Alternative Prospectus - St Hugh's College JCR - University of Oxford

ALTERNATIVE

Main Building from the main lawn

WELCOME to the St. Hugh’s
College Alternative Prospectus.
What is it, why have we produced
it and why should you read it?
Well, just like the official
prospectus, the idea is to give
you a flavour of College life. The
difference is that this has been
produced by undergraduates at
St Hugh’s. This means that we’ll
be able to tell you what it’s like
to live here, rather than just
about the studying! Hopefully it’s
a little more interesting to read
than the real thing that you’ve
just passed over to your parents/
brother/ sister/ dog/ cat/ bin/
floor. We all think that St.
Hugh’s is a great place, and we
really hope that this will
encourage you to consider
applying here.
That said, there are lots of
equally important things that we’ll
miss out. The University and
College Prospectuses contain lots
of other information, and the
websites are really helpful too!
In the real prospectus, they use this space for inspirational quotes. We’ll do our
best…

WHAT, WHO, WHY, HOW & WHEN?
WHAT you want to study is the
single most important decision
you’re going to make when it
comes to choosing your university.
Only once you’ve decided this
should you start to think about
whether St. Hugh’s, or, indeed,
Oxford, offer the course that
you want. When you know what it
is you want to study, and you’ve
checked that Oxford offers the
course you want, then we can set
about explaining why you should
apply here!
The University of Oxford is a
collegiate university, made up of
39 independent and selfgoverning
Colleges, one of which
is St. Hugh’s. All Colleges have a
lot in common, but each will have
its own character, charms and
traditions. Each College is then
split into three common rooms;
the Senior, Middle and Junior
C o m m o n R o o m s , w i t h
undergraduate students making
up the JCR, and graduate
students and fellows in the other
two.

So why should you apply to St.
Hugh’s? Firstly, if you definitely
want to come to Oxford,
choosing a College to apply to is a
secondary consideration. Take
your time, visit if you can, and
look at the materials that they
provide. If you still can’t decide,
then you can always opt not to
choose a College when you apply.
Secondly, this is what the rest of
the alternative prospectus is
about, so it’s not going to fit in
here! It suffices to say that St.
Hugh’s is definitely one of the 39
best Colleges in Oxford, and that
its location, facilities and people
make it a brilliant place to spend
a few years of your life!
So how and when do you visit and
apply? The University and the
College run a series of open days
throughout the year, and further
details can be found in the
r e l e v a n t p r o s p e c t u s e s
(seriously—get hold of one of
these) and on the websites.
Application details and deadlines,
can also be found here.
“I am beginning to suspect all elaborate and special systems of education. They seem to me to be built upon the
supposition that every child is a kind of idiot who must be taught to think.”
Anne Sullivan

SLEEPING
ACCOMMODATION is available
on site for every student for
every year of their course. Not
only does this mean that St.
Hugh’s benefits from the
intermingling of year groups, but
also that you don’t have to spend
whole afternoons in your first
year traipsing around Oxford
looking for somewhere to live.
With so much on offer there is
the inevitable variability in the
standard of rooms, but this is a
lot less than in most Colleges.
Whilst there aren’t any massive
apartments, there aren’t any
converted broom cupboards
either.
First years are allocated rooms,
and most “freshers” end up in
Main Building (remember the
lovely picture on the inside page?)
or in Kenyon—the token 60’s
eyesore. That said, the rooms in
Kenyon all benefit from southfacing
windows, and have the
additional benefit (over rooms in
Main Building) of containing sinks!
The perennial excitement of the
room ballot provides the
opportunit y t o look for

igger/better/en-suite rooms
(not necessarily available all at
once). Whilst groups ballot for
staircases in Wolfson, those in
search of peace and quiet head
for the rabbit warren of Rachel
Trickett Building or the delights
of Mary Gray Allen Building, and
those lucky third years head for
the holy grail of University
a c c o m m o d a t i o n t h a t i s
Maplethorpe.
There are some rooms set aside
for certain people, such as music
students and fine artists, which
come with a piano or extra space.
Disabled students are provided
for according to their needs, and
82 Woodstock road (accessed
from inside the College grounds)
is set aside as a quiet house.
Whichever building you live in,
you have access to the grounds,
which are one of the College’s
biggest assets. There’s nothing
quite like sitting on the lawns
revising during the summer
months knowing full well that at
other Colleges you can’t hope to
get anywhere near the grass!
“A man who has never gone to school may steal from a freight car; but if he has a university education, he may steal
the whole railroad.”
Theodore Roosevelt

COOKING & EATING
COOKING and eating are key to
your success at university, and all
rooms in College therefore have
access to a kitchen. Though these
are again variable in size and
condition, they are rather useful
when you fancy a midnight snack.
Despite these facilities (which
are unusual in Oxford Colleges),
many students find that they are,
for some reason, completely
unable to cook more than 3
variations of beans on toast,
which can get a little dull after
the first day. Fortunately, help is
at hand in the form of Hall.
During the week this operates
like a canteen, serving three
meals a day, with the food not
only being of a high standard, but
also a low price. At weekends only
brunch is served, though the
infamous Hugh’s Brunch is more
than enough of a reason to choose
to apply to St. Hugh’s. This gives
you time for a lie in, as well as
forcing you to expand your
culinary skills a little in the
evening.

Once a week the College has a
formal hall, which is a three
course meal served in Hall, with
everyone dressed rather more
smartly than usual (suits and ties
rather than the pyjamas that
periodically appear on other
days).
If none of that takes your fancy,
then St. Hugh’s is perfectly
situated for the leafy and
spacious areas of Summertown
and Jericho, which boast some of
the best pubs, restaurants and
sandwich bars in Oxford. The
town centre is a little further
away (10-15 minutes walk), but
this has yet to stop a hungry
student going there.
Whatever your level of culinary
expertise, there is no way you’ll
starve at St. Hugh’s. Food (and
the provision thereof) may not be
high on your list of priorities
right now, but when you’ve spent a
day in lectures /classes /libraries
/playing computer games, not
having to spend hours trying to
find something worth eating is
going to be an absolute godsend!
“Statistics show that of those who contract the habit of eating, very few survive.”
Wallace Irwin

STUDYING
IT’S SAD but true that the
reason you’re at university is to
study. Fortunately, the more you
practise it, the easier settling
down to work becomes.
Since St. Hugh’s is an Oxford
College, a lot of your work will
revolve around tutorials. At least
once per week, you’ll meet with
your tutors to discuss work, ideas
and progress. Whilst this may
sound rather dull, it is actually
quite exciting. It’s an opportunity
for you to spend time with an
expert in the field you’re
studying, and they spend the time
talking to you about how to
improve your own work. In many
cases, your tutors will have
written books or articles that
appear on your reading lists.
These are clearly the most
important ones to read!
What happens in tutorials, and
the work required for them,
varies across the subjects, but is
usually either an essay or
worksheets. You therefore have
these to do alongside the lecture
courses you attend.

One of the major differences
between university and sixth
form is that you can choose when
to do the work, as long as it’s
handed in on time. Not only this,
but you can do it wherever you
like too! St. Hugh’s has one of the
largest, and best-stocked, College
libraries in Oxford, with over
100,000 volumes, two full-time
librarians, and 24 hour access.
The College also has a
commitment to maintaining the
standard of the library, and if
you can’t find a book there that
you particularly need, the staff
are only too happy to help you. In
addition to the books and
periodicals, the lower floor of the
library has wireless internet
access, and all bedrooms are
connected to the University
network, which offers one of the
fastest internet connections in
the country. As if this wasn’t
enough, there are also subject
libraries scattered across the
city, and the Bodleian, which is
the second largest library in the
UK, so there really is no excuse
not to get the work done!
“The illiterate of the 21 st Century will not be those who cannot read and write, but those who cannot learn, unlearn and
relearn.”
Alvin Toffler

RELAXING
WITH ALL this talk of working,
you may think that it is the sole
constituent of life at Oxford.
This couldn’t be further from the
truth! Whilst work is obviously
important, students here like to
play hard as well as work hard.
Every College has its own clubs,
which often feed up to a
University club, enabling you to
join in at the appropriate level of
skill and commitment. Clubs and
societies range from orchestras
and bands, through sports clubs
(both the traditional and nontraditional)
to subject– and
region-based societies to the less
serious ones, such as the pudding
society. St. Hugh’s is no exception
to this, and has a wide variety of
groups, further details of which
can be found on the JCR website.
OUSU (Oxford University
Student Union) is a key provider
of entertainment in Oxford. Its
Entz arm, Zoo, runs student club
nights at a variety of clubs
around the town, with specialist
nights meaning that there’s
something for everyone. Whilst
clubbing isn’t everyone’s idea of a

good night out, it’s always highly
amusing to watch your friends
attempt to dance…
Each College also has its own
miniature students’ union in the
form of the JCR Committee. At
St. Hugh’s, we have 2 Entz reps
w h o p r o v i d e f a n t a s t i c
entertainment in College, ranging
from quiz and theme nights in the
bar to full-blown bops (parties)
where everyone lets their hair
(even further) down.
St. Hugh’s Wonderland Ball
The JCR also hire two punts for
Trinity (summer) Term, which are
available free of charge to
members. This means that you
can interrupt sunny afternoons of
revision with a trip to the river,
and there’s nothing quite like
messing about on a river!
If you arrive here and find that
there isn’t a club for whatever it
is that you’re interested in, funds
are generally available from the
JCR to start a new one. Hence,
there’s no excuse for not having
fun!
“Most people are willing to pay more to be amused than to be educated.”
Robert C. Savage

WELFARE
WELFARE is an important issue,
especially when you are going to
be living away from home for the
first time. The JCR provides male
and female Welfare Officers,
who sit on the JCR Committee
and
deal with general or personal
problems. Their job also involves
giving out free condoms, having
first aid kits for emergencies,
and generally looking out for the
wellbeing of students.
Each year students volunteer to
train as peer supporters, who are
then available to talk through
problems. Nightline is also
available, and is a free listening ,
support and information service.
Both of these facilities are
confidential, on your level, and
are there to provide an
alternative person to talk to.
An equal opportunities committee
is in place to look after any
special needs there may be for
students who are disabled, from
ethnic backgrounds, from abroad,
are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual or
Transsexual, and are Women!

The College also has its own
counsellor, who provides both one
off and series of sessions. The
College even has its own nurse
and doctors who come to the
College each week, so you don’t
have to go up to Summertown. As
if this wasn’t enough, Shaun
Henson, the College chaplain, is a
thoroughly nice chap who you can
go and talk to confidentially
about anything.
When you come here you’ll be
assigned a personal tutor from
your subject group who will
oversee any difficulties you might
be having with work. You’ll also be
assigned subject “parents”, who
are 2 nd years, and can be a great
source of help and information.
The best thing about Hugh’s is
that it’s a great community. You’ll
get to know so many people and
make so many friends you will
probably never even need to use
any of the welfare provisions.
Crucially, they are there if you
need them!
“The good life, as I conceive it, is a happy life. I do not mean that if you are good you will be happy; I mean that if you
are happy you will be good.”
Bertrand Russell

FINANCE
MONEY is always going to be a
concern for prospective students
of all institutions. Whilst we will
try to illustrate the costs of
living and studying in Oxford, all
figures are a guide, and will vary
according to the lifestyle you
choose to lead whilst you are
here. Likewise, the funding
available to you will depend, to a
large extent, on your family
background. Finally, we aim to
illustrate the figures for a
British student—International
students should consult the
College and University websites
for more detailed information.
The first thing to say is that
money worries should in no way
prevent you from applying to
study or accepting a place at
Oxford. Both the University and
Government are committed to
enabling the brightest students
to achieve their potential,
whatever their background, and
there are a multitude of support
schemes available.
The first big bill you’ll have as a
student is tuition fees. These
have been set at £3,145 for the

08/09 academic year, and will
rise in each subsequent year.
However, these will be covered by
the loan ALL students are
entitled to from the Student
Loans Company (which acts on
behalf of your local authority).
The other large bill is “battels” -
the money you pay College to let
you live here, covering rent,
heating, lighting, internet access
etc. In 07/08 these stood at
£969 per term (£2907 per
annum), which can be, again,
covered by a loan from the SLC,
which is available to ALL
students.
Actual living costs then come on
top of this. Meals in Hall cost
between £2 and £4, depending on
how much you eat, and what meal
you want. Obviously, a slice of
toast in the morning is a lot less
than £2! The University
estimates that meals cost around
£1500 pa, and that general living
costs (clothes, books, socialising
etc.) are around £1850 pa. They
estimate a total of £6,500, all in,
pa… (continued overleaf)
“Money is like manure. You have to spread it around or it smells.”
J. Paul Getty

FINANCE
...but this includes accommodation
costs of £3150.
In addition to these major costs,
there are a few smaller ones that
you should be aware of. Academic
dress in Oxford is called sub
fusc. (gown, mortar board etc.).
These are essential wear for
matriculation (the ceremony of
joining the University), which is in
your first term, and all University
exams. You’ll get further details
once you have a confirmed place,
but it is worth being aware that
these cost around £50.
As has been previously mentioned,
St Hugh’s has an extensive
library that contains many of the
books that are relevant to first
year undergraduates. However, it
does not provide one copy per
student, and it can therefore be
advisable to purchase your own
copy of key texts. College parents
are an ideal source of information
regarding which will be of
assistance, and which will be the
most relevant throughout your
course, but it is worth bearing in
mind that textbooks can be
expensive, and budgeting

additional funds at the beginning
of your first term is often a
sensible idea.
As we said before, this is not
supposed to be a (boring and dull)
list of figures, and we stand no
chance of pinning down the cost
of you personally living in Oxford,
but we hope that we have
provided some insight. Further
information is available on the
University webpages, together
with information on schemes like
the Oxford Opportunity Bursary
and costs for international
students. If you are in any doubt,
there are people to talk to, both
in College and in the central
University offices, and this
applies to you whilst you’re
considering applying right up until
you finish your course.
Finally, whilst at Oxford, it is
very difficult to fit in a part time
job, and most people do not work
during term time. However, there
is work available in College during
vacations, in a variety of roles,
for those who want it.
“Money won’t buy happiness, but it will pay the salaries of a huge research staff to study the problem.”
Bill Vaughan

AND FINALLY...
CONGRATULATIONS! You’ve
almost made it through the whole
prospectus without throwing it
down with the real one. All that
remains is for us to explain, once
more, why St. Hugh’s is the best
possible College in Oxford.
• We were the first Oxford
College to be active in
encouraging applicants from
non-traditional backgrounds
to apply, and this commitment
has continued and grown. St.
Hugh’s has one of the best
mixes of students in the
University, including those
from other countries, from
ethnic minorities, and from
families where nobody has
been to university before.
• The College was all-female
until the mid-80’s; now it has
a 50:50 balance in students.
This translates both into a
situation where everybody is
respected equally for their
academic merit, and also into
an environment w here
everybody benefits from
being part of a diverse and

interesting student body.
• Everybody can live on site for
their entire course. This
makes for a real close-knit
sense of community – your
friends are always along the
corridor, or down the stairs.
• On the other hand, there is a
genuinely laid-back and easygoing
relationship between
the fellows and the students.
We have far better Entz than
other Colleges, you don’t get
stupid fines imposed for
petty things like walking on
lawns, and the atmosphere
isn’t at all oppressive or
paternalistic.
We may not have fantastic
medieval architecture. We
weren’t founded by Cardinal
Wolsey. We don’t have bizarre
traditions involving chasing ducks
round the courtyard wearing
blindfolds. But after spending
some time here, we think that the
points above are much, much,
much more important to the fun
we have here, and we hope to see
you here soon!
“If you have both feet planted on level ground, then the university has failed you.”
Robert F. Goheen

THE BORING BITS
WEBSITES
St. Hugh’s College
www.st-hughs.ox.ac.uk
St. Hugh’s College JCR
www.jcr.st-hughs.ox.ac.uk
Oxford University
www.ox.ac.uk
Oxford University Student Union
(OUSU)
www.ousu.org
Costs of Studying
http://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/u
ndergraduate_courses/student_f
unding/cost_of_studying.html
Oxford Opportunity Bursaries
www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergr
aduate_courses/student_funding
/oxford_opportunity_bursaries
Information for International
Students
www.admin.ox.ac.uk/io/guide/befo
re.shtml

Ordering an Oxford Prospectus
www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergr
aduate_courses/finding_out_mor
e/prospectus_order.html
Student Loan Company
www.slc.co.uk
Oxford Student (OUSU paper)
www.oxfordstudent.com
Cherwell (Independent Paper)
www.cherwell.org
ADDRESS
St. Hugh’s College
St Margaret’s Road
Oxford
OX2 6LE
TELEPHONE (Switchboard)
01865 274900
(or +44 1865 274900 for
international callers)
E-MAIL (Admissions Office)
admissions@st-hughs.ox.ac.uk
“Computers are useless. They can only give you answers.”
Pablo Picasso