College life: quick facts
You may know most of the main facts about Christ Church, such as whether it offers your subject and where it is in Oxford, but there's probably a lot of info relating to college life here that you haven't heard about yet. Read on for a quick summary of some of the aspects of Christ Church life that you may not be aware of...
- There’s always plenty to do when you’re not working! There are two JCR Entz reps who organise club nights, bops twice a term (late night fancy dress parties in college), open mic nights in the Undie, our college bar, and lots more besides. You could also join the college choir, take some life drawing classes in our art room, join one of our many successful sports teams, or even have a go at some stargazing with our very own JCR telescope!
- Alongside the rest of our excellent welfare provision, there are also plenty of other opportunities to meet up with people from college and enjoy a bit of downtime. Welfare Tea is held every Sunday, with lots of free food and a chance to chat with other members of the JCR, and Late Night Tea Break is held at 10pm on Tuesdays, so that there’s somewhere to go if you fancy a break later in the evening. The Chaplain also holds Brain Strain Tea in her office on Thursday afternoons (most weeks you can even take part in the baking for this!) so you can meet up for a chat and some tea and cake. These are all great ways of getting together with friends from college for a catch up and to procrastinate if you’re trying to get through your latest problem sheet, and can really help if you’re feeling stressed.
- You’ve probably already seen pictures of the inside of our Hall, but there are several things about it that you might not know. Like the fact that King Charles I held his parliament here during the Civil War! Back to the present, and dinner in Hall is paid for on a termly basis, coming to less than £3 a day, which is pretty amazing for a three course dinner! Plus twice a term there’s a Guest Dinner, where you can dress up and bring a guest to enjoy the great but affordable food prepared by our wonderful kitchen staff.
- Free cake! Speaks for itself really – but to expand slightly on that statement, both the JCR and GCR have a Cake Rep, whose job it is to provide everyone with a free cake at some point during the academic year. Which can only be a good thing.
- As well as having Christ Church Meadow right on our doorstep, there are also 10 gardens in college! One of these, the Masters Garden, can be used by students in Trinity Term, so it’s a great place for a picnic, a game of croquet, or just to get some work done on a sunny summer day. Being at a college with some open space and grass you can actually walk on is always a plus! During Trinity you can also go on the lawns in Peckwater Quad, which is also pretty nice as they’re right outside a lot of student accommodation.
- You might already know that Christ Church can offer you accommodation for every year of your undergraduate course, but did you also know that you can jazz your room up with pieces of art? The Christ Church Picture Rental Scheme allows students to choose and hire a piece of artwork from our collection, to be displayed in your room for that academic year! All you need is a £20 deposit for the year.
- The Library is open from 8am to 1am during term time (0th to 10th week), which is really useful if you suddenly find yourself needing a book during a late-night essay writing session. If they don’t have the book you want, you can ask for the library staff to purchase it for you, and it’ll be there waiting for you in the library before you know it. There’s Wi-Fi throughout the library, as well as work spaces and computers. You can find out more about using the library here.
- Our college chapel is unique in that it's also Oxford’s Cathedral! It’s a spectacular building, and evensong sung by one of our many choirs is always a great experience. And there are concerts and special services throughout the year (such as Freshers’ evensong, Christmas services, and Leavers’ evensong) that are always worth going to.
- There are plentiful kebab vans that appear on Oxford’s streets during the evening and provide a late-night snack when you’re out, but our nearest is the incredible Pizza Artisan, which is just over the road in Pembroke Street. They’ll cook you a delicious fresh pizza in their wood-fired oven, which is a great option for if you don’t get round to eating in Hall. And G&D’s, Oxford's famed ice cream cafe, is just over the road and is well worth a visit for some of their delicious ice cream, cookies, or a bagel.
There are many things that make life at Christ Church pretty great (food seems to come up a lot, but that can't be a bad thing), so hopefully this has given you a bit of an insight into some of the things you can enjoy if you become part of our college. Feel free to get in touch if you have any questions!
