Oxford University’s Radcliffe Camera library sits in the center of a picturesque cobblestone square. It looks like something out of a movie (and it is — most recently, Saltburn!). Exeter College offers the best vantage point of the RadCam, and I often found myself sitting on a bench, looking over at this view during my time at the Williams-Exeter Programme at Oxford (WEPO). First kisses, drunken games, group photos, heartwarming conversations, and study sessions all took place around that lovely little bench in front of the RadCam. I remember that bench fondly because it represents the lively year I spent at Oxford.
If it wasn’t already obvious, I enjoyed my time at WEPO. I’ve grown a lot over the past year, and I credit my time at Oxford for much of that positive change. I hope to highlight the positive aspects about my time at WEPO and give my perspective on what worked really well for me at WEPO last year. In light of the recent WEPO decisions, I wanted to provide more context for what WEPO offers and encourage more people to apply next year.
The WEPO program is known for being academically rigorous and demanding, as students submit two six- to eight-page essays every week. That sounds scary, but I found it to be manageable after a few weeks. Once you adjust to the steady, unchanging workload, you can get into a — albeit procrastinative — rhythm that works best for you. I found I could do most of the work for the week during three days and then could have the remaining days off.
Additionally, Oxford is an incredible place to deep dive into niche interests. Archaeology is my life’s passion, and Williams does not have many resources, courses, or professors for it. At Oxford, I worked with wonderful professors and graduate students in archaeology and really engaged with the field I absolutely adore. For Williams students who want to develop a niche of study not offered at Williams, Oxford tutorials can be a great place to explore those interests. Every week, I would show up to my tutorial, gab for two hours, and select whatever topic seemed most interesting for the next week’s work. Because I wasn’t restricted by the Oxford course structure and degree requirements, I could take multiple graduate-level courses and even create my own courses with my professor. All my classes were structured around deepening my personal understanding of the field. It was a researcher’s dream.
Oxford, like any university, has its disciplinary strengths and weaknesses. Certain STEM majors, like physics or math, may be more frustrating or challenging to adjust to at Oxford, given the limited access to laboratories and the emphasis on essay writing. My archaeological research did involve STEM work, and I was offered multiple opportunities to work in archaeological labs, but these sorts of opportunities are not a given at the College. This is both because of the tutorial structure of the university as well as a Williams student’s unique position as both an Oxford student and a visiting student. We were allowed access to many classes that would have required prerequisites, but also denied access to certain classes for which we may have been qualified because we did not have the said prerequisites. I say all this to emphasize that some of the academic process at Oxford is luck; you might stumble onto an amazing professor, or you may find yourself frustrated with your professor. Your classes may just be you and the professor, or you and three other students who don’t show up to class. Like any university, each student’s experience with the institution’s academic offerings will be different. I would encourage interested Williams students to not be dismayed by this. Many of these issues are quickly resolved during the start of the year, and there are many current and past WEPO students who have the knowledge to help you find courses that fit your interests.
My experience wasn’t just school work — it also provided rich social opportunities. The city of Oxford is home to many colleges, and the student clubs Williams students can join are university-wide. This provides students with the chance to meet people from other colleges and create friendships across the university community. There are a multitude of clubs from chess to scuba diving, and most clubs have weekly meetings in pubs around Oxford.
It goes without saying that socializing and making friends is a different process for everyone. However, I loved that, at Oxford, you weren’t expected to know everyone. Exeter College is a smaller, more tight-knit community, while the larger university offers much more anonymity and flexibility. Generally, socializing was relaxed, fun, and flexible because clubs weren’t taken too seriously and the Exeter students (one of whom became my best friend) were helpful in introducing me to new people. The WEPO cohort added another layer of support, providing a group of smart, funny, approachable people to lean on when I was feeling lonely or nervous to make it out on my own. I adored my cohort, and while it certainly could have been easy to just stay in the WEPO Compound (located about 10 minutes bus ride away from city center) with the rest of the WEPO students, many in the cohort had friend groups outside of the program, and many others were happy to go adventuring to make new friends.
Perhaps one of my favorite things about WEPO was that I learned to enjoy my life-work balance. Nonetheless, at WEPO I learned how to better balance my schoolwork and research with my free time and non-academic life. During my first two years at Williams, I was often bogged down with massive amounts of homework and reading, and filled the rest of my time with club meetings and other extracurricular activities. I found myself feeling like I was wasting free time by not doing something that would advance my resume or get me more involved on campus. At WEPO, I learned to let go of this guilt and enjoy doing nothing. Part of this was due to the multiple head injuries I sustained playing frisbee, which forced me to step back and take a break. However, Oxford culture also played a role. The university culture around clubs was relaxed and casual, with many people only joining to have buddies to drink or hang out with. This meant I committed to a club only if I actually wanted to. After I finished homework, I put the work down and enjoyed time with my friends for a few days.
I know a big concern people have with WEPO is the Compound — where the cohort is housed — is very isolated, resulting in Williams students staying within their own bubble. I have mixed feelings about this concern. Moving from a very tight-knit, physically close community to a city will always require much more active outreach. For some, this adjustment is more frustrating and difficult. I appreciated this change, because it felt more realistic to life outside of Williams. I certainly needed to be more intentional and deliberate about going out to see people, but I found that allowed me to feel independent. I could have my privacy when I needed to, and go see friends when I wanted to. Rather than feeling trapped at the Compound, I felt like I had a pleasant separation between my home life and my social life. For me, Oxford was what I made of it. I got out what I put in.
The academic and social connections I made at WEPO have been indispensable. Despite the setbacks I experienced — adjusting to concussions and a new country, among others — I found WEPO consistently provided me with intellectually challenging research alongside fun and expansive social opportunities. I had a great year filled with incredible friends and professors. Anyone with interest in independent research, more freeform study, or niche subject matters would certainly thrive. Additionally, Oxford provides a wider community and a broader selection of extracurricular and social options. It provides more privacy, flexibility, and space for a student to grow as a person. I couldn’t recommend it enough.
Audrey Lipsey ’24 is a anthropology major from Portland, Ore.
