The best aspect of the university experience thus far is definitely the friends I've made and the community I've found, especially within college. Meeting people from all walks of life who share the same love of learning and curiosity about the world has really inspired me to keep pushing myself, in academic and other areas of life. In addition, Oxford life might be hectic, but offers plenty of opportunities to explore and experiment with whatever it is you're interested in, from sport to music to research. While the historic architecture of the university is undoubtedly breathtaking, there's room for improvement in terms of the quality of infrastructure. The university's wifi service, for instance, is often quite unreliable, despite the fact that wifi is now an essential part of the educational experience - particularly with more home-based learning due to the pandemic.

I would definitely recommend Human Sciences to anyone who is searching for an inter-disciplinary degree that is often challenging and never dull! The best part about this course is the breadth of subjects I get to study, from anthropology to evolutionary genetics. Moreover, it is structured in a very thoughtful manner, such that you are able to specialise and choose the modules you are most interested in during the final year. Additionally, it is not just the breadth of learning, but also the depth of knowledge that I appreciate in Human Sciences. We attend lectures together with students from the biomedical sciences, geography, anthropology and archaeology, and so on, thus ensuring that our engagement with the material is sufficiently well-rounded. One area of improvement would be the facilities provided to students – given its small cohort and the relatively recent establishment of the course (as compared to other degrees like Law or Theology), there are very limited resources available for Human Scientists, in terms of faculty buildings, libraries, and so on. However, I must point out that the small cohort size is also an advantage, in that we are able to get to know each other pretty well.

One of the best things about Oxford is that it is very convenient, located only an hour or so from London (and its airports, given that I'm an international student). Moreover, it offers a great mix of things to do - from shopping in Westgate to strolling in Port Meadow! However, one area that's not particularly great is the housing situation - Oxford has a very high rate of homelessness, a problem that has only been worsened by the pandemic. As a student, I volunteer with various organisations to deliver meals, but I still feel helpless in the broader systemic negligence of this issue.

Considering the significant barriers to socialising and general life at University, I think the experience I have had this academic year has been really quite good. The university has, on the whole, managed the situation quite well - but my college (Queen’s) has adopted a particularly good stance which has enabled adherence to the government guidelines, whilst allowing the junior members to enjoy the experience as much as possible.

The facilities, both in terms of outfitting and breadth of choice, are second to none.

Support is good, but the waiting lists/bureaucracy is often quite long, so it can be difficult to get immediate support

The contact I have with my supervisor is very good, and other members of academic staff are usually very receptive and responsive to emails