The first time I ever visited the UK was when I moved to Oxford for my PhD (or DPhil in Oxford speak). I was nervous, excited, and thought I could assimilate easily after growing up watching Sherlock, Midsomer Murders, and Doc Martin. After all, my native language is English, how different really is the UK? Oh, how wrong I was.

University of Oxford specific things:

• You will have to pick a college to be a member of. The college system here was extraterrestrial to me when I applied and I had no idea what they meant or how to choose. I don’t think you can go wrong, but there are a few factors to consider:
  • One important factor is how much money the college has and the scholarships it offers. For some scholarships you must be a member of a certain college to receive the scholarship. You’d have to look at each college individually to find the specific scholarships they offer. Some of the richer colleges from what I’ve gathered are St. John’s, Merton, Lincoln, Christ Church, Magdalen, Jesus. But of course, it’s not all about money, and the smaller ones have their own charm 😊.
  • Another factor I would consider is what graduate accommodation they have since you’ll most likely be living in it your first year. How newly renovated is it? How much does it cost? Where is it? Is it close to your college/department/the city centre? If not you’ll most likely be walking, biking, and/or taking the bus a lot.
  • I chose Exeter college because it was one of the older colleges and has a really good choir. You get the old architecture, it’s central, the graduate student community is active, and there are a good amount of graduate student scholarships.
• Funding for DPhils can be complicated. It is not always the case that you have funding if you are accepted into a DPhil program. First, when you’re applying, ask the program directors if they have fully funded places for international students. I think there are three common funding options:
  • 1. You are on a fully funded placement. That means the degree you applied to has money to fully cover your course fees, give you a stipend, and possibly provide extra money for travel or conference fees. iCASE projects, for example, are fully funded and are nice because they already have a set project idea with industry partners.
  • 2. You receive a scholarship that fully covers your fees and stipend. One scholarship that fully funds DPhils is the Clarendon Scholarship. I think you are automatically entered into the application pool if you apply before the December and January deadlines, and you don’t need a separate application.
  • 3. You self-fund. Since you can be accepted for a DPhil and not have any money attached to it, some people opt to fully self-fund their degrees.
• There are so many acronyms. Here are a few that are pertinent to my degree and I still get mixed up:
  • CDT = Centre for Doctoral Training. A course that you apply to.  
  • DTC = Doctoral Training Centre. A building and institute which is the home for some interdisciplinary CDTs.  
  • CMD = Centre for Medicines Discovery. A centre for drug discovery research groups.
  • NDMRB = Nuffield Department of Medicine Research Building. Where the CMD lives.
  • UKRI = UK Research and Innovation. The national funding agency in science and research in the UK.
  • EPSRC = Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. A sub-agency of the UKRI that funds research in engineering and physical sciences. OPIG’s leader Charlotte Deane also leads the EPSRC as the Executive Chair.
• There are so many communities, clubs, organizations, etc. that you can join. It can definitely feel overwhelming. I’d recommend going to the Freshers’ Fair, which usually occurs the first week of the fall term (week 0 of Michaelmas in Oxford speak).
• If you need some sort of administrative task being done for your college or department, the fastest way to get help is by going in person to handle it. Oxford, for all its advances, still operates at heart like a historic institution.
• For your visa, you’ll pay an NHS surcharge, which gives you access to use the NHS. You’ll most likely be assigned a doctor’s office via your college.

General life:

• Do you walk on the right or left side of the sidewalk (pavement in British English)? I’d default to walking on the left side, but it just depends on what your fellow sidewalk partakers decide on as well, so usually it’s a free for all.
• Your American accent will stick out like a sore thumb and people will make fun of you for it. Go with it.
• Prioritize getting a bike and a railcard (it gives you a discount on train tickets!).
• Many non-US people group the US into three regions: you’re from either the West coast, East coast, or somewhere in the middle.
• Since I’m not from a major city in the US, I use this order to tell people where I’m from: first the US, then the state, then the city if they’re still interested. Super simple right? But if you start directly with the city name, no one knows where that is.
• You won’t understand some phrases or the common way of saying things at first. Some examples:
  • “Tea” can mean the tea you drink out of a mug, a light afternoon snack, or dinner.
  • Pudding = dessert.
  • I didn’t know if I should say quid or pounds when referring to money. I’d say defaulting to pounds works for all situations.
  • A common greeting is “You alright?” or “Alright?”, which is synonymous with the more American greeting of “How are you?”. Common responses are “Yeah, good, you?”, “I’m well, you?”, or “Eh, alright.”
• Getting a meal deal for lunch is a rite of passage to adult life in the UK and you too will go through it.
• I would say it took me about 8–10 months to feel fully at ease living here. It takes time to find your routine and your people. If you feel out of place, it’s okay, you’ll find your place!

Finally, if you only take away one thing from this post: watch a British comedy show or go to a stand-up show when you arrive. Comedy shows in general do a great job of portraying what is and isn’t socially acceptable, since the jokes constantly dance that line between funny and absurd. My personal favorite is Peep Show.

Have fun and enjoy the unique Oxford life!