Kristen G. - Oxford, England - Spring 2015

Hello CPP 250!

I’m Kristen and I’m at Oxford CMRS, residing in the beautiful St. Michael’s Hall (or St. Mike’s, as I’ve grown to call it. This building is DEFINITELY a Mike.) But wow! Time has flown by fast! I’ve had such an amazing time here in Oxford as a part of the Centre for Medieval and Renaissance Studies. The program is so great and all the people I’ve met within the program are generally interesting, intelligent, and

One of the biggest pieces of advice I can give is to get involved in life here. That doesn’t necessarily mean joining clubs (although you definitely should), but just interacting with people. You get so much out of the experience by being social and making new friends. It’s hard not to get caught up in academics here, but always allow yourself time for fun and getting to know not only the people in your program, but the surrounding English.

Another piece of advice I have to give is to get out and explore! There is always something going on in Oxford. And there are also great places to get out in nature, namely walking along the Thames. So if you ever are missing the great outdoors, you can get a little of that here too. And don’t forget to travel! There are plenty of places to see and things to do here in England. Get out to London at least once! It’s a great city and loads of fun. Don’t be afraid to take the train, it’s about one million times faster than the buses and can sometimes only be a couple quid more.

So, basically, come to Oxford. So many great people and it’s all-around a challenging yet rewarding program.