Monday 11th May 2026

Lifestyle

Going to prison during the vacation: The secret lives of Oxford students

Over 150 hours of my Easter vac were spent inside the sturdy walls of one of His Majesty’s most secure men’s prisons – though fortunately I was able to go home at the end of the day.

‘If he wanted to he would’: The problem with TikTok dating advice

This kind of advice doesn’t just set unrealistic expectations, but actively discourages real communication. Instead of having a conversation with our partners, we are encouraged to analyse, dissect, interpret, and ultimately to assume the worst.

How places are made: A meditation in the City of Love

Places are formed from memories etched into streets, from ghosts which dwell in between moments. They’re shaped by the dreams and aspirations which have been poured into quiet, hidden hollows, like that shop in Paris.

The cult of radical self-love

You don’t need to understand the mechanics of a triple Axel to be able to see the pure, unfiltered joy on Liu’s face during her victorious Olympic free skate. 

The girl who lived

Like Harry Potter under the stairs, I was ‘the one who lived’. A rainbow baby (a baby born after loss), wrapped in nappies and...

The art of snacking in an ingredient household

There’s something quite liminal about being a student. One minute you’re running around a city feeling like a Grown Up, and then suddenly it’s...

Tiny Love Stories

I gazed at the mountains encircling my mother's hometown. I had been travelling in China for a month, constantly apologising for my broken Chinese....

Intellectual manspreading? Male students of feminism

If I had to choose one, I’d say my favourite part of studying a paper in feminist theory was reading The SCUM Manifesto, written...

When a small sweet treat becomes a big problem

I can’t walk past the Covered Market without feeling inexplicably drawn to Moo-Moo’s. The array of servers at Knoops have my order memorised. Even...

The sibling dilemma

Beatrix Arnold reflects on being one of five, how university changes family dynamics, and surprise gatherings at Bridge.

My friends and I ranked (almost) every college formal

Amanda Li rounds off her time in Oxford with an impressively comprehensive review of Oxford's formals: rating the good, the bad, and the inedible.

Wake of the Locks: Baldness, and mourning my hair

Ben O'Brien humorously reflects on his experience of having male pattern baldness at a young age

No sight of a finish line for the cult followers of running

It's hard not to notice the exponential growth of running as a hobby in recent years. It's similarly taken Oxford's student population by storm – Agastya Rao discusses his passion for the sport.

Oxford ice cream shops: sugar, ice, and everything nice?

Looking for ice cream recommendations in Oxford? Amanda Li has you covered.

Okay, diva! How this kaleidoscopic epithet has evolved

Elizabeth Hamilton on the multivalence of the term "diva"

Notes from an ex-tortoise officer

Beatrix Arnold recalls past concerns for the racers’ welfare

Full Steam Ahead! Little Clarendon’s bougie bagels

Beatrix Arnold reviews The Steamhouse, giving it 4 stars.

The Performance of Productivity

Ava Doherty discusses the busyness epidemic, and how this path to validation is ultimately harming us.

When did we learn to stop yearning?

Too many of us know the emotional grey area that situationships cultivate. That illusion of indifference – our personal emotional insurance policy – is a ready get out in case our true feelings go unreciprocated. Ava Doherty expands on why this is not only emotionally detrimental, but significant for our political demands too.

Superstitions: The good, the bad, and the bizarre

Superstitions are all well and good until these charms become the very source of stress in our lives.

The money gap: Can you afford to belong at Oxford?

Ngoc Diep (Alice) addresses the pernicious socioeconomic barriers to feeling included and at ease in Oxford

Five ways to ward off Union hacks

Struggling to ward off Union hacks? Look no further for guidance: Ava Doherty has you sorted.

Moving out and moving on

The experience of moving away allows us to mature. But what happens when we re-encounter past friends, only to realise we've outgrown them... is it time to move on?

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