From January to June 2023, I had the privilege of attending Hertford College at the University of Oxford. The oldest university in the English-speaking world, with evidence of teaching as early as 1096, the experience of living and learning at Oxford is nothing short of extraordinary.
Shortly after arriving at my dormitory on the banks of the Thames River, I wandered through the winding cobblestone streets and stumbled upon Snappy Snaps. Tucked between the quaint souvenir shops, cafés, and pubs lining Cornmarket Street, Snappy Snaps photo lab was one of the most frequented places throughout my study abroad. The friends I made, the memories I cherish, and the lessons I learned are all in the film strips I developed at Snaps. If you are considering attending Hertford College or just want a picture window into the Oxford experience, the film photos I took offer an unfiltered look into this enchanting world.
A Walk Through Time
The centerpiece of campus is the Radcliffe Camera, a round Baroque library that towers above the surrounding turrets and tree-lined roads. The “Rad Cam,” as it is affectionately known, is opposite the large oak doors of Hertford College, which swing open onto a manicured lawn, dining hall, and rickety stairs to the magical classrooms tucked inside. The photo on the left is one I took standing in a ballgown on the dew-soaked grass before attending one of Hertford’s weekly formal dinners, which are open to visiting students. In the hazy evening, the Rad Cam looked like a crown rising into the vast blue expanse stretching over Oxford.
The photo on the right is one I took on my daily walk from my accommodations to campus. Just a short distance from the City Centre, I lived at the head of the Thames River and would weave through red double-decker buses and crowds eagerly waiting at the gates of Christ Church Meadow on the way to tutorial. Constructed in the signature sandy Headington limestone, Oxford’s boulevards are home to jewel box cafés, sandwich shops, and bookstores.
Night Life
“Bops,” or theme parties hosted by various colleges, are a fixture of student life at Oxford. The center photo was at the Worcester College Valentine’s Day Bop. My friends and I dressed in red or pink and danced the night away at a local bar. It was with those incredible people that I would trek across Iceland just one month later during our Spring vacation. Enjoying pub culture was also a staple of my visiting student experience. Oxford is proudly home to 106 pubs, each with a unique interior and menu. The photo on the right was taken at The King’s Arms, a light pink venue that opened in 1607 and was featured in the 2023 thriller Saltburn. Sandy’s Piano Bar, under whose neon sign I proudly stand in the lefthand photo, is an underground speakeasy that hosts live music. On a Friday night, you’re sure to hear an incredible singer or two at Sandy’s open mic nights (you may even catch owner George “Sandy” Sandbach himself).
Day Trips to London
If you ever want to venture outside the hallowed University gates and experience fast-paced city life, London is only a little over one hour away by train. The comfortable Great Western Railway will gradually cruise through the gorgeous British countryside and deposit you at the bustling Paddington Station. The photos below were taken on one of my favorite London day trips. In just a few hours, my friends and I watched the Chinese New Year parade, saw breathtaking art at the National Gallery, and visited the London Eye.
Museums Galore
Speaking of The National Gallery, if you’re not already a museum-goer, you certainly will be after studying abroad at the University of Oxford. As a visiting student, you can access the world-renowned Ashmolean Museum of Art and Archaeology and browse Raphael's drawings and a collection of Egyptian pre-dynastic sculptures. If you have a penchant for dinosaurs, the University of Oxford Museum of Natural History is for you. Last Fall, Hertford College hosted a ball at the Pitt Rivers Museum, where visiting students could revel in fieldwork artifacts and signature cocktails under the vaulted ceilings and a blanket of stars. One hidden gem in the City Centre is the Museum of the History of Science, which features Albert Einstein’s blackboard from a lecture on the theory of relativity in May 1931.
I had the privilege of meeting my best friend at Oxford. During our time abroad, he and I visited over fifteen museums. If you look hard enough, nestled between oil paintings and works of the ancient world, there are exceptionally kind and brilliant people who may change your life.
Summer Eights: Oxford’s Four-Day Regatta
I ended my Oxford adventure by cheering on my classmates at the famous Summer Eights, a four-day regatta featuring rowers across all colleges competing for coveted “blades” (trophy oars). Replete with rowing jackets, face paint, and friendly competition, Summer Eights is the perfect way to end a long term of studying. To furnish the event, each college has a boathouse along the Thames where their team practices. Below is a photo I took from underneath the Worcester College boathouse and one atop the Hertford College boathouse, rowers at the ready.
My chapter at The University of Oxford was utterly transformative. If you attend Hertford College, prepare to be challenged, inspired, and immersed in a world like no other. As my time at Michigan draws to a close and I prepare for my professional career in New York City, I owe my resilience, intellectual curiosity, adaptability, and sense of purpose to the University of Oxford.
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