Life

Accomodations


Keble College

All students on the Oxford Summer Seminar live, eat, and take courses at Oxford's Keble College campus. Keble College is just one of 39 unique campuses at Oxford University.

The first Oxford College of the modern era, Keble College was founded in memory of John Keble (1792-1866), well known for his best-selling Christian verse and a key member of the so-called Oxford Movement which sought to recover the Catholic heritage of the Church of England. The College’s aim was to make an Oxford education available to ‘gentlemen wishing to live economically,’ an early attempt to broaden the social depth of the student body. The College was originally strongly Anglican in its ethos, but not narrowly confessional in large part due to its first Warden (the head of the College), the youthful Edward Talbot, who encouraged the teaching of science and had no problems with the theory of evolution. He was also a strong supporter of women’s education, and a leading light behind the foundation of Lady Margaret Hall.

Housing & Dining

Students live in single rooms and share a bathroom with one other student. There are only two students per floor.

Meals are served in the College Dining Hall. The meal plan includes five dinners—Sunday through Thursday nights—and breakfast seven days per week. This plan includes the weekly High Table Nights on Tuesdays, which all students attend. On Friday and Saturday, breakfast is the only meal provided, leaving students free to eat out in Oxford, or, if they wish, wherever they travel that weekend. Oxford abounds in delightful yet affordable small restaurants, cafes, and pubs. Cooking is not permitted in student rooms, but refrigerators in each room make it possible for students to keep beverages and prepared food for sandwiches or snacks. Sandwiches, salads, and other reasonably priced take-out items are readily available in nearby shops.

Gardens

Recreation and the Outdoors


A few blocks away from Keble College are the University Parks, with beautiful trails for running and jogging, fields for pick-up soccer and ample space to study, sunbathe, play or picnic. For those who need an indoor work-out, Oxford has several gyms that offer short-term memberships. The city also boasts an exquisite botanical garden, two rivers (the Thames and the Charwell), where students can swim and punt (i.e., boat), the latter being an old, well-established and thoroughly romantic Oxford tradition. Students will also enjoy the Oxford canal with its long tow path. Those who crave the sight of animals can walk 10 minutes from Keble to visit the famous, centuries-old Port Meadow, common grazing land by the Thames, where herds of cows, sheep and horses mingle with the wild geese and swans.