Oxford University is one of the most prestigious universities in the world, located in Southeast England. Oxford University is one of the seven “ancient universities” of Great Britain and Ireland and is considered to be the first university in the British Isles. Oxford is part of the elite Russel Group, which consists of 24 of the best universities in England. Today Oxford University is number 1 in the world according to the international rating of Times Higher Education (THE) and number 4 after IMT, Stanford and Harvard according to QS rating. More than 70 Nobel and other prize winners have worked within its walls at different times. With the exception of medical specialties, the university has no quotas for foreigners.
Faculties and Colleges at Oxford University
Oxford looks like a small federative state: besides the central university there are 38 colleges (Oxford Colleges) and 6 private hostels (Permanent Private Halls), which have self-government and financial independence. Oxford Colleges are unique multidisciplinary academic communities: they have no particular areas of specialization, and students at one college can study in any of the approximately 100 academic departments: from Theology and Oriental Studies to Genetics and IT. All of them are organized into four major divisions:
- Humanities;
- Social Sciences;
- Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences;
- Medicine.
Oxford usually does not fall below the tenth position in any of the academic disciplines in international rankings.
The University also has a Department for Continuing Education which offers online or part-time courses, summer schools, continuing education programs, etc.
There is a division of roles between the central university and its departments:
- Admissions Management. The university oversees the admissions process at all levels of training. However, the selection and admission of undergraduate students rests entirely with the colleges. In the case of master’s degrees, the University first enrolls students, after which the colleges make their own selections.
- Facilities. The colleges provide housing, meals, recreation, and other facilities for students. The university provides centralized services, including guidance counseling, and access to libraries, laboratories, and museums.
- Instructional process. Much of the educational process is overseen directly by the University: the content of curricula, lectures, seminars, labs, examinations and dissertations, and the awarding of degrees. The colleges are responsible for the tutoring system.
The setting for Oxford University
The territory of the University is truly vast: each college has its own dining hall, bar, library, common room and dormitories. Most are in or near the center of the city, so you’ll find churches, stores, cafes, pubs and restaurants close by. In addition to entertainment venues, there are theaters, museums and libraries on campus. Moreover, Oxford University has its own publishing house, where the world-famous Oxford Dictionary is printed. There’s also an arboretum and England’s oldest botanical garden.
Classrooms and canteens at some colleges can be seen in a series of films about the young wizard Harry Potter. The Christ Church College dining hall was the most often seen in them.
Prospects after graduation from Oxford University
Statistics show that 91% of Oxford University graduates find a job within the first 6 months after graduation or go on to further studies. The university’s Career Service provides assistance in finding employment – it selects suitable vacancies, teaches students how to correctly prepare documents for employment and plan their career.
The Oxford University Career Center has developed a special mobile application called Oxford Careers Fair Plus, which can be downloaded for free from the university’s official website. It allows you to learn all the necessary information about employers, new vacancies and future dates of job fairs.
It is worth bearing in mind that it is not so easy for foreigners to stay in the UK after graduation. Until recently, the only option was to find a job with a licensed sponsor in just four months. However, since autumn 2020, the British government resumes issuing UK post-study work visa for graduates, which allows you to look for a job within 2 years after graduation c and the subsequent transition to the normal work visa.
