Robert Mylne, JCR President 2025-2026

A welcome from the JCR

Dear Univ freshers,

As JCR President this year, I am delighted to welcome you to Univ and Oxford!

Firstly, congratulations on achieving your place at Oxford. It truly is a wonderful place to study and grow, and I have no doubt that the work you put in to get here will stand you in good stead for the next chapter of your life. You’ll find a diverse, interesting, enriching community of people who’ll allow you to grow academically and socially, whilst living in one of Britain’s most beautiful cities.

Everyone at College is aware that the transition to university life is not always an easy one. You may well be about to live alone for the first time, or worried about living a long way from home. I remember being very nervous just last year about managing all my affairs and keeping on top of everything without the normality of home, but within a few hours of arriving, College had made me feel welcome and at ease. If you have any issues settling in, the College and the JCR have a wide range of support services.

The JCR, or Junior Common Room, is the name for the undergraduate body within the College, and the community here is friendly, active, and welcoming. The committee is responsible for representing students to the College administration and organising a variety of social events. The JCR meets every two weeks, usually on a Sunday evening, and this is where you can vote on proposed changes at College and elect the members of the committee. These meetings also have pizza provided, so please do come along!

The first thing you’ll experience when you get here is Welcome Week. The JCR committee and societies have been hard at work putting together a varied programme of activities that should help introduce you to the College, university, and your peers. There really will be something for everyone, but it’s important to remember that the week is not the be-all and end-all for your time at Univ. Take it at your own pace and remember there is no “right way” to enjoy the week. There will be plenty of other opportunities and events throughout the rest of your time here!

To keep up with the JCR, please join the WhatsApp (you should receive the link via email), where lots of announcements are posted, and follow the Instagram for more information. Additionally, much of what you may need during your time here can be found in our beautiful JCR website. Feel free to reach out to any of the committee listed there – we’ll do our very best to help!

Oxford is a fantastic place to be, and I do hope you will make the most of your time here. I look forward to meeting and working with you all!

Robert Mylne
JCR President 2025-2026
jcr.president@univ.ox.ac.uk

Ben Willis, WCR President 2025-2026

A welcome from the WCR

Dear new Univ graduate members,

I am writing to welcome you to University College, often called Univ, and to its Weir Common Room (WCR, known most commonly as the MCR). The WCR comprises the graduate students here at Univ. The Univ graduate community is a friendly, diverse, international group, and the returning members are looking forward to welcoming you into the fold. The WCR is run and organised by the WCR committee. You can learn more about the various committee members, their roles, and various other aspects of graduate life on the Univ WCR website.

We always aim to make Univ feel as much like home as quickly as possible, so we have a busy programme planned for Welcome Week (aka Freshers’ week). We really encourage all of you to attend as many events as you can during this week, as it’s a great opportunity to meet lots of new people, both new to Univ and returning to Univ. For those of you arriving earlier, we also have a few events running in the week before Welcome Week, so that you can start meeting people and settling into life in Oxford as soon as you arrive. The timetables are available in your on-line welcome packs. These events are run by WCR committee members, so you will have the chance to meet the different WCR officers and ask any Univ and Oxford related questions you may have before term begins.

For the most up-to-date information on our activities, join the WhatsApp group (you have been emailed the QR codes separately). Our dedicated WCR website is also updated regularly. More general information on the WCR, Univ and Oxford can be found on the Prospective students tab on the Univ website. The website also has a dedicated space for New Student information and a series of useful FAQs .

Finally, if you have any questions, please do not hesitate to get in touch with me (benedict.willis@univ.ox.ac.uk) or the rest of the WCR committee members by email. The WCR Committee and I are more than happy to help you in any way we can, and even if we may not have all the answers to your questions and issues, we can point you towards the person who will. We want to make your start in Oxford as smooth as possible!

I look forward to meeting you very soon!
Best wishes,

Ben Willis
WCR President 2025-2026

See further details on our New Students page.

Published: 6 October 2025

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