A Day in the Life at Duke in Oxford

A Photo Essay

<p>Pictured is Oxford's New College, where students in the Duke in Oxford program study during the summer.&nbsp;</p>

Pictured is Oxford's New College, where students in the Duke in Oxford program study during the summer. 

From learning British slang to acclimating to Oxford’s famed tutorial system, students attending Duke in Oxford this summer have been thrown into a culture far different from that in Bull City. Forty-five are at Oxford’s New College (which is actually quite old—it was founded in 1379) studying humanities subjects including Victorian Literature and Modern British History. Here’s what a day might look like for them:

7:30 a.m.: Wake up to intense sunshine coming from under the blinds. It’s been bright since 5 due to England’s northern latitude.

8:00 a.m.: Go to breakfast in the Hogwarts-esque dining hall and have the day’s first cup of tea.

8:45 a.m.: Stroll under the iconic Bridge of Sighs to get to a lecture Exeter College, focusing on History, Politics & Society or Literature.

10:00 a.m.: Find a nice spot inside the Radcliffe Camera library to get some reading or writing done.

1:00 p.m.: Take a much needed study break by walking to the Covered Market for lunch, but instead of eating, get distracted by all of the colorful grocery and flower stands.

1:30 p.m.: Return to New College for tutorial, with only the tutor (the professor) and another student.

3:00 p.m.: Meet a friend at a café for cream tea, mostly looking forward to warm scones with clotted cream and jam.

4:00 p.m.: Visit the world’s first university museum—the Ashmolean—to see awe-inspiring art collections ranging from Rubens to Picasso.

5:30 p.m.: Hurry back to New College to get ready for dinner.

6:00 p.m.: Go to a fancy dinner at the dining hall—and possibly sit at High Table, with the guest of the night and all the tutors.

8:00 p.m.: Go on a walk in the gardens with some friends because it’s still really bright outside

9:00 p.m.: Walk to one of the many nearby pubs to have a beer or cider with friends. Possibly choose the Eagle and Child, where J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis would often meet to discuss their writings.

10:30 p.m.: Return to dorms in New College to get a bit of work done before bed.

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