If you are thinking of attending our Oxford summer schools, you may be stereotypically imagining Oxford life, with the dreamy spires and bicycles and ancient buildings that offer a scene little changed from centuries ago. But how much is that really true?
In some respects, this perception does reflect reality; much of the city, especially around the older colleges, bears a striking resemblance to how it did a long time ago. Two wheels remain an effective way to get around in a city never made for cars.
As for the colleges themselves, many have kept to age-old traditions as well as historic architecture. Merton College epitomises this; one of the oldest colleges, it dates back to 1264. Today there are notable aspects such as the Junior Common Room activities for undergraduates and its sports teams, often run in conjunction with Mansfield College.
However, while it is true that universities help shape the wider world, the reverse is also true. Like other higher education institutions, Oxford was once an exclusive, elite place for privileged social classes and also men-only. Women were only allowed to study at the University from 1920, the same year the first female MP took her seat in Parliament.
This is a far cry from the Oxford of today, where there is increasing diversity, not just between the sexes, but across class, race, and other barriers. This is particularly important because discrimination is in nobody’s interests; it removes the benefits to wider society of individuals from whatever background being able to fulfil their talents.
Indeed, if you come from a ‘non-traditional’ background, you may be surprised at how far Oxford has come. These days, it is not Oxbridge where you will find the highest proportion of students from public school backgrounds, but the Royal Agricultural University and Durham.
Should you come to Oxford to study, you will be able to experience many great traditions and taste the city and the university’s rich history. But you will also find much that has changed, providing more opportunities for talented students of all backgrounds to flourish.
