Hannah Pollard

3rd year, Music

Despite enjoying music throughout my time at school, I didn’t decide to study it at university level until fairly late on in year twelve. After finally deciding on a subject I then began the task of searching through the endless pile of prospectuses and league tables, of which Oxford was frequently listed as top. I was encouraged to apply by my Head of Sixth Form, but even after attending various Oxbridge talks I was still unsure as to whether Oxford was the place for me. It was not until the faculty open day and the interview period that I really warmed to the place – all the staff and students were welcoming and friendly, and the sheer enthusiasm of everyone I met inspired me, not to mention Oxford being an amazing city to live in. Although the application process was daunting, especially coming from a state school that doesn’t send many students to Oxbridge, I’m definitely glad I gave it a go as I am thoroughly enjoying my time at Univ.

The college system certainly makes it easy to settle in here. With both first and second years living on site you quickly get to know a lot of people- it’s hard to walk across college without stopping to chat to different people! Univ is often labelled as the friendliest Oxford college and I definitely believe this is true – everyone is eager to get involved in college life and willing to get to know each other, regardless of what year they’re in. There’s a whole range of activities to get involved in through the college, from sport to music to drama to the various positions on the JCR committee. In terms of facilities, the college has everything you need – very good accommodation, a brand new kitchen, buttery and bar, common room, a brand new IT room, squash court, music room, library – and living on the High Street means everything is within short walking distance. Oxford can be a daunting place to come to, but Univ has one of the most relaxed and informal atmospheres – informal hall is served every night, tourists are not allowed in so it really feels like home, and even the porters seem to be the friendliest!

As there are only around 60 musicians per year, with each college only having a few students each, you get to socialise with lots of other students from different colleges. Musicians at Univ are lucky enough to be given a room with a piano in, which makes life a lot easier. I’ll never forget the moment I moved into my first year room- it was way bigger than my room at home and I had my own piano! Music students at Univ are able to claim a £200 grant per term to cover costs of music lessons and college also offers choral and instrumental awards for additional funds. Univ’s music society also has a range of groups to join on a more low key level, and gives music students in particular the chance to get involved in managing, conducting etc. Oxford has brilliant opportunities for whatever you’re interested in musically – there are a number of University ensembles you can audition for in Freshers’ Week, all of which are of a high standard.

The first year course is primarily designed to bring all students up to the same level and to give you a foundation on which to build for finals. Typically in first year you would attend three to four lectures, one class and three tutorials a week. As Music has relatively few contact hours, the biggest transition from A Level work is learning how to organise your time effectively and work independently. Although this was challenging to begin with, I now enjoy the flexibility and independence the course gives you. While the lectures provide an outline of the course, the main bulk of the work and teaching is done in tutorials which cover history, techniques of composition and analysis. Univ is paired with Merton College for all of its teaching, so tutorials will be with students from both Univ and Merton (usually three to four in total). You will have one main tutor who oversees your progress in general and then move to different tutors with specialist interests in a certain topic you happen to be studying. I’ve found this particularly beneficial as you maintain some continuity of teaching whilst gaining different skills from different teaching styles and interests of a variety of tutors. The tutorial system is definitely what makes Oxford – I’ve improved so much from simply discussing the subject in more depth with my tutors and tutorial partners, and have found my tutors friendly and easy to work with.

Although there is a lot of work to get through in the short terms, there’s still time for fun! I’ve played in one of the University Orchestras, the University String Orchestra (which I now manage) for both years, last year I sung in the Univ chorus and was part of the University athletics team, and this year I’ve started rowing which I love. There’s definitely a ‘work hard, play hard’ feel to the university – you’ll never be bored here! So if you enjoy your subject, enjoy being busy and getting involved, and enjoying being challenged then Oxford is definitely the place for you.