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My Experience at Oxford (part 3)

June 9, 2022 By Ruth Misori

I arrived at Corpus Christi College, which is where I am supposed to check in, have class, and eat my meals for the duration of my stay. It is a very old yet one of the most important landmarks as it’s the smallest college (Oxford University has many colleges) and is best known for academic excellence. As I was checking in, I met other cool people from other parts of the U.S, as well as people from China, India, and of course, Europe. The majority of the European participants were either Greek or English. I then contacted my parents to let them know that I arrived to Oxford safely and that I was already having a wonderful time. After I gave the program directors my information, I had to give them my passport, as well as the other students who had checked in to ensure that none of us lose it, which I think was a wise idea. Once the program is over, we could retrieve our passports before heading to the airport. I received my schedule which listed classes, excursions, and other fun activities that I would be engaging in during my stay. I couldn’t wait to explore the campus, but first things first, there was orientation, which was mandatory for everyone. Afterwards, there was dinner in Corpus Christi’s famous dining halls.

Meals were the best part of the program because you had the chance to meet a lot of students from all over the world and discuss various topics with them such as how they heard about this program, what they want to do in the future, and common interests. I’m going to be really honest and say that initially I wasn’t excited about eating British meals because they don’t look that appealing. However one day I was served a traditional English breakfast including baked beans, pork, eggs, sausage, and toast. I actually enjoyed it and savored every bite. Most of the meals consisted of Italian or German dishes (Lots of potatoes) and I enjoyed every meal. They even had American cereal for breakfast such as frosted flakes, much to my glee. Later that same day at dinner, I met even more cool people from Malaysia, though I specifically remember encountering Ariel and Isabelle, who were actually here on a school trip so we were able to hang out for the majority of the trip after we finished our morning classes.

The UK uses military time, which is 24 hours around the clock, instead of a 12-hour clock, so I had to get use to remembering that activities start at 15:00, not 3:00 pm, or that dinner begins at 17:30, not 5:30. Thankfully, there’s an app for that so I don’t have to worry about being confused when I could just look it up, or even google it. I actually stayed at a nearby dormitory that was 2 minutes away from Corpus Christi College, which was called Magpie Lane. Magpie is a modernized dorm, so it’s a little nicer than the older dorms in the sense that I may have more access to things I may need. However, I wouldn’t mind staying in the older dorms, it’s just really hot and you have to take a lot of steps back and forth, so that may not be everyone’s cup of tea. I had my own room so I didn’t have roommates. There were individuals who did have roommates but I think the housing process was chosen randomly. I believe I stayed on the second floor of the three-story building. It was very small but comfy and it even had a sink and a small fireplace. I also got a glimpse of one of the historical buildings from my window and woke up to the sound of church bells daily. ahh, how soothing and refreshing.

The next day, I woke up and got ready for my first day of class. I didn’t realize how cold it was in the mornings so I brought my jacket. The afternoons are the exact opposite. It’s like a sauna. I ate breakfast and went to the classroom at Corpus Christi College. The first day was mostly icebreakers and an introduction of the psychology major, whereas the following days, we were given reading assignments such as long articles about cognitive psychology, mental ailments, biopsychology, and clinical psychology. It was a small class which consisted of maybe seven or eight students but I preferred it that way because everyone could have a chance to voice his or her opinions as opposed to a big class of say, 30 students. The bigger the class, the more intimidating it can be feel, sometimes. But it’s nothing personal, it’s just our perceptions. Each day, our instructor taught for two hours and then the last hour a different speaker would come in and tell us about their specific field. For instance, Monday was about biopsychology, so the instructor would have someone majoring in biopsychology to speak to us about what they do and what to expect in that field of study. Unfortunately, jet lag kinda kicked in during the first hour of class every day, so I was trying my best not to fall asleep since the UK is 6 hours ahead of the US. Thankfully, I was successful in my attempts of not falling asleep from jet lag, and I was able to learn so much.

One day our instructor even took us out to a local coffee shop to help us with our jet lag, which was so sweet of her, and we we able to communicate more with each other in the program. My favorite day was Thursday since that’s when a clinical psychology student came in to speak to us, so you can imagine I was paying very close attention to her presentation. I even remembered her name: Poppy. Poppy showed us a video about schizophrenia and discussed the causes and treatments which are used for schizophrenics. She even went into further details about other mental illnesses. I thought it was super cool and made sure to take notes, which I did daily, anyway, but I took the most notes on Thursday since I have a strong interest in clinical psychology.

Now, off to the excursions. Everyday after classes ended at noon, I would get something to eat with my new friends and we would just do whatever we wanted, and we had a lot of fun. We also took it upon ourselves to sign up for activities that the school is offering such as fencing, punting, campus tours, and even castles. I was even lucky enough to go to a Shakespeare play. I was able to do three of the six activities that I’ve mentioned which were campus tours, Shakespeare play, and fencing. The activities that I signed up for were on a first-come first-serve basis so that’s why I wasn’t able to do all of them, but I enjoyed myself nonetheless. Professor James Basker gave us the tours and also did a hour lecture on the history of slavery in England, since England is very known for its previous slave captivity in the 1600’s. He even handed out articles about it, which I ultimately gave to my history teacher to display to her class.

On the last day before my departure, we had a fancy goodbye dinner, so we were able to dress up and have one final gathering with all of the other students before we go our separate ways. Some were staying for another week or two more weeks, but me and the majority of my friends were headed home the next day. I wasn’t able to see the entire campus because its so huge, but I saw the main buildings such as the University of St Mary church, Radcliff library, Corpus Christi College, Jesus and Exeter’s college. Saying goodbye was the hardest part but the good news is that I made life-long connections with international students, which is very important in terms of networking. After all, it’s not what you know, but who you know, and if people like you then many doors of opportunities could open up for you.

Departure day came and I got up early so I could prepare for the longest flight of my life. The flight from London to Dallas Fort-worth airport was about 9 hours. Upon departure, I was assigned an uber ride along with two other students and a chaperone who were departing around the same time as me, but to different countries. We were driven to three different terminals because Heathrow was just that big. Once again, I was flying with American so once I got to terminal 3 I was able to quickly check in and wait for my flight. This time I didn’t get a window seat as I was nice enough to switch seats with an elderly man so he could be near his wife. Worst Decision Ever! I say that because he was seated directly in the middle of the plane. International flights tend to have larger aircrafts so the cabins were designed in the form of three seats on both the left and right sides and then four seats in the middle. I sat in the middle, which I hate because I can’t see anything and I’m more uncomfortable since I can’t lean sideways and sleep like I normally would. Thankfully because I’m slender, I didn’t have to worry about taking both armrests from my neighboring passengers. When the flight took off, there was a little turbulence, so that was fun. That was the most uneventful flight as I had really bad neck pain afterwards.

Once I landed in Dallas, I proceeded to go through customs, which turned out to be a much better experience than in London. though, I did enjoy Heathrow upon leaving, since it was clean and organized, and waiting didn’t take too long. 40 minutes after I got to my terminal, the desk attendant announced on the intercom that my terminal was changed all the way across the other side. So I had to dash to the train to get to the terminal. 20 minutes after I was at the other terminal, the desk attendant announced that the flight to my home city were cancelled. Are you kidding me? I dialed my parents’ number to let them know that my flight was cancelled. “What? it’s cancelled? try to ask if you can get on another flight home, you’re still a small child!” Dad exclaimed. “Ok, I’ll try.” I approached the desk attendant and asked if there were other flights to my home city. Thankfully, there were and I was booked on the next flight back to my home city. Thank God otherwise I would have been stranded here! I proceed to take the train to another terminal. and await my flight. That took more than 5 hours so I was very tired and jet lagged. The desk attendant finally announced my flight’s departure so I was able to board and came home approximately at 12 something in the morning. Now that I made of all these memories, I was ready to rest. Before my friends and I left, we were able to exchange numbers and befriend each other on social media, which was nice. So overall, I would rate my Oxford experience a 10/10.

My Experience at Oxford (part 2)

June 9, 2022 By Ruth Misori

August the 2nd comes and my parents and I drive to the airport for me to depart for my flight. I then embrace and kiss my mother goodbye while dad takes my luggage for me to the security. As we approach the security line we embrace as dad reminds me to remain prayerful and to pay attention in class. I nod in agreement and head for the security line after I wave my final goodbye and walk to my terminal. Flying is a rare, but enjoyable hobby for me because oddly enough, I find it very peaceful and I love gazing at the clouds, which is why I always book a window seat because I need to see my surroundings. It’s the standard to arrive two hours before international flights in case plans change such as delays, terminal changes, or even cancellations. The crazy thing is that I experienced all three of those things on my trip. All of them.

I waited not too long after arriving to my terminal (2 hours isn’t that long) and before I knew it, my flight was ready to depart. I flew to Chicago O’Hare for my first layover, and then from there, I fly directly to London Heathrow Airport. All of my flights were with American Airlines, which is my favorite since I always have good experiences with them. The first flight to O’Hare only took an hour, so that’s what most people consider a baby flight. Once I arrived, I went to my terminal since I don’t have to go through customs until I actually arrive in London. As I was getting something to eat I decided to text my parents and let them know that I arrived in Chicago safely. That was a part of the agreement of letting me go, which was to contact them and inform them about everything concerning my flights, including when I land, depart, encounter delays or cancelations. That way they can figure out something else if these misfortunes do occur (which ended up happening anyway, ugh). Mostly, this was because I was a seventeen-year-old flying solo to another country that are miles and miles away. I don’t have close relatives who live in the UK, so I’m on my own for this entire trip. Therefore, I had to take all of these precautions in order to insure my parents and myself my own safety.

One of the desk attendants made an announcement that the flight to London was delayed for 30 minutes. I shrugged and proceeded to watch tv on my tablet with my earbuds on (I took them out occasionally for announcements). It was no big deal since I would depart for London in 30 minutes and delays are normal. In fact, delays often occur due to mechanical checks for any errors, so I’d rather be safe than sorry. So by all means, take all the time you need. 30 minutes pass and the desk attendant makes another announcement that the flight is delayed again for 45 minutes. My eyebrows raise in suspicion. ‘What’s taking them so long?’ I then text my parents about my flight delays as well as the institution, since they’re supposed to pick me and other students up from the airport.

An hour passes and the desk attendant makes another announcement that my flight is now ready for boarding. Finally! I made my way in the long line (thank God this was before Covid) but I began to feel slightly nervous. Anytime I do fly, I tend to get nervous right before I take off but once I’m in the air, I’m back to normal. Strange huh. I found my window seat in economy and became excited since they all had screens, so I wouldn’t have to worry about when I land since I could check on the device. I could also watch movies and tv shows to occupy my time on this 7-hour flight. What people fail to tell you is that despite these things, you’ll still become bored and restless after a matter of time (3 hours max). The pilot made the announcement of the flight takeoff as I begin to hear the roaring engines. My heart races fast as I tell myself to be calm and that everything will be ok. Once we’re in the air, I return to normal and decide to watch ‘Tangled’, which is a classic Disney movie.

My flight from Chicago to London was an overnight flight, like most European flights, so I was served dinner, and they have these cool, colorful lights in the cabins that turn on at night. Of course, I didn’t sleep because it’s very uncomfortable and I was too busy daydreaming about what I will experience at Oxford, anyway. I do manage to fall asleep for a few hours but every time I wake up, we’re still over the Atlantic Ocean! At that point, I was no longer impressed and just couldn’t wait to get to my dorm to freshen up and rest. We eventually landed around 8 or 8:30 in the morning. Once I left the plane, I went straight through customs which was a nightmare in and of itself. It’s long, confusing, and sometimes the airport officials give you a hard time.

Once it was my turn to approach the customs, I encountered a overweight woman whose nationality was undeniably Nigerian at the customs desk. She asked me what my purpose was for being in the UK, to which I responded that I was here for a program (They already gave me the invitation letter) and handed her the letter containing all of the information as well as my passport. She appeared unconvinced and slightly frowned. She then asked me to call the institution for clarification that I was indeed here for that program. As I mentioned earlier, I was tired and now I was becoming annoyed because who lies about this kind of stuff? I rolled my eyes as I dialed the institution’s number while she was glaring at me the entire time. Maybe she was having a bad day but that lady was definitely being rude and obnoxious. She then demanded that she speak to them on the phone. I was visibly annoyed with her and handed her my phone to talk to the institution. Once everything was confirmed, she handed me back my phone and finally let me go. “Idiot” I muttered as I shook my head and walked away.

I searched for a large sign that says Oxbridge Academic programs and turned to my right and there it was! I am finally here! I gleefully walk to the sign and they welcome me to the program. “Hi, Ruth, welcome to the UK! My name is Alex and this is Daniel and we’ll be responsible for getting you settled in! I hope you enjoy your time here and if you want, there’s a coffee shop over there in case you wanted to get yourself a cup.” “Thank you so much, and I’m really excited to be here” I responded as we shook hands. I noticed a group of people who are also standing by the Oxbridge sign. I walk towards them as they introduce themselves. “Hi, I’m Iro, and this is Nikos, Stelios, Emily, and Irene. We’re all from Greece.” “Oh cool! I’m Ruth and I’m from the United States.” “What are your majors?” Most of them replied business or political science. “And you?” “Psychology. I’m really interested in clinical psychology.” They nodded in fascination. “That’s great!” A couple minutes later Alex and Daniel informed us that it was time to leave and that we were going to ride the bus (no it wasn’t double-decker) to the university.

I look out and stare at everything in awe. I still can’t believe I’m finally here! I’ve been waiting the entire summer for this and now the opportunity has come! The bus ride from London to Oxford was an hour away since Oxford is an actual city apart from London. I took this time to take pictures of whatever caught my eye: landscapes, double-decker buses, churches, houses, landmarks. And yes, we did drive on the left side of the road! This means whenever you’re walking across the street in any part of the UK, you must look right then left before you cross instead of left then right because of the oncoming traffic approaching from the right side first. Also, walk on the right side to avoid any confusion.

My Experience at Oxford

 June 9, 2022 By Ruth Misori

In the beginning of August of 2019, I had the opportunity to attend a pre-college program at Oxford University in the UK. This was perfect timing, in my opinion since it happened during my first week of my senior year of high school, and what better way than to spend it abroad? I initially didn’t plan on attending this program as I was searching for another trip. The previous year before I participated in the Oxford program, I attended a spring break mission trip in the Dominican Republic and had a blast. So, I had my high hopes set on finding similar trips at a much more reasonable price, of course. I tried Googling as many trips aimed for high school students in the DR, but no luck since they were either too long or expensive. I was able to come across Goabroad.com and saw the Oxbridge Academic programs, which is a combination of Cambridge and Oxford programs. 

I clicked on the program’s website and discovered that it was a pre-college program designed for high school students interested in finding specific majors in college. It was founded by professor James Basker in the late 1980’s after a couple of years of attending both Oxford and Cambridge University for his degrees. All of the Oxbridge programs occur during either the summer or early fall and the durations could be short as a week (only a few) or as long as a month. To my surprise, there are several Oxbridge programs in New York at Barnard College. There are also programs in France and Spain. I assumed that their programs were only in England at Cambridge and Oxford, but this was a nice surprise as now I had a range of options of where I decide to go. 

Their programs consist of business, art, politics, fashion, psychology, engineering, creative writing, and plenty more. I specifically wanted to choose psychology as I aspire to become a clinical psychologist, and there were a few psychology programs at Cambridge, Oxford and Barnard. I choose the one at Oxford because of the length and the price, compared to the other two. I found this website in December so I had time to pray and think about whether or not if I actually wanted to apply for this program since the application deadline was three months away. I chose to participate in the Oxford Summer Seminar, which wouldn’t begin until the beginning of August, but I had the options of staying for one, two, or four weeks if accepted and depending on what I wanted to study. 

I really began considering this opportunity because it’s a once-in-a lifetime experience that may never come by again, and it was also my first chance to get a glimpse of college life at one of the oldest and prestigious institutions in the world, and at the age of 17! I had never been to the UK or any part of Europe, so I was very excited to make this fantasy become a reality. I did more research on the website and noticed that I was eligible to apply for scholarships since this was my first time, though they had alumni discounts for previous students as well. I prayed without ceasing and then later decided to discuss it with my parents. My dad was more open to the idea since he’s extremely obsessed with education. He has several degrees and encourages my sisters and me to seek out higher education such as a master’s or even a PhD. He even has this catchphrase that he tells my sisters and me to ‘Read, read… Read’ any chance he gets. It’s honestly hilarious. My mother on the other hand, was slightly reluctant as I had never been to another continent solo, and unlike my trip to the Dominican Republic, The UK is obviously very far and out of their reach in case something goes wrong. Don’t get me wrong, my mom is also keen on education and has several degrees, and wants my sisters and I to pursue higher education. But safety is her first priority for me, so she wants to make sure that I take as many precautions to protect myself while abroad.

After much convincing, I was able to get my parents on board and got the green light to apply. Like every college application process, waiting is often hard and daunting because of the results and then you began to doubt your efforts. That’s completely normal but it’s annoying, so I had to find other ways to occupy myself while awaiting the results. Aside from my relatives, I only told one friend because I don’t like the idea of telling many people my plans before I even accomplish them, just in case they don’t happen or aren’t successful. In fact, it can be really embarrassing when you tell people your goals and none of them happen, so you’re left with egg on your face when explaining the results. So, I’d like to avoid all of this by planning and plotting in silence so if this doesn’t happen, I can take my loss in private without being embarrassed. Lastly, not every single person is going to be genuinely happy for you, so it’s wise to sometimes keep your goals to yourself and to let your success speak for itself.

Even though I told myself not to become obsessed with Oxford, I somehow found myself on the Oxbridge website because that’s what high schoolers do. We constantly obsess over our futures and no matter how much we try not to think about the application process, here we are again scrolling on the websites trying to ponder our outcomes. It’s a constant cycle, so just own it. Yet at the same time, don’t go overboard because at the end of the day, it’s just a school, which in no shape or form defines you. Everyone in high school wants a great future and ultimately dedicates his or her time to achieving that but don’t burn yourself out by doing unnecessary stuff. It’s never worth it in the long run and time is being wasted. Trust your efforts and have faith in yourself, and if things don’t turn out how you planned, then move on because there are better opportunities just waiting for you.

Unfortunately, I didn’t take my own advice at the time since I just so happened to be in the computer lab when I was once again scrolling the Oxbridge website while simultaneously contemplating the what ifs, and figuring out what to do if I don’t get accepted when a classmate passed by and blurted out, “Ruth, you’re going to Oxford?” This immediately forced me out of my thoughts and caused everyone in the room to turn their attention to me. I chuckled nervously. “What? no, I’m just bored and looking at various schools” I explained unconvincingly. “Oh, cool” he nodded. Oh crap, now everyone knows! I really hope I get in now because then I’ll really be humiliated. Even though I wasn’t applying to the institution itself but rather a pre-college program, I was still intimidated by the idea of rejection, especially from a prestigious university. Of course, if I was rejected by this program, I would get over it eventually but that’s not the general mindset of adolescent seniors who are constantly anticipating their futures.

Two days before I received my results I typed in rejection from Oxford in the YouTube search bar. Yeah, cringeworthy stuff, I know. If I knew the things back then that I do now, I probably wouldn’t be doing any of this, but I didn’t know any better, so alas, here I was. The videos itself were obviously depressing because they were all crying and trying to figure out what they did wrong.  At that point, I didn’t want to watch that anymore so I typed in something else that was actually funny or uplifting. I then decided in that moment that I shouldn’t be doing this because frankly, it’s degrading and if I don’t get accepted, then it’s not the end of the world. There are better opportunities that are for me and won’t be taken away from me. 

I finally received an email from the Oxbridge Academic programs institution, offering me an acceptance letter in addition to a partial, yet decent scholarship. I squealed. I was so excited. What do I pack? when should I pack? When do I book my flights? When should I leave? So many more questions pondered that day but I was incredibly grateful to be going to Oxford and my family and friends were also happy for me. I ultimately chose to stay for a week since school will have already started and I don’t want to fall behind. Now everything was set. I was prepared to leave for Oxford on Friday, August the 2nd of 2019, and I wouldn’t be back until August the 10th.