So after two days wandering around London, on my third day of England adventures, I decided to take a bus out to Oxford. There I met with one of my school advisers from back home, who's the head of my program and has a position at Green Templeton College of University of Oxford. He and his wife were very gracious hosts who welcomed me into their home, then took me out for lunch. We also walked around the town and campus.
Oxford was definitely not what I was expecting. I didn't know exactly how the colleges fit into the university, and that they are spread out all around the town as small mini-campuses. I can't say I still understand the system; it's a bit weird for me. With the differences between UK and US education, their system seemed messed up. They go to secondary school until they are 19, and when they come to university, they start right up into their specialty...no general education requirements, because they do that in high school.
Overall, Oxford was an interesting place. We saw some of the colleges and the town. What was most significant for me was being taken to the former home of Dr. William Osler, who is considered the father of modern medicine. As I hope to become a physician some day, it was very special to be there.
After wandering around Oxford for a bit, I decided to come back to London. Oxford certainly was an interesting place, but I didn't feel like I fit in there. There seemed to be a sort of elitist attitude there, but it's well deserved, as it's Oxford. There's a lot of talk about students from my program going to Oxford for a gap year, but I don't think I could do that. First, I don't think I would get in, and second, I just wouldn't fit in at Oxford. This isn't to say I didn't enjoy my time there, though. It was still a cool place with a tremendous history of famous people (Robert Hooke, John Locke, William Penn, Bill Clinton, and Rowan Atkinson, among others).
Radcliffe Observatory...if I remember correctly, this is where Halley's Comet was first seen?
Oxford was definitely not what I was expecting. I didn't know exactly how the colleges fit into the university, and that they are spread out all around the town as small mini-campuses. I can't say I still understand the system; it's a bit weird for me. With the differences between UK and US education, their system seemed messed up. They go to secondary school until they are 19, and when they come to university, they start right up into their specialty...no general education requirements, because they do that in high school.
Overall, Oxford was an interesting place. We saw some of the colleges and the town. What was most significant for me was being taken to the former home of Dr. William Osler, who is considered the father of modern medicine. As I hope to become a physician some day, it was very special to be there.
After wandering around Oxford for a bit, I decided to come back to London. Oxford certainly was an interesting place, but I didn't feel like I fit in there. There seemed to be a sort of elitist attitude there, but it's well deserved, as it's Oxford. There's a lot of talk about students from my program going to Oxford for a gap year, but I don't think I could do that. First, I don't think I would get in, and second, I just wouldn't fit in at Oxford. This isn't to say I didn't enjoy my time there, though. It was still a cool place with a tremendous history of famous people (Robert Hooke, John Locke, William Penn, Bill Clinton, and Rowan Atkinson, among others).
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