Kyla Murray

Hello! My name is Kyla and I am Queen’s JCR president this year. The JCR is a small-scale student union which represents students from Queen’s.

I’d like to start by saying congratulations! Making it into Oxford is a huge achievement. You’ve done an amazing job getting through admissions tests and interviews. Oxford is a fantastic place, but it can be confusing, with a lot of seemingly strange traditions and jargon – which is why we’ve prepared this handbook. In here you’ll find advice on what to pack, what to expect and how to understand all the ‘Oxfordisms’ associated with the university.

Though we’ve tried to include a lot of detail, you will still likely have more questions the handbook can’t answer. Not to worry, all freshers are assigned ‘College Parents’ who are two (or more) people in the year above, one of which does your subject (or one closely related.) Please reach out to them, they’re great sources of knowledge.

Queen’s is a great college to be at with a really welcoming and friendly community. As well as the undergraduates the college is made up of post graduates, fellows, tutors, and college staff. Being part of a college means you’re part of a tight-knit community, where you’ll hopefully find friends to last a lifetime.

With this handbook comes a lot of forms, many of which are official documents sent by the university which are key for your enrollment. It’s really important you don’t miss deadlines, so I’d recommend setting some time aside in the next few days to go through everything. If you have any questions feel free to reach out to the College Office, myself, or your college parents.

As for freshers week, your move in day will be the Sunday 5th of October (international students may have alternative arrangements.) The full timetable for your first week at uni will be hitting your inbox soon! The freshers week timetable is packed, with a mix of mandatory induction events, society tasters, and mixers. My advice is don’t overload yourself, follow your social battery, prioritise the things that matter to you most. As well as being a busy week, it’s also your first week in a new city, and (for a lot of you) your first week living away from home. It’s okay to feel overwhelmed and need some alone time. Further on in the pack you’ll see more information about the wide array of welfare support, which will be available before, during, and after Freshers Week. Freshers week is a chance to get to know your year group and find friends but it does not define your university experience.

It would be remiss for me to write this letter without mentioning the academic expectations you’ll face during your degree. Oxford is known for its workload and your tutors will have high expectations of you but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t have a life outside your studies. Taking breaks, whether that’s a society event, sports match, or catching up with friends, is so important for your mental health and will likely result in you producing better work. My main advice is to be proactive in your education. Let your tutor know which areas you’re struggling with, don’t just submit tutorial work you know is wrong and hope they figure it out how to help you. Though the small class sizes in a tutorial (2-5 people) may be intimidating at first, tutorials are a great opportunity to ask questions to experts in the field.

Oxford is a great place and a fantastic achievement – you’re at the start of a truly amazing experience. I hope this handbook is useful but if you have anymore questions do reach out!