to open mic shows and pub quizzes. Each term we have three ‘Bops’, which is Oxford lingo for ‘college fancy dress party’, and everyone gets involved, most putting a lot of effort into their costumes. They are hosted in the bar and feature lots of cheesy music, a great way to unwind after a long week of lectures and tutorials!

We also have our fair share of seasonal events, with a whole host of festive events around Christmas time, the famous TOPE (The Oriel Pancake Event), and possibly THE highlight of the social calendar, the Summer Garden Party - absolutely free for all Oriel students.

∆Mia

JCRThe Junior Common Room (JCR for short) is basically the student union for all undergraduates in the College, all 300 of us! All colleges have one and they all also have a committee that runs the JCR. The JCR Committee exists to put on events and generally find new ways to spend the money given to us by the College, whilst also having the more serious role of acting as the representatives of students to senior Oriel figures like the Provost (who runs the whole college).

Oriel’s JCR is really integrated and friendly, making it a very relaxed environment in which to work and live.

∆Kit

Nightlife There is a great selection of pubs in Oxford, all about the same price, packed with history. A personal favourite is the Turf, as it normally has somewhere to sit (unlike some of the other tiny higgledy piggledy rooms that parade as pubs), and serves some good ciders. For those looking for cheaper options, college bars are a great alternative.

In Oxford’s nightclubs, even if you lose your friends, you'll always run into people you know and so you always have a fun night. There tends to be something for everyone, from live music nights to chart music to really awful cheesy songs.

∆Charlotte

LibraryOne thing Oxford is not short of is libraries! The Oriel

library is in the centre of the College and is a really useful facility. It’s very well stocked with books,

containing nearly all core texts for your course. The College library also provides a good place to work with

plenty of desks. A surprisingly useful feature of the Oriel Library is that it’s open 24 hours a day!

I usually find I’m more productive working in a library but they also have nice other features to distract you with – most faculty libraries have cafés. The faculty

libraries are also some of the prettiest buildings in Oxford – the Radcliffe Camera is one of the most

iconic buildings and historians are lucky enough to have it as their faculty library. But, because they’re open

to everyone we can use it too.

∆Freya

CareersOxford’s Careers Service is a very valuable resource. It’s annual

internship programme (where you can apply for internships open to just Oxford students) provides a great place to experience careers you

may not have considered before - how does two months at a publishing house in Vancouver sound?

As well as providing a range of advice, the careers service also does a lot to help boost your skills, most prominently the ‘Student Consultancy’,

a scheme that allows you to work in a small team with a firm or organisation that wants your help to solve an actual issue they are

experiencing.

∆Kit

CityThe city of Oxford is really beautiful. There’s nothing quite like walking to lectures past the Rad Cam or eating your breakfast in a hall that’s like something out of Harry Potter! In the summer what more could you want than a nice relaxing punting trip (kind of like an Oxford gondola)! I run, so it’s great to have Uni Parks and Christ Church Meadows right on your doorstep!

Oxford has the shopping, restaurants and nightlife of a city and still manages to keep the safe and welcoming atmosphere of a town. With everything a 2-minute walk from Oriel, you can always find whatever you need!

∆Melissa

Please visit Oriel’s JCR website

www.orieljcr.orgfor more information about the College,

life at Oriel, and applying to Oxford.

Visit us Anytime!Oriel College, Oxford, OX1 4EW

www.oriel.ox.ac.uk – www.orieljcr.orgadmissions@oriel.ox.ac.uk – outreach@oriel.ox.ac.uk

What Oriel really encapsulates for me is 'community'.

“All students, no matter what year they are in, treat you as their equal and are

more than willing to help with anything. Oriel’s tutors thoroughly enjoy sharing their expertise and love of the subject

with you. They give you so much individual attention and ensure your

understanding and opinions are heard and nurtured.”

Rachel EvansFirst Year, Philosophy and Theology,

Bassaleg School, Newport, Wales

When I came to Oxford, I never realised how

comfortable I would feel in my college.

“Oriel has truly become my second home, and that’s all down to the great community we have here. From my first day, everyone

has been so warm and friendly, I think you’d struggle to find another college

with such a close undergraduate body!”

Kit OwensSecond Year, History,

George Spencer Academy, Derby

A worry for me was being away from home for the first time, but I have not thought about this once since arriving as a fresher.

“Everyone is so friendly and inclusive, it made me feel like I belonged from the start. I made friends instantly, from all

different backgrounds and with so many different experiences.I honestly feel like Oriel is a place that creates lifelong

friendships. Oriel is a very special family, and one which I feel greatly privileged to be a part of.”

Emma WilliamsSecond Year, Law,

Altrincham Girls Grammar School, Altrincham , Greater Manchester