Friday 15th August 2025
Blog Page 226

I chose Oxford over free education in Germany. Here’s why.

Antonia Sundrup
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I chose Oxford over free education in Germany. Here’s why.

If you asked my parents why I applied to Oxford, they would tell you that I was a little too obsessed with Harry Potter as a child and that I have always had a drive to get as far away from home as possible. While they are not wrong, I would add that I also desperately craved the validation that came with getting in.

These kinds of reasons are most likely a factor for almost anyone who applies to Oxford – or prestigious universities in general – but they seem especially weak reasons for those of us who leave behind a whole life in a different country, and with it seemingly everything that is comfortable and familiar. Specifically, for me, I not only left a wonderful support system back in Germany, but also an education system that I was used to and that I still think is in many ways better and less pressuring than what I’ve gotten used to in the UK. And all this to move to a country, which does not seem to want me or my fellow Europeans here. Why am I here then? And why do I not regret staying here, even after I got Covid, had to rusticate and had a whole year to contemplate all my life choices and the reasons behind them?

Harry Potter and the need for academic validation

As a ten to 14-year-old I spent an absurd amount of time reading the Harry Potter books, watching the films and taking quizzes on ‘Pottermore’, which I am aware is a very unoriginal way to spend your childhood, especially among Oxford students. My local library had these massive books about the making of the films, which I checked out and spent whole afternoons reading and that was probably the first time the word Oxford caught my eye. As my parents keep saying, I would most likely not be here if it weren’t for whoever decided to film in the Christ Church Hall and the New College Cloisters. I would not have admitted that until recently and it was certainly not a conscious decision. But even though I today have a more complex relationship with the Harry Potter books (we all know why), the magic of the Oxford World is still very much connected to that world for me. Unlike many of my British friends, I did not grow up romanticizing Oxbridge and its archaic, yet charming, traditions. Celebrating the past to this extent is simply not a part of German culture – and thank god it is not. Without British films and TV shows, I would not find eating in hall, gowns and giant portraits on walls exciting or magical; I would just find them weird.

Harry Potter may have romanticised the idea of Oxford for me, but what actually made me apply was simply the fact that I could. I was very quiet in school and had average grades until about year ten, when they started going up. Until the end of my school career, my year saw me as some kind of underdog genius because of this. When it came to starting to think if and where I would want to go to University, I was one of the strongest students in my year and in a programme which allowed me to do both the German and the French equivalent of A-Levels. A little earlier, a teacher had tried to pitch us this programme and said that, many years ago, a student who did that programme got into Oxford because of it. Before that moment, I do not think I realised that Oxford was a normal university that you could just apply for, let alone that I could apply for. When my teacher essentially told me I could, I almost instantly knew I wanted to.

All it really was is that I needed a goal. I had never really felt like I was good at anything before and suddenly everyone seemed to think that I was smart and promising. Everyone has that need to prove themselves and I had finally found something to prove myself in, but I felt like I could not do it in Germany. Within my German state school, there was little opportunity to go beyond the curriculum academically. There are good, even great, universities in Germany, but none are as hard to get into as Oxford is. Places in German Universities are mostly distributed based on grades alone and instead of having competitive universities, there are usually particular courses which are hard to get into. I knew I wanted to do law, which was not such a course and therefore, considering the grades I was likely to get, every public University in Germany would have been open to me. Deciding that I was going to apply to Oxford gave me things to read, extracurriculars to do and a reason to keep my grades up. I don’t think I even wanted to get in that badly, I was just thriving on the challenge.

I am still deciding how I feel about my attitude at that time. Retrospectively, I found the application process quite fun, which I feel like not many people can say and I do think challenging yourself is a good thing to an extent – otherwise I would not still be here. But sometimes I do wish that I would have stopped to think about what I actually wanted to do after school, instead of thinking of University as something which was achieved during school. When I think of my sister, who is currently in year 12 and deciding what she wants to do after school, I hope she thinks about what her day to day life would look like during a degree or a job. I hope she does not get caught up in the idea of something and how it would look on paper, which is so obvious, but I still miserably failed at that. It worked out and I am by no means unhappy with my choice, but there was a lot of luck involved in that.

Reactions to my application – the good and the rational

I tried to keep the fact I was applying to Oxford quiet to not put unnecessary pressure on myself, but by the time I got back from the interviews everyone knew about it. Throughout the application process everyone was incredibly supportive, which I am still so grateful for, although it did increase the pressure. My friends got me a good luck charm before I went off to interviews; my best friend made me a cake when I got in; people in my year that I had never spoken to congratulated me and it seemed that a few hours after I had gotten an offer every teacher in the school seemed to know my name. The excitement that not just my loved ones, but everyone who was vaguely acquainted with me felt at the prospect of me even potentially going to Oxford is something which, at least to this extent, probably only comes about through a combination of being in a state school, where Oxbridge seems unattainable, and being international, which means for most people Oxford is almost synonymous to Hogwarts.

But that excitement did die down within a few weeks and I started having more conversations with people who were curious as to why I applied. These conversations continue to this day and at first I was completely thrown off by them. I applied merely because I thought I may get in, because I felt it was really cool to get in. But those people actually had very valid points. They pointed out that the country I was going to move to just left the European Union, therefore basically saying that they wanted nothing to do with us in Europe and that they were better off alone – not exactly a welcoming attitude. And not only was I moving there for my degree for three years, I was also studying law, which meant that if I wanted to become a lawyer, I would be stuck in the UK for the foreseeable future. I was making a huge decision at 17 years old, deciding to commit to a place where I had no ties whatsoever. Many of my friends say that they could never see themselves leave Germany, or even just our home city, because they would never give up being close to the people they knew and loved just for an education, a career or the prospect of meeting new people. Before I actually started Oxford, I vehemently defended my decision – the young people and academics I would deal with were not the ones who voted for Brexit (mostly true), there was no reason I should prefer to work in Germany rather than in the UK (less true) and I wanted to get out into the world and never got homesick (not true at all). I was not expecting that I would ever regret the decision.

Rusticating and questioning all of my life choices

But as it turned out, just a year later, I did regret it. I got Covid in my first term at Oxford and seemingly recovered quickly but discovered at the start of Hilary 2021 (which I was at home for) that I was suffering from heart and lung problems due to long Covid. This was six weeks away from my first year exams and it was clear pretty quickly that I would need to rusticate. My doctors recommendation for recovery was basically just to rest, which gave me a lot of time to think. Being in Germany, surrounded by the friends and family I was used to and having infinite amounts of free time suddenly brought to the forefront everything I had sacrificed to go to Oxford.

I realised how incredibly grateful I was that I was diagnosed in Germany, in a healthcare system which was not only familiar to me but also had capacity to actually take care of me (this was in January 2021, meaning I saw pictures of ambulances with Covid patients waiting outside London hospitals daily). I spent time with my friends who were going to university in our hometown, who comparatively seemed to have endless amounts of free time and did not feel the need to be involved in 20 student societies in order to get a fancy job at the end of their degree. Even exam season was not nearly as stressful as I was anticipating Mods to be like, as German students have exams each semester and lots of alternative examination methods, such as presentations and extended essays, to determine their grades, which is unheard of in the Oxford law degree. If I had been studying in Germany, I would not even have had to take a year out because of my Long Covid symptoms, but could have simply used the flexibility of a German degree and taken less classes for a semester. And it would not have been an issue financially, because – in case you haven’t heard – German university is free. Life and studies in Germany just seemed so much more manageable and relaxed and it made me realise that there is no value in torturing yourself through a degree.

At the same time, I was questioning whether law was the right choice for me. I had always been curious about most academic disciplines and while I was not disliking the degree, I was wondering whether other options might have suited me better. It was not exactly helpful that I realised that a degree in English law is difficult to apply to any job I could get in Germany, if I wanted to go back after my degree. My degree almost felt like a trap to me at that point.

I had always been so eager to get out of my parents house, out of my hometown, out of the country, but suddenly I realised what it would mean if I worked in the UK. Studying in Oxford, I see my family and friends from home quite frequently in the vac, but that will all change if I get a full time job which has 20 vacation days. My mum’s family lives in France and we see them once a year, which also means we’ve never been on a summer holiday anywhere else. I now have close family members or friends in Germany, France and the UK and am slowly realising that I will never see everyone nearly as much as I would like again. Trying to get away from home was one of the main reasons I applied, along with seeking academic validation, which I progressively cared less about. My relationship with Harry Potter also got considerably more complicated considering what JK Rowling has been up to lately, so all of the reasons that had drawn me to Oxford had lost their relevance.

Basically, by the time I was set to go back to Oxford, I regretted ever starting in the first place. But I still went back, partly because it was too late to start a course in Germany that year and partly because my mum told me I should at least try it again, because I might find that in my misery, I forgot about all the good parts. I guess mums are always right – or at least mine is.

Why did I stay?

Now comes the romantic turnaround of the story: I went back and realised I actually really love it here. I was still contemplating the option of simply dropping out, which it turns out really took the pressure off of the degree and made me enjoy it way more. Whenever I feel stressed today, I tell myself that if everything gets too much, I can always just not do it, which is incredibly comforting. I also rediscovered all of the great things about UK university life and life at Oxford specifically: Living in college with all of my friends (a lot of my German friends found it hard to make friends, especially during covid and online classes), being offered three meals in hall a day (cafeterias back home just do lunch), having regular contact in small groups with those teaching me and receiving frequent feedback on my work, which makes it less of a culture shock from school, while my German friends have had to get used to feeling like they are just a number at their uni. Recently, every time I go back and spend time in Germany, I still see the things I miss about it and am missing out on, but I also am able to see all the respects in which I am lucky. I guess what I am trying to say is that despite all of the advantages of living in the European Union, university here truly is a great experience and I am thankful I get to appreciate the differences that are easy to take for granted.

Image credit: Liv Cashman

Strikes to hit Oxford University for three days in late November

Charlie Hancock
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Strikes to hit Oxford University for three days in late November

Staff at Oxford University will go on strike later this month after 81% of members of the University and College Union (UCU) voted to take industrial action over pressures on working conditions, pay and pensions. Walkouts will take place on November the 24th, 25th, and 30th.

The strikes form part of the largest wave of strikes to hit British universities, with over 70,000 staff at 150 universities walking-out. The National Union of Students have backed the strikes, although 2.5 million students will experience disruption over the period.

UCU members who will take industrial action include academics, tutors, librarians, researchers, and other professional staff. The union says the disruption can be avoided if Universities meet their demands. The walkouts could escalate a marking and assessment boycott in the new year if no progress is made.

“Our campaign is about protecting and improving higher education for everyone, and so we are extremely grateful for the solidarity demonstrated by students. UCU members do not want to strike, but will be forced to do so if employers continue to reject our efforts to create the healthier, fairer higher education system that students and staff deserve,” David Chivall, Oxford UCU Vice-President told Cherwell.

In light of the cost of living crisis, UCU members demand that they receive a pay rise above the 3% which has already been offered. They also want universities to stop the use of insecure contracts, and reverse cuts which the union says will cause employees to lose 35% of their future retirement incomes.

Universities UK, which represents employers at British universities including Oxford, said: “We appreciate this could be a difficult time for students, who may be anxious about possible disruption to their learning.

“Universities are well prepared for industrial action and will put in place a series of measures to protect students’ education, as well as other staff and the wider community.”

The Oxford University SU told Cherwell they are working with representatives of the Oxford UCU, University, and College Common Rooms to support students whose studies are disrupted. As mandated by the Student Council, the SU supports the strikes.

A spokesperson for the University said: “The University notes that the University and College Union (UCU) has announced a planned nationwide industrial action on 24, 25 and 30 November on pay and conditions and on the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS). We understand the concerns many staff have on pay, as well as on pensions, and of course also have a duty to ensure that our education and research activities continue as far as possible. We therefore have contingency plans in place to minimise the impact of any industrial action on staff, students and visitors.”

“A slap in the face”: Replacement of SU VP Women sparks fury

Freya Jones
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“A slap in the face”: Replacement of SU VP Women sparks fury

The OUSU’s sabbatical officer role reshuffle will see the role of VP Women replaced with VP Liberation and Equalities next academic year. This decision aims to improve inclusivity at the SU, making the role “broad and timeless”. However, many students feel that VP Women is still an important and relevant position in 2022.

This year’s VP Women, Ellie Greaves, currently works with a number of committees across Oxford, including those dedicated to welfare, equality, and tackling sexual violence. She is also a key point of contact for Oxford students with issues relating to women’s health, sexual consent, and night safety. 

Having been in the role since July 2022, Greaves said one of her biggest achievements so far has been the organisation of a women’s and non-binary club night at Oxford’s nightclub Plush. She also plans to organise events around International Women’s Day in 2023 to promote female solidarity.

However, Greaves has concerns about the decision to remove the role of VP Women going forward. After being elected to the position in Hilary Term 2022, she only found out that she would be the last person to hold this role after taking it up in July.

The role review, spearheaded by the SU President for 2021-2022, Anvee Bhutani, was carried out because sabbatical positions had not been scrutinised since the 1990s.  The role review proposal document set out the reasons for replacing VP Women, stating: “The VP Women role was created at a time when women couldn’t get full degrees and colleges were segregated” and “VP Women prioritises one minority / protected group over others”.

The changes were adopted after a six-month scrutiny period, which included a vote in Student Council in Week 7 of Hilary Term. A total of 11 students voted, with 9 in favour and 2 against. A current sabbatical officer described these numbers as “startlingly low” and indicative of poor engagement with issues that stand to affect the whole student body.

Now, however, several students have raised concerns about the role change after knowledge of the decision was made widely available.

Speaking about the SU’s decision, a female student said, “I fail to see how replacing the women’s officer with a ‘liberation and equalities’ officer provides adequate representation for students from all minorities … This just feels like a slap in the face, not only for women, but all minority groups for lack of proper representation in the SU.”

The SU explained that the role of VP Women has “not been replaced but augmented to include more underrepresented and marginalised communities who currently do not have sufficient representation”. A spokesperson also said that “the current officer team fully supports the outcomes of the role review and are looking forward to launching them for the 2023 sabbatical officer elections.” 

However, this does not align with Greaves’ interpretation of the situation. While the new VP Liberation and Equalities will still be responsible for issues concerning women, she said it would be up to the new officer to choose where their main focus will lie, telling Cherwell, “I really hope the issues I’ve been talking about this year don’t fall into the background,” before adding that she is “unsure what handover will look like.”

She also shared her worries about the future of women’s representation in Oxford, telling Cherwell, “I think there’s a risk that the removal of VP Women will send the message that “sexism is solved”, when it really isn’t”. 

Oxford University still has an academic attainment gap between men and women. Greaves also noted that the health of people with uteruses is not always understood by the university, saying “provision for conditions such as endometriosis and PCOS are not accommodated in the way I would like to see.”

A female student at Exeter College: “As a female student, it feels like we’re taking a step backwards in focusing on women’s issues in the university. Things like sexual assault, harassment and rape still occur here, the change away from Women’s Rep suggest that these are no longer issues that need addressing which is simply not true. An equalities and liberations officer would not be able to represent women’s issues adequately, the name itself is vague and lacks focus on a particular group or issue.”

Incidents of spiking are a concern in Oxford too, with over 500 students taking to the streets last year to boycott nightclubs in response to the national spiking epidemic. Greaves said this protest was a significant factor in motivating her to run for the position of VP Women. “We’re not where we need to be in terms of women’s representation and I think there’s a risk of moves to tackle sexual violence being left behind”, she said, adding “There’s a reason that the role [VP Women] has been around for so long and I think it’s as relevant today as it was in the 1990s”.

A female student at St Hilda’s College: “In general removing the position of VP Women is huge step back and dangerously overestimates how far we’ve come in tackling gender-based inequality. Of course it is necessary for the SU to be as reflective of its student body and the minority groups within it as possible, but the rightful increase in concern for their representation should not be enacted by cutting support for those who identify specifically as women.”

Attempts to remove the role of VP Women have been a challenge in Oxford for many years. Indeed, former British Prime Minister Liz Truss spoke in favour of abolishing the position when she was a student in the 1990s, calling the role “completely undemocratic”. She also criticised the position of a college Women’s Officer, although the VP Women for 1994 described this attitude as “very short-sighted and a huge step backwards”.

Today, however, the SU’s eventual decision to change VP Women is reflective of other student unions across the UK. Cambridge University is now the only SU which still has a designated Women’s Officer. 

Despite this, Greaves said her beliefs about the role’s importance should be evident from the fact that she campaigned for it last year, adding, “I will continue to prioritise women for as long as I’m in Oxford.”

A female student at Oriel College: “Following the news on the scrapping of the VP Women’s role at the SU I would ask for further transparency as to this decision. This will help all women*’s officers and gender reps feel more comfortable with the direction of the SU that we all rely on and work with so much.”

WomCam, It Happens Here, and The Oxford Period have all been contacted for comment, which may be provided pending approval by SU Communications. This article will be updated to reflect any responses received.

Image credit: Nils Linder

Oxford students launch campaign group to support Iranian citizens

Cecilia Catmur
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Oxford students launch campaign group to support Iranian citizens

Students have formed a new group to protest the Iranian government’s treatment of its citizens.

In a statement, pre-released to Cherwell, Oxford Students Against Repression in Iran (OSARI) “condemn the state violence of the Islamic Republic of Iran against its own citizens, especially women,” and express “solidarity and support for the brave protestors challenging this systematic repression.” 

The groups’ statement addresses the current, 43-year ongoing “systematic oppression, inequality, corruption, mismanagement, and hypocrisy” in the Islamic Republic. Iranian people have been protesting since mid-September in response to the killing of Mahsa (Jina) Amini, a 22-year-old Kurdish woman by the Islamic Republic’s morality police. 

Furthermore they call for solidarity, for university students and staff across the world to “join (their) call in amplifying the voices of Iranians.” 

The statement details ways in which university members can help their cause. They call university students and staff to form collectives to support protestors. They also encourage the spreading of statements supporting protestors and calling “for the immediate release of all students, academics and activists arrested in the protests” from university administrators. The statement also encourages students and staff to contact local politicians to “call on their governments and the international community to hold the Islamic Republic to account for its abuse of human rights and crimes against humanity through all diplomatic and judicial avenues.” Finally, they ask for awareness to be raised on social media about the human rights abuses in Iran. 

Finally, they address “our compatriots protesting in Iran”: “We are standing by your side and are inspired by you courage. We will do everything in our power to amplify your voices and rightful demands and make them echo throughout the world. We will not let your sacrifices and heroic efforts to combat tyranny go in vain.” 

The campaigning group hopes to “work together to build a free Iran based on democracy and equality for all, regardless of gender, ethnicity, religion, sexuality, or political orientation.”

Her death has sparked what the statement deems “rightful and repressed” anger across Iran and the world. However, this response in Iran has been met by brutal suppression. It has led to the killing of hundreds of peaceful protestors, and the arrest of thousands more. 

OSARI are “especially horrified by the murder of innocent children, attacks on universities and schools, arresting and torturing the students, and the complete disregard for fundamental human rights.”

The release of this statement follows a demonstration on October 11th where Oxford’s community gathered to commemorate and protest Amini’s death 

Image credit: Oxford Students Against Repression in Iran

SU to carry out major reshuffle of sabbatical officer roles

Freya Jones
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SU to carry out major reshuffle of sabbatical officer roles

The Oxford University Student Union has decided to bring in significant changes to its sabbatical officer roles, which will come into force next academic year. These changes are the result of a role review carried out by last year’s sabbatical officer team and will affect the forthcoming SU elections in Hilary Term 2023.

Sabbatical officers are the six student representatives elected by the student body to lead the SU. They include the President and five vice-presidents, each of whom has a distinct area of responsibility. Typically, sabbatical officers work with student campaigns and sit on taskforce committees to coordinate strategy for student initiatives, while undertaking projects on a range of issues affecting students around Oxford. They are called sabbatical officers because they rusticate in order to carry out the role.

Previously, the sabbatical officers of the SU have been as follows:

  • President
  • Vice-President (Access and Academic Affairs)
  • Vice-President (Charities and Community)
  • Vice-President (Graduates)
  • Vice-President (Welfare and Equal Opportunities)
  • Vice-President (Women)

However, the new roles, listed below, have now been approved:

  • Vice-President (Activities and Community)
  • Vice-President (Undergraduate Education and Access)
  • Vice-President (Postgraduate Education and Access)
  • Vice-President (Welfare)
  • Vice-President (Liberation and Equality)

The role review, spearheaded by the SU President for 2021-2022, Anvee Bhutani, was carried out because sabbatical positions had not been scrutinised since the 1990s. It also aimed to tackle an alleged workload discrepancy between sabbatical roles and meet the changing nature of the student body.

Notable changes are the division of Education and Access responsibilities between the designated Undergraduate and Postgraduate roles, and the replacement of VP Charities and Community with VP Activities and Community.

The role review proposal document, seen by Cherwell, stated that VP Charities and Community didn’t work directly with charities, and only supported RAG (Raise and Give). It consequently held that the position would be better suited to the organisation of activities.

Another change is the designation of an entire sabbatical role to Welfare. While the SU acknowledges the importance of student welfare, current team members have raised concerns that this may be too much responsibility to put on one officer, and that there is a risk of Welfare suffering if the workload isn’t shared.

The final change is the replacement of VP Women with VP Liberation and Equalities, which the role review suggested for inclusivity reasons. However, this has also sparked internal controversy and fears for the representation of women* at Oxford University.

The role of President is the only position which the role review argued against changing, stating “It is good to have a central point of contact administratively,” before adding “The remit can be better defined but having them as the “floater” sabb is good”.

Bhutani’s team first proposed this role review in Week 3 of Hilary Term 2022, opening a six month inquiry period, after which the changes were approved by the SU Trustee Board and former CEO.

However, some members of the current sabbatical team were not told about these changes until July 2022 when they took up their positions, causing surprise and uncertainty about how handover will look next year.

Meanwhile, the SU has not yet widely advertised the role change, despite the next cohort’s need to start planning their election campaigns. When contacted by Cherwell, the SU said that details of the role changes had been included in a Freshers’ Guide and made available in the minutes and agenda of Student Council meetings last year. However, many students in second and third year do not appear to have been reached by this information

Last week, it was proposed that the role changes would be re-submitted to Student Council this term, to be voted on by this year’s cohort. However, this decision has been overturned, with the SU now confirming to Cherwell that the review has passed and won’t be returning to Council. An inaccuracy of the minutes from Hilary Term 2022 caused this confusion, but has now been amended. This role review passed with a total of 11 votes, 9 in favour and 2 against.

Currently, sabbatical officers at the Oxford Student Union have a salary of £25,642 per year, having just seen a 3% increase in line with inflation.

Anvee Bhutani, President of Oxford SU 21-22, commented: “Changing the Sabbatical Officer portfolios was a daunting and time-consuming process but I’m glad I was able to make it happen during my Presidency and I know it will allow the SU to better represent students for years to come. I’m very grateful for the hundreds of people – including JCR and MCR Presidents, Campaign Chairs, University staff and many more – who took part in the consultation and feedback process as we conducted this review. The new roles cement the contemporary priorities of the Oxford community and allow us to best cater to the change we hope to achieve.”

*The term women includes transgender, intersex, nonbinary and gender expansive people, whose interests are all represented by VP Women

Editorial note: This article was updated between 10th and 12th November to remove one comment at the request of the person who made the statement and to replace it with other, previously unused student comments.

Lead pipes and room shortages: Anne’s accommodation drama

Bintia Dennog
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Lead pipes and room shortages: Anne’s accommodation drama

Students at St Anne’s College are becoming increasingly dissatisfied following recent accommodation updates, including the discovery of lead pipes in an accommodation block, and planned renovations which will create a room shortage and require students to move out of college. 

Students discovered lead pipes in one of the on-site kitchens after a parent, who happened to be a plumber, noticed them. The affected students emailed the college and pressed for a reply, upon which St. Annes confirmed that there was indeed lead pipework.

The use of lead in water pipes has been banned since the 1970s. Exposure to large amounts of lead can be harmful to health, potentially leading to intellectually disabling lead poisoning.  

Whilst the college acknowledged that “there may be some concerns over the safe use of water”, it ultimately only advised the students to regularly flush the pipes. According to a student who attended an estates meeting, there is not enough lead piping for it to be harmful. A water hygiene company also regularly monitors and samples the water. 

St Anne’s commented on the matter, expressing that the water is safe, and is tested regularly, explaining: “A short piece of lead piping is present in one house. This is not unusual in older buildings. The Estates Manager has offered to meet with any residents of that house who have concerns.”

Students are equally expressing concern regarding the “Bevington Road project,” a renovation of on-site accommodation which “massively reduces” room availability. The renovation is expected to last for two years, where students are expected to move out to college off-site accommodation in Summertown, which is a 25 minute walk from St. Anne’s. An email to students from St Anne’s claimed that “a large number of students” will also need to organise their own accommodation in addition to moving many students off-site. 

St Anne’s told Cherwell that in order to avoid requiring all second years to “live out,” undergraduates “will be given the opportunity to choose rooms in a number of flats in Summertown that are usually allocated to post graduate students.”

A current first year student claimed this was particularly frustrating, as “many people applied as one of their big selling points was 3 years of onsite accommodation.” The college-owned off-site accommodation, which was previously classed as “living out” of college, will from now on also be classified as “in-college”. Consequently, students on a four year course, who were guaranteed three years in college, might actually only spend two years living inside the college. 

The college claims that the project is essential however, and the houses are in need of “significant renovation” in order to bring the accommodation up to date, to reduce the environmental impact and costs of heating and maintaining them, and to increase the number of rooms available for student occupation.

A further issue for the students is that most tenancy agreements outside of college are for 37 weeks, which will put students under significant financial strain, especially those who don’t require accommodation during vacations. Whilst St. Anne’s has suggested there will be some flexibility with the tenancy length, the extent of this remains unclear. One student voiced concern about the uncertainty of the whole situation, calling it “stressful and overwhelming”. 

A Crankstart scholar  told Cherwell that she chose St. Annes primarily due to “cheaper accommodation prices” as it “seemed like the most financially accessible college. She called the current situation “particularly worrying”, since the cost of living crisis already creates financial uncertainty and having to potentially pay for accommodation over the vacations only adds to this. Finding a group with a similar budget to live with is also particularly hard after only 5 weeks at university. Moreover, she stated that “[t]he most affordable properties are in Headington, [which is] an hour’s walk away from college”. 

An Oxfess post detailing the current accommodation struggles exclaimed: “Surely by now people have to see how St Anne’s is the worst Oxford college.”

The time for rhetoric is over: We need safe and legal routes now

Oliver Hall
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The time for rhetoric is over: We need safe and legal routes now

Sleeping on the floor, forced to go to the toilet with the door open, environments rife with disease.  These are not the conditions facing sufferers in a faraway land.  They are the conditions facing asylum seekers in Manston, Kent.  Forced to flee their homelands and seeking salvation they are instead branded ‘invaders’ by our home secretary and herded like cattle into processing centres operating at four times their capacity for three times longer than intended.  Divisive language and unworkable headline-grabbing policies have provoked crisis in our asylum system for far too long – the time to provide safe and legal routes to applicants is long overdue.

Successive governments and home secretaries have struggled to grapple with various different waves of asylum seekers over the years and it is of course true that they are generally driven by global events outside of our control.  What makes this one different is the manner in which it has been amplified by years of dangerous populist rhetoric, incompetence and cruel policy decisions. 

This rhetoric first began to hit the mainstream of British politics in the lead-up to the 2016 Brexit referendum, fuelled initially by the rise of Farage’s UKIP and then taken on by the right of the Tory party that promised a split from the EU as a chance to take back control.  Like many elements of the Leave campaign, the reality has been very different.

In the year ending June 2021, some 573 000 people immigrated to the UK, an increase of nearly 100 000 on the year before.  The number of people crossing the channel this year is already estimated to be 40 000, up from 8 404 in 2020 and just 434 in 2018.  The true result of separating from the EU has been an even greater loss of control.  Whilst within the bloc, the UK at least technically had the right to send migrants back to their first safe country of arrival under the Dublin Agreement – now not even that option remains.

The problem is of course far deeper than Brexit.  Initially, migration is caused by crises abroad.  Considering this, the decision of the Johnson government in 2021 to cut foreign aid by £4 billion from 0.7% of GDP to 0.5% seems even more nonsensical.  Not only are there basic moral issues with choosing cuts that left the government ‘with blood on their hands’ according to the Global Justice group.  It is also completely non-sensical given the seemingly endless struggle of governments to get immigration ‘under control’.

As well as providing less support to those living under unstable environments abroad, the chaotic cabinets of our own in recent times have left the UK completely unable to cope on an administrative level.  There have been five different home secretaries in office in the last year.  The result?  Inevitable mismatches in policy direction and U-turns.  Grant Shapps today told Sky News that he was warned when in the job for just four days that the Manston site was ‘at risk of becoming illegal’ by government lawyers.  Suella Braverman, both his predecessor and successor, has refused to acknowledge any such comments.  Chopping and changing of policy and personnel, from crackdowns on lorry crossings to the illegal and unworkable Rwanda policy, have left civil servants in a perpetual state of disorder as they try to get their heads around what is asked of them.

And through all of this it is the refugees themselves who are vilified.  Politicians continue to play into the narrative that they are the ones in the wrong, mislabelling asylum-seekers as ‘illegal’ or fuelled by ‘economic motives’.  Of course, there will always be some who come to our country in hope of higher wages and better public services but statistics show the true reality: almost everyone who flees their homeland does so for a reason.

Last year, more than 81% of applications were successful, even after the long and costly waits that almost all applicants face.  Among certain demographics that number is staggeringly high, with 99% of Syrians and 97% of Eritreans admitted at first application.  At the end of 2021 though, there were 81,978 cases (relating to 100,564 people) awaiting an initial decision, 60% higher than the previous year. The number of cases awaiting an initial decision has shown an overall increase in the last ten years, and more rapidly since 2018, when there were 27,256 cases awaiting an initial decision at the end of that year.  Despite the fact that the vast majority of these cases are eventually approved, systemic inefficiency at multiple levels is leaving hundreds of thousands of people unable to work and costing the taxpayer millions.

There’s no denying that this problem is complex with no easy solution.  There is however one thing that could and absolutely should be being done already to make the situation far better for all parties.  That solution is the setting up of safe and legal routes for asylum applications abroad.  That way, instead of driving thousands of desperately vulnerable people into the hands of people smugglers at the channel, applicants would have a genuinely safe way to make their case without risking their lives.

This approach is far from unprecedented.  The Russian invasion of Ukraine saw the government set up processing centres in France and 125 900 successful applications as a result.  Similar nationality-specific schemes are in place for Afghan nationals and people in Hong Kong.  Seeking asylum is not illegal, countries are obliged to offer it under international law, but for the vast majority of people there is still no legal way for them to make an application to the UK government.

Establishing these routes and processes wouldn’t be easy and is no quick fix.  The system undoubtedly needs an overhaul at almost every level but it is without a doubt the most logical step for everyone involved.  Above all though, the way to improve the situation is to put a stop to the kind of dangerous and hate-fuelling rhetoric that leads to terrorist attacks such as the one at Dover last week.  Instead, every decision should be taken with compassion at its heart.  

Image: CC2:0//John Englart Via Flickr.

Flavours of Europe

Archie Moss
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Flavours of Europe

For this week’s piece I sat down with a good friend of mine, Giovanni, to discuss the food of his homeland, Sardinia. Having visited the island myself this summer, I can say that the sense of regional identity is very much apparent. Residents would often tell me when asked that they consider themselves “Sardinian first, Italian second”, and this sense of pride is reflected in the island’s history and in their culture. I will now share some interesting excerpts from our lengthy conversation.

A: How do you think regionalism comes about in culture and cuisine?

G: Anywhere in Italy, or Europe in general, regionalism is quite evident. Islands in general have the capacity to resist change, and since Sardinia is a strategic island in the Mediterranean, like Sicily, so many people have passed through it in one way or another. There are many odd surviving cultural elements all over the island, which are very tiny and might not be noticed immediately, but they are there. Carloforte (a smaller island off the Sardinian south-western coast) is influenced by the tuna which migrates around the island, and the best tuna probably in Europe will come from either Sicily or Carloforte. However, most of the tuna actually goes to Japan for sushi because they pay a lot of money.

A: What are some examples of traditional Sardinian dishes and whereabouts on the island do they come from?

G: The real Sardinian identity is an inland identity, not of coastal heritage, because a lot of the coast had problems with Malaria, which was there until the 1900s. This means the coasts were not as lived in and Sardina became an insular and land-based culture. One very famous Sardinian bread is Pani Carasau, which is a very thin, double-cooked bread. This is like a pizza, except cut in half and baked again. This is made because it can be preserved for weeks, since it is dry. You can smash it into pieces and have with dry sausage and Pecorino cheese, which comes from the East of the island. Interestingly, the originally Tuscan Pecorino cheese-making industry was taken over in the post-war period by Sardinian producers, and today most of the Pecorino from Tuscany is made by Sardinian people. It still uses the Tuscan approach but was refined and improved by the Sardinians.

A: Would you describe the food in Sardinia as simple, or are there examples of refinement?

G: Generally food in Sardinia is simple, but there are forms of refinement, such as ritual breads displayed at weddings or other events. These are dry and meant to be aesthetic; these are extremely elaborate breads which are cut very finely and display motifs which you could find on objects or buildings. These breads take a lot of hours to make. Another typical thing would be pork from a piglet, cooked over the fire for half an hour and glazed, with herbs and a glass of strong wine. Winemaking in Sardinia has improved greatly over the last decade, and some of the best Italian wines are made in Sardinia. There are many interesting grape varieties, for example Vermentino and Cannonau, which is very strong and earthy.

A: Why did wine improve so much over the last decade?

G: Tourism. But also, the wine industry in general has been growing and there is more demand globally. I was in America a couple of years ago and I wanted to bring a gift so I thought it would be nice to bring a Sardinian wine. I decided to take with me a bottle of i Fiori Pala, a nice but simple Vermentino. I thought my friends would never be able to get a bottle of this wine, but I was wrong! I went to a local wine shop when I arrived and they had the exact same bottle that I had bought, even the same year. There is a real global market for Sardinian wine now.

Image Credit: Archie Moss.

The pressure of choosing your degree

Sofia Della Sala
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The pressure of choosing your degree

It might just be me, but I chose my undergraduate degree based on what subjects I was good at in school and which classes I enjoyed going to. Was this naïve? Maybe. Uninformed? Potentially. Do I regret it? Not really.

Many may fear that what you study at university locks you in for life: that since I studied chemistry, I must now be a chemist. However, I am happy to assure you that this is not the case. Degree disciplines are a lot more fluid than just the subject you study, as they should be. How are you expected, at 17 years old, to be able to decide on a lifelong career, especially given that you may not have ever even heard of half the subjects offered at university before?

Something I had to quickly learn was not to be scared of change. I embarked on a five-year degree in a subject which today I no longer pursue. And that is ok. I loved chemistry at school and did well in it, so it seemed like the logical choice for progressing into higher education, but, as I got into the nitty gritty of the subject, I realised that I didn’t want to stand in a lab working with molecules I couldn’t even see. Now I am entering the field of Earth Science, looking at rocks and oceans, areas which I have no experience in, which explains the catching up I have to do.

If you choose to go on to do a post-grad degree, it doesn’t have to be a continuation of your undergrad course. For some people it is, and it is great that they have managed to find what they like so early on; but if you are like me, you might be thinking that you are not sure you have a ‘passion’ like someone who has been obsessed with space since they were four. You can start afresh, and dip your toes into another pond to see if the water is to your liking.

The future is always scary – I get stressed about what I am doing next week, never mind next year. When I graduated from my undergrad, I was so lost that I applied to masters programmes ranging from archaeology to social security. I do not recommend that to anyone, but it highlights the non-linearity of where degrees can take you. You may, like me, have chosen a subject in high school on a whim, stuck through it for years, and are now unsure of where to go next. I wish there was some concrete advice I could give you, but I am just at the start of my post-grad adventure, so let me get back to you in a couple of years.

If you love learning and studying, then don’t be worried about changing fields and going off the beaten path. Sure, it might not be as well-lit as the others, but hopefully there will be people around you to help show you the way.

Image Credit: Ekrulila via Pexels.

Oxford applications fall for first time in eight years

Ashmeet Bhaumik
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Oxford applications fall for first time in eight years

Amidst a cost of living crisis and cuts to the value of maintenance loan, Oxford University has seen a decline in admissions. There were just over 23,000 applications this year for the approximately 3,300 undergraduate places on offer, representing a 2.6% fall. It is not just Oxford however, that has suffered a decrease: there has been an across-the-board reduction in early applications through UCAS. Cambridge had a 5% decline and Medicine applications at Oxford reflected a 10% decline.

The decline comes during a burgeoning cost-of-living crisis and as changes in student loan repayment rules from 2023 have been implemented.

From the next admissions cycle, students will be required to pay back their student loans over 40 instead of 30 years and will start repaying at a lower threshold of £25,000 instead of the £27,500 it is set at currently. This, coupled with growing living costs across the country and retail inflation crossing 12%, is likely to have put off some prospective students from applying.

Applications from overseas students, which includes those from EU countries as of 2021, are in decline, not just this year, but over the past few years. Oxford University noted a 12.2% decline in EU applications for the 2023 cycle, along with a 6.4% decline in overseas applications as a whole.

The University’s decision to increase fees across the board, with an 8% increase for most humanities courses to £35,080, played a part. Visa regulations and threats from the government could also have put off many applicants, as the newly returned Home Secretary Suella Braverman had earlier threatened to restrict the number of graduate post-study work visas that can be issued. The programme, only re-introduced last year, allows students who have graduated with a UK degree to work in the country for up to two years after graduation, without the onerous restrictions applied to the points-based work visa regime.

The faculty of Medieval and Modern Languages at Oxford is likely to deal with dropping numbers this year and in the future. Fewer students are opting to take two languages at A level, limiting demand for the array of dual-language options offered within the Modern Languages degree. This year, a fall of approximately 10% has been noted in applications for the approximately 160-170 places on offer for languages.

Professor Jonathan Thacker, the Modern Languages faculty chair, told Cherwell, “The Faculty is aware of the drop in numbers in taking some Modern Foreign Language A-levels in schools in the UK and has been addressing the issue with increased outreach work. We have a dedicated Schools Liaison and Outreach Officer as well as an academic Director of Schools Liaison. We have also developed pre-sessional courses for many first years who are beginning or continuing with learning a Modern Language at Oxford. We offer most of our languages from a beginner’s level so that those who haven’t had the chance to take a particular language at school can learn it from scratch at university.”

Speaking to Cherwell, Dr Jonathan Patterson, the coordinator of the UNIQ Summer School in French, noted that attendance to the programme had been strong this past summer, perhaps as an effect of post-COVID readjustment in the education system. He also provided an overview of the variety of outreach efforts undertaken by the faculty, including but not limited to, participation in the Opportunity Oxford Bridging Programme, along with targeting prospective students from Key Stage 3 at the secondary level. This might attract a greater number of students, as GCSE choices permit or limit language study at a higher level.

Demand for places remains strong, especially among UK students, who are applying in similar numbers to the previous admissions cycle (2021-22), while the drop is pushed down by EU and overseas applicants.

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