Month: December 2015

Suffice it to say that as a German, I think I know how to properly celebrate Christmas (after all, we invented the Christmas tree). However I must admit that the British do quite a good job as well in this respect. On the island, Christmas seems to be not only about „Gemütlichkeit“ (cosiness) and winding down; it’s also taken as a opportunity to party and be with your friends.

Christmas parties are happening everywhere. Be it in restaurants with friends, in the boat club or with your fellow students and professors in college, traditional turkey dinners, Christmas crackers and mulled wine are omnipresent. I definitely recommend buying Christmas jumpers. The supply is wide-ranging and quite playful. For instance, I got myself a jumper and these complementary pairs of socks.

Even the city is decorated Christmassy.

 

While the „Winter Wonderland“ in London gives you a nice impression of how an actual German Christmas Market (that got crossed with the Oktoberfest) might look, Oxford has a smaller and arguably nicer market.

Oxford Street (in London)

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!

When you tell your friends or family you are coming to Oxford as a student for a longer period of time, sooner or later there you will certainly be asked one question: Are you going to row? Well, it’s just one of the things that ordinary people just expect Oxonians to do. Rowing conjures up images of you beating the guys from „the other place“ (read Cambridge University). You will be told you have to get up at 5.30 am to get on the boat by 6 am even in winter and that your body will ache after four/five sessions on the Isis (read the Thames) a week. But don’t be fooled by that (although you probably won’t be given the opportunity to beat Cambridge): Rowing is actually quite fun!

Yes, a tiny part of the preparation also takes place indoor (the “tank”)

Firstly, basically everyone else in your boat will be new to rowing. So don’t be frightened by your lack of experience.

Secondly, rowing is organised at college level. This is why it will give you the opportunity to get to know your fellow students from college even better. After all, there’s nothing more fulfilling than jointly getting that eight-seated beast moving with coordinated strokes.

Thirdly, you will get up at 5.30 am to be on the boat by 6 am even in winter! While others still sleep in their cozy beds, you are taking on the real world. This means that come 9 am, you will be one of the few students attending the Corporate Finance Lecture who is actually right in thinking he is master of the universe.

For more about the MJur program, please see Oxford’s Full Profile on LLM GUID