Lifestyle

The only thing missing from this bean was chocolate

If there were a smell I could capture, bottle up, and treasure forever, it would be the toasty and heartening smell of cacao roasting in the morning.

Hidden in plain sight: the bakery behind Oxford’s café counters

You may not know the name, but you have almost certainly eaten the pastry. Does the bakery behind Oxford’s favourite cafés hold its own at the counter?

Why are we so afraid of being bored?

We’ve come to think of boredom as an inevitable but unpleasant gap between activities, or as space to fill, but we’ve stopped seeing that space as worthwhile in itself.

Corn-ish at Oxford: A reflection on identity

Cornish folk are few and far between at Oxford. As a Cornishman myself (albeit half Cornish), I can vouch for how little people know of our nation.

Red flags or human flaws: Has university dating culture forgotten what it means to love someone warts and all?

All it takes is for me to catch a glimpse of a boy on a VOI and I’m out. It’s now possible to designate a character trait as a red flag and rule someone out completely. What happened to second chances?

Grieving someone I never knew

It feels natural to carry sadness for moments missed, for the advice that might have been shared, and for the unique kind of love that could have shaped your life.

Le pain: Living as a coeliac at Oxford

Mastering the 'art of the coeliac' involves everything from pre-kiss teeth brushing to BOP juice abstinence.

Three wishes for Oxford

Thomas Napier daydreams of a world where he plays God.

The town, the gown, and… the tourists

Oxford tourists - endearing, a nuisance or something more?

What’s your purpose? (In six words or less)

Describe yourself in 6 words or less. Find your passion. Find your purpose. Can your passion become your career? Can you monetise this? Can we monetise this? Can you make us money?

The little things

It can be easy to forget the power of beauty and gratitude. After struggling with depression, the little things can make your day. Like a pen.

A month in Berlin: Embracing solitude in the big city

Alone in a bustling city - isolating or exciting?

Re-understanding my Nan

In many of these residents, I also saw glimpses of my Nan, realising she wasn’t alone in her inner conflicts between feeling cared for and feeling controlled.

Dishoom’s Permit Room brings the spirit of Bombay to Oxford

Sitting next to Shamil, Kavi, and their loved ones made us feel part of the Dishoom family; sharing plates and insights on life over various cocktails made four hours fly by. From cocktails to curries, Dishoom's Permit Room exceeded all expectations.

Guess who’s coming to dinner? Politics.

A guide to surviving family politics one relative at a time.

A comprehensive guide to Oxford student stereotypes

The facts of Oxford are far ahead of its fictions, creating a peculiar disjunct in the identities of its undergraduates. Each student must battle with either “I’m not your stereotypical Oxford student!” or “I am your stereotypical Oxford student!”

Represented at Oxford: State school students

How did we come from the Bullingdon Club culture to the Oxford we have today?

Oxford kebab vans: For the uninitiated

Oxford students have loyalty to two things: their college and their kebab vans.

Stockholm syndrome: Reversed 

Education folklore has it that for many years, students at MIT have scrawled the acronym ‘IHTFP’ (I hate this fucking place) around campus in an attempt to express disdain for their university. After two years at Oxford, I can now report that students here often experience similar feelings.

Why get up? Why keep going?

At every late library session or rainy walk back to college, I think back to my days in fluorescent-lit, outdated offices. I think of riding a busy bus, an hour each way. I think of pointless, drawn-out meetings. And I think of all the time I wasted for no good reason.

Keep missing the Northern Lights? A guide to aurora-chasing in Oxford

Last night, Oxford was treated to another spectacular display of the Northern Lights. For many students, this marked the second time this year they...

Narcissus’ reflection: Ego and the Oxford experience

What exactly does it take for someone to think of themselves as ‘worthy’ to study at one of the greatest universities in the world?

Much ado about nothing: Oxford cafes

Having spent a ridiculous amount of time working(ish) in Oxford cafés, these are some of the top tips and tricks I have learnt about attempting to navigate Oxford café culture.

The grey area

It is a funny thing to become a statistic. It all seems so binary before it happens to you. Are you the zero, or the one?

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