10 reasons why Oxford is the best place to study
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With its academic atmosphere, and its historical and cultural richness, Oxford is just awe-inspiring. I know you are probably thinking that my opinion is biased, but Oxford is clearly the best place to study. Don’t believe me? Read the ten points below and I’m pretty sure that by the end of this post, you’ll want to pack your things and move to Oxford straight away.
- The “University of Oxford atmosphere”
When you live in Oxford, you are neighbors with one of the best universities in the world… This means you’ll see students walking around wearing gowns during exam weeks, be able to enter some of Oxford’s thirty-eight colleges for a tour, and even have access to some of the lectures and events held by the university. Especially if you are an academic person (but not necessarily), Oxford is definitely the place to be!
- Cute cafés and good restaurants
The Grand Cafe, G&D’s, Atomic Burger, Banana Tree, The Turf Tavern, Buongiorno e Buonasera… These are only some of my favorite places to eat in Oxford, but you won’t need to go far to find good food, just head over to Cowley Road or to the city center and I promise you – Oxford will please even the most exigent foodie.
- Study time
As EF Academy students, we have access to part of the Oxford Brookes campus, which is one of Oxford’s two universities (the other one is obviously the University of Oxford). The John Henry building is less than 10 minutes away from our school by foot, and we can use their library and study area where there is a café that serves drinks from Starbucks. Win!
- Location, location, location
OK, the EF Academy campus isn’t super close to the city center, but it isn’t too far either. I would say it’s a thirty minute walk from the High Street, but you can get there in 10 minutes by bus. Also, there is a bus stop near the school with buses to the city stopping every 5 minutes.
- The green spaces
There is nothing better than fresh air to relax and forget about all the school stress. Luckily, there are plenty of open spaces in Oxford where you can go and take in some vitamin D during the spring, summer and sometimes even autumn months. Some of my suggestions are South Park, the Christ Church Meadow, the University Parks and the Botanic Garden.
- Diversity
Walking around the city, you will hear different languages and accents. You will also be able to find food from all around the world: France, India, Thailand, Brazil, Italy, Japan, and many others. Even though I consider the atmosphere in Oxford to be quite British, this doesn’t mean you will feel like an outsider here at all.
- London as your neighbor
London isn’t all there is in the UK, but no one can deny it is a pretty cool city. There are several different things happening in London every weekend, from concerts to lectures, and if you ever want to do something different, the capital won’t ever disappoint you. Also, it is good to be near London’s airports — the main ones are Gatwick and Heathrow — which offer flights to almost every country.
- Shop til you drop
Although I wouldn’t call Oxford a shopping destination, the city has whatever you might need/want. There is a store in the Oxford Brookes campus near the school, and you can also get groceries, stationery and medicine in Headington shops, which is a 15 minute walk from campus. You can also find all of that in the city center, and if you want to shop for clothes, accessories or makeup you can do that at Westgate, a pretty cool shopping center that has been recently renovated.
- Culturally-minded
If you are a museum type of person you will love Oxford too. The most famous museum we have is the Ashmolean, where you will find art and archaeology exhibitions, but you might also want to explore the Pitt Rivers Museum, the Oxford University Museum of Natural History and the Museum of the History of Science.
- The city is just beautiful!
The beautiful city of dreaming spires will make you feel like you are living inside a Harry Potter film. With a history that dates back to the Saxon period, you will be able to find several different types of architecture by just going for a walk in the city center: Medieval at the Oxford Castle, Gothic at Magdalen College, Neoclassical at Queen’s College, just to name a few…
Well, what can I say? Oxford is truly amazing!
Written by: Ana Luiza Loio, current student at EF Academy Oxford
Think you can picture yourself in Oxford? Great!