Societies

Skating, baking or candle-stick making, I can assure you that at university you will find something for you! The huge variety of societies, sport clubs, and various activities that are always around in Oxford mean that, when you do get a break from work, you will never get bored. For all my introverts out there, making friendships can be a daunting task, but that is why societies make it so much easier to bond over similar interests. Alternatively, befriend an extrovert - they tend to know what they’re doing.

It’s good to remember that, whilst it’s fun to find things to do that you already love, that shouldn’t stop you from trying out new stuff. Freshers’ week will be filled with lots of fun socials, and it is a great opportunity not only to meet new people but to try out new stuff. You might discover a new and improved side to yourself that you were missing out on, but remember to stay true to yourself at the same time. University life should be a fun experience, and everyone has a different definition of ‘fun’, so trust your gut to find the right people and the right hobbies!

student JournalIsm - Lucy Heywood

If you’re interested in journalism, Oxford is a great place to get started. Personally, we recommend The Oxford Blue (although of course, Cherwell and The Oxford Student also run very respectable papers). We have a great reputation as a training paper, offering workshops, talks with leading journalists, and other, more social events. Commissions are posted on a weekly basis on our Facebook Writers Groups on a variety of topics, from Lifestyle to Global Affairs, and we welcome articles about pretty much anything. The Blue is also a fantastic place for budding creatives; we have lots of photographers and illustrators, some of whom helped to put this guide together! 51

Whether you’re an experienced athlete going for a Blue, a passionate amateur, or simply want a way to get in some exercise in an enjoyable and social way, Oxford offers a very wide spectrum for different abilities and levels of commitment.

For those who are experienced within their given sport, representing your University may be something you’ve always aimed for. In that case, it’s really just a matter of figuring out what team you can make, and whether you might have a shot at achieving the notorious ‘Blue’. One obtains a Blue performing exceptionally at the given sport. In solo sports, such as tennis, there are usually only a given number of people each year who can achieve a Blue - which is designated based on seeding. For team sports, on the other hand, one would usually obtain a Blue by competing either at Varsity (the annual Oxford versus Cambridge match) or BUCS (the inter-university national competition).

One mistake that students often make, however, is to assume that University sport is inaccessible to those not at the very top level.

This is in fact untrue: the beauty of University sport is that, given the number of teams and different levels of commitment, one can quite easily enjoy playing at a decent level without having a Blue at the back of your mind at all. For example, there is a social tennis team, a rowing development team (comprised often of those who have not rowed before university), and a non-selective Cross-Country and Athletics squad - to name just a few. Moreover, there are plenty of really niche sports that you may never have heard of. So if you’re really keen on getting a Blue or Half Blue, you can always aim for a less well-known sport and dedicate your time to that.

So it’s best not to think of there being a binary divide between University and College sport in terms of ability: in reality it’s much more of a gradient.

One of the most special things about college is that it offers a way of doing sport - and other societies - in a lower-key way. Each year, a tournament called ‘Cuppers’ takes place for each college sport: where college teams play each other.

College sport is a great way of meeting everyone in your year at college, as well as making friends in the years above. Further, it would be wrong to assume that college sport is simply very amateur. In reality, you’ll find that it’s often performed at quite a high level - especially in the higher teams. So, for example, rowing is often taken fairly seriously in the higher boats, with some University Blue rowers actually also rowing for their college boat.

And, if you really don’t fancy any form of competitive sport, colleges often have more informal, social sport: such as social runs or morning yoga - a great way to get some exercise in without devoting your time to something more serious.

exPense

The price of sport will vary, and that goes for both college and university level sport. However, colleges are usually very good at offering bursaries, often giving each student a yearly sports budget to buy equipment or pay for a membership.

when Do You neeD to JoIn? The beauty about college sport, and even lots of university sport, is that even if you don’t manage to get into it straight away, it’s generally very easy to join later. For example, in the case Illustrations by Tilly Binucci of college sport, often if you just drop the captain a message they’ll be really helpful. So, if you find you spent too much time in Bridge in your first term and forgot to join the basketball team, that’s no problem.