Welcome to Oxford: Freshers’ Event

On Thursday 17th September, Oxford10 held a Zoom event for London-based freshers (undergraduate and postgraduate) to help them ease into their exciting journey at Oxford. Nearly 100 freshers attended the event – a definite record for this Oxford10 committee – and they got to meet friendly faces, hear from current students about how the upcoming term was shaping up amidst the pandemic, and put their wits to the test in a three-round quiz.

Current second-years Seren Ford, Rachel Howe and Orly Welch shared their experiences at Oxford to date – including a Trinity term in lockdown – and their thoughts on how freshers could make the best of their time at Oxford, even amidst a global pandemic. The participants were then grouped by colleges – with some colleges bravely represented by just one person – and asked a range of Oxford-themed questions. We’d invite you to try answering some of them as well:

Which US president studied at University College?

How many libraries are there in Oxford?

When was the Oxford Union founded?

Eventually, the team of Corpus Christi and Christ Church emerged victorious, pulling ahead of the rest of the competition with full points across all three rounds. Seems like that lot are very prepared to do Open House next year, where they will undoubtedly charm wide-eyed sixth-formers with their formidable knowledge of Oxford.

Participants thoroughly enjoyed the event, as it gave them an opportunity to meet some friendly faces and make them feel at home in Oxford (even as they were mostly attending the event in their own homes!). The Oxford10 team wishes every fresher the very best as they began their journey from Oxford; if nothing else, the event gave us cause to reminisce fondly.

Answers: Bill Clinton, 100, 1823