Chri! ChurchO X F O R D

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Christ Church is one of the 30 undergraduate colleges of the Universityof Oxford. It is situated in the heart of the city of Oxford, close to themain University facilities and adjacent to Christ Church Meadow andthe Isis and Cherwell Rivers.

Christ Church was founded in 1525 by Cardinal Wolsey as CardinalCollege. Wolsey fell from power before his ambitious grand plan wascompleted, and Henry VIII refounded the college as Christ Church in1546. The Cardinal’s red hat, which is preserved in the Christ ChurchLibrary, is still used in the college crest, while a full-length portrait ofHenry VIII now hangs in the Hall.

Over the years Christ Church has had many distinguished students,tutors, and visiting academics. These include the philosopher JohnLocke, the physicists Robert Hooke and Albert Einstein, the poetsPhilip Sidney and W.H. Auden, the broadcaster David Dimbleby, thescreenwriter and founder of Comic Relief Richard Curtis, and thirteenBritish prime ministers. Charles Dodgson, who under the pen nameLewis Carroll wrote Alice in Wonderland, was a maths tutor at ChristChurch and Alice was the real-life daughter of the then Dean of theCollege. Christ Church’s most famous landmark, Tom Tower, wasdesigned by Christopher Wren, who was also the architect of St Paul’sCathedral in London.

But Christ Church is not only famous for its illustrious history. Today,the College continues to attract talented students from many differentbackgrounds and with a wide range of interests, both academic andextra-curricular. By combining a friendly and inclusive environmentwith an ongoing tradition of academic excellence, Christ Church’sfuture looks just as bright as its past.

Front cover: Hall reflected in Tom Quad fountain.Inside cover: Fountain with statue of Mercury in Tom Quad, Christ Church.

Welcome to Christ Church

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At Oxford, students are taught in university-widelectures, small-group classes, and labs or practicals.These forms of teaching are underpinned by regular,college-based meetings known as tutorials. Tutorialsare held once or twice a week with your tutor and atmost one or two other students. These meetings arethe focal point for teaching and learning at Oxford, andprovide an opportunity for you to engage criticallywith your week’s study through debate and discussionwith your tutor.

Thanks to the tutorial system, students receiveindividual and highly personalised attention from atutor who is actively involved in research and who isoften a leading expert in his or her field. Tutorials arenot a passive form of learning, but instead depend onactive participation from both sides. You are expected

to be prepared to discuss your thoughts and ideas withyour tutor, who in turn offers suggestions,encouragement, and constructive criticism to help youextend and deepen your understanding of the topic.Through regular tutorials, you will learn to thinkindependently and critically, will never be content witha merely superficial understanding of a subject, andwill discover how to form, express and, whennecessary, revise or defend your own views.

A significant proportion of your working week is spentpreparing for tutorials. The form this preparation takesdepends on the subject. You may be asked to write anessay, answer a group of focused questions, orcomplete a set of problem sheets. All tutorial teachingis integrated with lectures, classes, and practicals.Typically, scientists spend a significant amount of time

Academic life – studying at Christ Church

Christ Church offers an intensive academic experience within asupportive, collegial environment. The College brings together peoplefrom a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures, all of whom share acommon enthusiasm for the study of their subject.

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in the lab, whilst students in the humanities and socialsciences tend to spend more time workingindependently in college or faculty libraries.

Though you are given individual feedback on the workyou produce for your tutorials, this work does notcount towards your final degree classification. Instead,tutorials are designed to promote learning free fromthe pressures of formal marking. Formal assessment isprimarily done through exams, most of which aretaken at the end of the final year of study. There areoften opportunities for research projects and extendedessays, which are then marked as part of the finaldegree classification.

Overseeing your studies at Christ Church is a personaltutor, normally a tutor in your subject. It is yourpersonal tutor who checks that academicarrangements are in place and working well, guidesyou in the choice of optional subjects, and arrangestutorial teaching. Your personal tutor is also the personyou can turn to for help with everything fromnavigating library and lab resources at Oxford to whereto obtain advice about possible future careers.

A wide range of courses is available at Oxford, the vastmajority of which are offered at Christ Church. All ourcourses initially provide a broad foundation in thesubject before allowing scope for specialisation in thelater years of study. The course content and structuredo not vary from college to college, nor do the exams.

The courses on offer at Oxford are academic andtheoretical, and do not ‘train’ you for a particular job.Our degrees nevertheless prepare you for manydifferent kinds of careers. Learning through the tutorialsystem is a process that broadens your outlook,nurtures your independence of thought, and developstolerance and understanding of other points of view,all skills highly valued by employers.

Graduate StudiesGraduate students play an important role in the life ofChrist Church. At any one time, we have around 260students studying for higher degrees and diplomas,about half of whom are from overseas. Details ofgraduate programmes can be found in the University ofOxford Graduate Studies Prospectus, which is availableonline at: www.admin.ox.ac.uk/postgraduate.

“I have alwaysfelt safe in theknow ledge thatif I had aproblem, mytutors wouldhelp me.”

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Further information about graduate studies at ChristChurch is available from our Tutor for Graduates at:tutor.graduates@chch.ox.ac.uk

Scholarships, Awards and Financial AssistanceAs is the case at all Oxford colleges, no awards areoffered on entry to Christ Church, apart from Organand Choral Scholarships. All undergraduates areconsidered for a variety of scholarships and otherawards on academic grounds for their second andsubsequent years. Organ Scholarships andAcademical Clerkships (Choral Scholarships) areawarded in most years. Organ Scholars are expectedto study music; Academical Clerks may study anysubject. In addition, Instrumental Awards are offeredto undergraduates in recognition of theircontribution to the musical life of the College.

We are aware that the issue of student finance is agrowing concern and possible barrier to access. Weoffer generous financial support to students whoneed it, in the form of bursaries, grants (for books,travel, and vacation residence), and interest-freeloans, meaning that no student with the ability and

potential to study at Oxford should be deterred frommaking an application to us based on financialgrounds. Further details can be found in the coursesupplement at the back of this publication.

LibraryThe College boasts some excellent resources to helpits students with their academic work. The spaciousChrist Church Library houses a collection of well over160,000 books, including many of the core textsrequired for taught courses, in addition to numerousearly printed books and manuscripts used byresearchers. It is generally regarded as the largest andbest-resourced library in Oxford outside the world-famous University library, the Bodleian. There is also aseparate Law Library with a valuable collection oflegal works, which is open 24 hours a day.

Computer FacilitiesThe College’s two well-equipped computer roomsare available for use by all students. The terminals arefully networked, giving students access to email andthe internet, as well as offering a full softwarepackage, including word processing, presentation

“Oak panellingand dreamingspires aside,Christ Churchhas a reallyfriendlyatmospherewhich makesstudying herenot onlyrewarding, butlots of fun too!”

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tools, and teaching software such as that used forlogic tuition. All student accommodation at ChristChurch is also fitted with an internet connectionpoint, which allows students who have their owncomputer or laptop the opportunity to use theinternet from their own rooms free of charge.

Picture GalleryChrist Church is fortunate in having an importantcollection of Old Master paintings and drawingshoused in our own Picture Gallery. It includes worksby Leonardo, Michelangelo, Raphael, Rubens, VanDyck, and the Carracci. There are also frequentspecial exhibitions of both historical andcontemporary art, including undergraduates’ work.The Picture Gallery is a convenient and invaluableresource to students of Fine Art, History of Art, andrelated disciplines, as well as those who simply enjoythe visual arts in general.

Art RoomWe are fortunate in having an Art Room and Art Tutoravailable to all students, whatever subject they may bestudying. The Art Room is very popular and enjoyed

by a wide cross-section of the College's members. It isequipped with basic artists’ needs (materials are forsale) and lots of space in which to work. The Art Tutor(who also looks after our Fine Art students) offersafternoon and evening classes such as life drawingand printmaking, as well as friendly, informal advice,and organises visits, discussions, and video displays.Resident artists are also invited, and the Art Room isused for displays of work and exhibitions.

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AccommodationAll students can live in college rooms throughouttheir time at Christ Church. Although our buildingshave been built over many centuries, rooms havebeen modernised and offer spacious, comfortableaccommodation. First-year rooms are allocated; insubsequent years, rooms are chosen by ballot.

Most accommodation is found on the main collegesite. Rooms vary from traditional Oxford ‘sets’ (one ortwo bedrooms and a sitting room or study) to modernsingle study-bedrooms. All have a bed, wardrobe,desk, armchairs, wash hand-basin, and shaver point.Some have an en-suite shower and toilet; for the rest,bathrooms, showers, and toilets are abundant and

conveniently located. A fridge is provided in eachroom, and students may bring a kettle and toaster.

About 60 undergraduates live in the modern LiddellBuilding, shared with another college and just a shortwalk or bike ride away. This building consists of threeand four bedroom flats with their own kitchens. It ispopular with final-year students wanting a moreindependent lifestyle as they approach theirexaminations.

One flat in the Liddell Building is equipped for up tothree disabled residents, and single rooms for disabledstudents are available on the main site. It is importantto recognise that the College was built on different

College life – living at Christ Church

Students from many different backgrounds and with a very wide range of interests cometo study at Christ Church. With over 400 undergraduates, 260 graduate students, and 100teaching and research staff, we are one of the larger Oxford colleges and offer places forthe majority of undergraduate courses available at the University. As such, our studentsform part of a diverse, vibrant, and very active academic and social community.

“Dance, sing, act,get into studentpolitics, paint –and if a societydoesn’t alreadyexist, create it.”

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levels over five centuries and so access to some areasmight be a problem, though further accessibilitymeasures are being introduced. Applicants withparticular requirements are invited to visit the Collegeto see for themselves any potential problems and todiscuss with us how these might be overcome.

MealsAlthough there are no self-catering facilities on themain site where the majority of undergraduates live,most students enjoy eating together in Hall.

Self-service breakfast and lunch are available everyweekday with brunch on Saturday and Sunday. Thereare two dinner sittings each evening in Hall –informal at 6.20pm and formal at 7.20pm whenacademic gowns are worn and tutors attend.Breakfast, lunch, and brunch are on a pay-as-you-eatbasis; dinner is charged to termly accounts. Studentsare welcome to bring one or two guests.

There is a good selection of tasty food at reasonableprices, including a range of vegetarian options.Special diets can also be catered for.

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“The College isalwayssupportive andsympathetic tostudents’needs...”

Support and WelfareWe recognise that there may be times when life atuniversity becomes stressful, and so have in place anetwork of college welfare representatives,comprising fully-trained staff and students, who areavailable to listen and help with anxieties or problems.

The College Chaplain will also lend a sympathetic andconfidential ear, whether you are a church-goer or not.The Chaplain makes it a priority to get to know as manymembers of Christ Church as possible, helping them toadapt to university life. The Chaplain is available daily inCollege and lives nearby in order to be accessible tostudents whenever they might need to have a chat.

The University also runs a counselling service whichChrist Church members may take advantage of ifthey wish. OUSU (Oxford University Student Union) isamong other organisations offering various kinds ofsupport services to undergraduates.

We have a college nurse who holds a surgery onweekday mornings and can be contacted at othertimes. The college doctors provide medical care

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under the National Health Service. There is also acollege dentist who can offer emergency treatment.

Social LifeChrist Church offers clubs, societies, and activities tosatisfy and develop a wide range of interests. Thecollege students’ union, known as the ‘Junior CommonRoom’ or JCR, coordinates social events and generallylooks after the well-being of undergraduates.

The common room is furnished with table tennis andpool tables, and next door there is a widescreen TVwith satellite channels and a DVD player. A number ofsubject-specific societies arrange dinners, speakers,and discussions. Discos are held regularly, and otherevents include band nights (to which you can bringyour own band!), quiz nights, trips out, and activitiesthat raise money for charity. The centre for many ofthese events is the college bar, the Undercroft, whichis open from 7pm to 11pm every night.

In addition to the extra-curricular opportunitiesavailable at Christ Church, all students are eligible tojoin any of the more than 300 University societies.

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“One of the bestattractions ofChrist Churchas an under -graduate is theenvironment:you meet such adiverse range ofpeople that anyworries aboutstereotypes aresoon dispelled.”

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SportThe Christ Church sports ground is among the best inthe University with excellent pitches and a friendly bar.It is a short distance from the College on Iffley Road.Many different sports are catered for: badminton,basketball, cricket, cross-country, football, hockey,netball, pool, rowing, rugby, squash, table football, andtennis are only some of the options available to allstudents. Everyone is welcome to participate at a levelthat suits his or her abilities. There are various inter-collegiate competitions, but it is possible to getinvolved even if you are more enthusiastic and willingthan highly skilled or experienced.

MusicMusic plays a large part in the life of the College and isenjoyed on many different levels. In addition to theCathedral Choir, there is also a more relaxed CollegeChoir, open to both women and men. Concerts aregiven regularly in the Cathedral by a wide variety ofperformers from within the College and beyond,ranging from small chamber groups to full orchestras.The Music Society organises an extremely successfulannual Music Festival. Those with more contemporary

interests are invited to showcase their talents at thetermly ‘open mic’ night. There is also a Music Roomwhich all undergraduates are able to use. It is equippedwith one of the College’s fine Steinway grand pianos.

Drama Christ Church undergraduates have a long tradition ofwriting, acting, and producing, both within the Collegeand in productions organised through Universitytheatrical societies. First-time actors, directors, andplaywrights, as well as more experienced theatre-hands will find many opportunities to become activelyinvolved in drama during their time at Christ Church.

Working in the CommunityWhilst enjoying all that is on offer at Christ Churchand the University, many students also get involvedin helping people in the wider community. They canbe found caring for Oxford’s homeless, visitingimmigration detainees, and helping in local schoolsor drama projects. Most popular of all is our HomeLearning Scheme, which links Christ Church studentsto local families with children whom they visit weeklyto act as mentors and help with their learning.

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The admissions process to the University of Oxford isuniform across all colleges, with college tutors in eachsubject making judgements and decisions based on acommonly agreed set of subject-specific criteria.

The tutors at Christ Church admit students solely onthe basis of their academic abilities and potential,assessing achievement in the light of individualcircumstances. We invest a great deal of time andeffort into the selection of our students, and eachapplicant to Christ Church can expect his or herapplication to be considered very carefully.

We seek to admit the students who are best suited tothe courses we offer and the way in which we teachthem. Our tutors have to make very fine distinctionsamongst many, very well-qualified applicants, whichmeans they take into account all the informationavailable to them. Your academic record and

personal statement are important to us, as is thereference written by your teachers. Alongsideevidence of a high level of achievement inexaminations, we expect our candidates to have readwidely around their subjects of interest, outside theirschool or college curriculum. You may also berequired to submit written work or sit a written testfor some subjects.

Although many of our successful candidates pursueinterests outside their academic studies, extra-curricular activities unrelated to your subject do notform part of our selection criteria or selection process.

Specific details and requirements relating to theadmissions process may change from time to time,so you are encouraged to check the University’sadmissions web pages for the most up-to-dateinformation: www.admissions.ox.ac.uk.

Making an application

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Typically, when applying to Christ Church, you canexpect at least two interviews, each with at least twointerviewers. Most subjects will ask you to stay inOxford for two or three days, during which time youmay have interviews at other colleges as well; insome subjects, this is automatic. This is in order toensure that the top applicants to Oxford are awardedplaces at the University in their chosen course,irrespective of the college to which they haveapplied.

Interviews are not intended to intimidate or catchyou out, but to challenge you in order to bring outyour potential. We are keen to find out not just whatyou already know, but whether you have or are likelyto develop the intellectual qualities needed to studyyour subject at university level.

The format and content of interviews varies fromsubject to subject, although they are all academic infocus, designed to mimic a tutorial. You may beasked questions related to your school or collegework, or to a particular academic interest mentionedin your personal statement or raised by written work

you may have submitted. You may be givensomething to read beforehand or something toexamine in the interview, such as a poem, anewspaper article, a photograph, a legal statute, atray of butterflies or shells, or a mathematical ortechnical problem. In all cases we are not looking forinstant, ‘right’ answers, but rather for ideas that willprovide the basis for a discussion. We are particularlyinterested in the way in which you approach ourquestions and formulate your responses. Each weekat university you will be asked to grapple with newconcepts, so seeing how you process and respond tounfamiliar ideas or materials gives us a goodindication of how you will manage on the course.

An Oxford interviewis definitely not a re-run of UniversityChallenge. Do notexpect quick-firequestions andpoints to bededucted forincorrect answers!

Interviews at Christ Church

A distinctive feature of the Oxford application process is the interview.Although it may seem to be a daunting experience, it is the best wayfor our tutors to assess your suitability for your chosen course. Weassess performance at interview alongside all the other informationavailable to us, and thus the interview is just one part of the overalladmissions process.

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University Parks

SOUTH PARKS ROAD

Christ Church

Christ Church runs annual open days to give potentialapplicants a flavour of what it is like to live, study, andsocialise at the College. Booking details can be foundon our website at: www.chch.ox.ac.uk. Outsidethese events, you can find out more by looking atour website. Tours can be arranged at other times forschool and college groups or individuals bycontacting the Admissions Office at:admissions@chch.ox.ac.uk.

Admissions Information CentreThe University operates an Admissions InformationCentre located on Little Clarendon Street in thecentre of Oxford, which is usually open from 9am to5pm, Monday to Friday, for potential applicants todrop in for further information and a chat withUniversity admissions staff. General enquiries can bedirected to:undergraduate.admissions@admin.ox.ac.uk.

LocationChrist Church is located in the heart of Oxford. Themain entrance is on St Aldates, under Tom Tower. It isa 15-20 minute walk from the railway station and a10-15 minute walk from the bus station. No parkingis available in the College and driving is notrecommended, but we are happy to make specialarrangements for the physically disabled. Oxford hasa Park and Ride scheme, which other motorists areencouraged to use.

Further information

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advisors, parents, and carers. Events and activitiesinclude presentations in schools and colleges,informal visits to Christ Church, applicationworkshops, e-mentoring, and teachers’ conferences.We are particularly interested in making contactwith schools and colleges with little or no history ofsending students to Oxford. For further details aboutour access initiatives, please go to:www.chch.ox.ac.uk or contact our AdmissionsOffice at: admissions@chch.ox.ac.uk.

Access InitiativesChrist Church is keen to work with under-represented schools and colleges from themaintained sector in order to raise academicaspirations, demystify life at Oxford, and encourageapplications from bright students, whatever theirschool or background.

Our access programme is aimed at students fromyear 9 upwards, as well as their teachers, careers

Chri! Church

TomTower

TomQuad

JCR

Tom Gate (Porters’ Lodge)MAIN ENTRANCE

MeadowBuildings

CanterburyGate

Cathedral

PeckwaterQuad

Library Picture Gallery

Blue BoarQuad

Hall Christ Church Meadow

MeadowGate

Schools Quad

The Undercroft

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Chri! ChurchAdmissions Office

Christ Church

Oxford

OX1 1DP

01865 276181

admissions@chch.ox.ac.uk

www.chch.ox.ac.uk

Printed on 100% recycled paper

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