Oxford's Culture

A number of pigeon holes.Oxford has its own particular quirks and traditions that are quite different from those of general British culture. Below is a glossary of some commonly used terms in Oxford, which we hope will give you a head start on your British peers.

• Battels: the bill you will get from your college each term. It includes University and college fees, room rent, meal charges and miscellaneous other items.

• Blue: a student athlete who plays for Oxford against Cambridge in a major sport (such as rowing).

• Bod: the Bodleian Library. As a place name, it also refers to the Old Bodleian Library building on Broad Street.

• Bod Card: your Oxford University student ID card, so called because it allows access to the Bod (among other places).

• Bop: short for ‘big open party’, organized by a college common room but open to all students at the University.

• The Bridge: a nightclub and bar, located on Hythe Bridge Street (near the railway station) and popular among students.

• Collections: college exams taken by undergraduates at the beginning of each term. These exams don't count towards your final degree, but help you and your tutors assess your progress. In some colleges, it also refers to a report meeting at the end of each term or year with the Head or Warden of the college.

• Cuppers: inter-collegiate competition in sports or drama.

• Entz: a general term to describe all the entertainment organized by elected student representatives at a college.

• Formal Hall: dinner in a college hall, but where you are served wine and better food, and for which you may need to wear smart or semi-formal clothes. In some colleges, you also have to wear your academic gown.


Punting.

• Freshers' Fair: an event organized by OUSU in noughth week of Michaelmas term (also known as Freshers' Week), where you can find all the student societies, clubs and volunteer groups at the University under one roof. Freshers' Fair is traditionally held at the Exam Schools on High Street.

• Freshers' Week: noughth week in Michaelmas term, traditionally filled with activities (including Freshers' Fair) to help new students —or freshers— settle in and get to know their college, the University and the city of Oxford.

• Hall: the place in college where student meals are served and eaten.

• Head of House: also known as the President, Principal, Provost, Rector or Warden in various colleges. Regardless of title, it refers to the highest officer in charge of a college.

• High Table: the table on a raised dais at the top end of a college hall, where fellows and their guests sit down to eat.

• ISC: stands for International Students' Campaign. Run entirely by students for students, it is part of OUSU and exists to represent and improve the welfare of all international students at the University. This Handbook has been produced by the ISC!

• JCR: stands for ‘junior common room’ and refers to the undergraduate study body at a college. As a place name, it also refers to the building or common room where students can meet and/or spend time. In some graduate-only colleges (such as St. Antony's), the JCR can also refer to the graduate student body.

• The Lodge or Porter's Lodge: the place at or near a college entrance, where someone —known as the porter— is on duty around-the-clock and where pigeon holes for post or mail are located.

• MCR: stands for ‘middle common room’ and refers to the graduate student body at a college. As a place name, it also refers to the building or common room where students can meet and/or spend time.

• Mods or Prelims: this is the first set of formal exams undergraduates sit. In some subjects they are called mods, in other prelims. Again, depending on the subject, they take place at the end of your first two or three terms as a student at Oxford.

• Noughth Week: the week immediately before full term starts. In Michaelmas term, nought week is also called Freshers' Week.

• OUSU: Oxford University Student Union, not to be confused with the Union, which is a debating society.

• Pigeon Hole (or Pidge): your mailbox at the college, to which all your post is delivered.

• Proctors: university officials responsible for discipline. They oversee the conduct of examinations and can punish students for inappropriate behaviour.


Sub-fusc attire on display.

• Punt: a flat-bottomed boat propelled using a long pole, which is thrust against a shallow riverbed. Punting is a very popular activity among students in the summer.

• Rad Cam: the Radcliffe Camera, which is part of the Bod. It is also one of the most photographed buildings in Oxford.

• SCR: stands for ‘senior common room’ and refers to the body of tutorials and fellows at a college. As a place name, it also refers to the building or rooms where tutorials and fellows spend time and/or meet.

• Scouts: the people who clean your room and common areas in the college.

• Sub-fusc: the Oxford ‘uniform’, which you will have to wear for matriculation, exams and any other University ceremonies. It consists of a black (or dark grey) two- or three-piece suit with a white shirt, white bowtie and black shoes for men. Women wear a black skirt (or pair of dark trousers) with a white blouse, black ribbon and black shoes. Both men and women wear black academic gowns, which are different for undergraduates and graduates. For matriculation, an academic hat is also required.

• Tute: short for tutorial. You can read more about tutes in the Academics section of this Hanbook.

• The Union: a debating society, not to be confused with the student union or OUSU, which is a University-wide student organisation of which you are automatically a member. To participate fully in all the activities of the Union, you have to be a paid member.