QS World University ranking
Known as the oldest university in the English-speaking world, the specific date of establishment of the Oxford University is unknown. But the history provides information that the teaching process of the university commenced in 1096. The university population rapidly increased when the English students were banned from the University of Paris in 1167 by Henry II.
The oxford university was established as a Public research university. Oxford is situated about 60 miles north-west of London and today there are around 240 buildings across 13 sites in and around Oxford. Located in the medieval city centre of Oxford it is entitled as the “the dreaming city of spires” by the 19th century poet Matthew Arnold. The central university consists of 38 Oxford colleges, which are financially independent and self-governing, but linked to the central University. There are also six permanent private halls, which are similar to colleges but they tend to be smaller. The university also owns the largest library system in the United Kingdom.
The university is also called as The Chancellor Masters and Scholars of the University of Oxford. The motto of the university is “Dominus illuminatio mea” which translates to English as The Lord is my light. Throughout the twentieth and early twenty-first centuries Oxford has added serious analysis capabilities within the applied and natural sciences, alongside medicine.
The central university is made up of different sections, which include academic and administrative departments, libraries, laboratories as well as museums.
There are dozens of historic and iconic buildings, including the Bodleian Libraries, Ashmolean Museum, Sheldonian Theatre, the cathedral, and the colleges themselves. The four main academic divisions; Medical sciences, mathematical, physics and life sciences and social sciences control, roughly counted, 100 major academic departments.
The University of Oxford does not have a main campus, its buildings and facilities instead being scattered around the medieval city center. Its colleges each have a distinctive character and traditions often dating back centuries. The college provides accommodation, catering, social spaces, and many other facilities for the students. It also provides student centred services including careers and counselling.
The continuing Education Department offers flexible part-time courses for adult learners. It offers more than 1000 courses each year including weekly classes, online courses, weekend and summer courses, undergraduate and postgraduate qualifications, and continuing professional development courses.
The Oxford’s staff holds both college and university posts and they work together with the colleges to organize teaching and research. The university organises tutorial teaching for undergraduate students. The teaching methods provide the students the freedom to explore, discuss the subjects in small peer groups with an expert in the field.
It is ranked number one in the world for medicine. The university determines the content of degree courses, organises lectures, seminars and lab work for the students.
Students can either spend their time on studies or take advantage of the many extracurricular activities available. There is a wide range of clubs and unions for the students to choose and music and theatre takes the most part of it. The genres of these vary from jazz, to classical and folk.
The theatre is enriched with one of the largest and most vibrant university drama scenes in the country. Also the different sports are also ranked highly, with its top rowers taking part in the world-famous boat race with the University of Cambridge on the River Thames every year.
The colleges and halls are close academic communities, which bring together students and researches from different disciplines, cultures and countries. This helps to foster the outstanding research achievement that has made Oxford, a leader in so many fields.
The university population consists of 11930 undergraduate students, 11813 graduate students and 556 visiting students including both men and women. At present Oxford has a network of alumni of over 250,000 individuals, including more than 120 Olympic medallists, 26 Nobel Prize winners, seven poets laureate, and over 30 modern world leaders and the University of Oxford contributes around £5.8 billion to the United Kingdom’s economy, and supports more than 50,000 full time jobs. The impact is globally calculated as £7.1 billion.
Oxford University has been a place which is loved by the small children and adults not as a campus in general, but for the amazing locations, which were taken for the making of the famous film, Harry Potter without knowing that Oxford really existed.
-Madhusha Dep-