7 Signs You Studied at Oxford

Every university has its unique set of experiences, in-jokes, traditions and slang – and Oxford is particularly rich in all of these. If you studied at Oxford, here are seven signs the university has left its mark…

1. You never quite feel fully dressed unless wearing a black gown.

The first time you had to wear your gown in public, you felt pretty silly. But now you can’t imagine attending a special occasion without it. Starting from matriculation (the ceremony in which you become formally enrolled), you soon became accustomed to grabbing your gown for ‘formal hall’ (evening meals in your college), official meetings with professors, and exams. Once you leave the Oxford bubble, it may take some time to adjust to attending job interviews and other formal events without your trusty gown. Ever tempted to wear it round the house (swoosh)?

2. Your bike’s been stolen. At least three times.

By the time you graduate, you can’t imagine travelling any other way – and you’re also all too familiar with the sinking feeling of returning to find an empty space where your bike should be. Maybe it was outside the ‘Rad Cam’ (the distinctive circular library which is part of the historic Bodleian complex), or the student house you rented in Cowley while ‘living out’ in your second year. Or maybe you spent half an evening searching up and down ‘the High’, swearing never to leave your bike out of doors again…

3. Carnations evoke some pretty intense flashbacks.

One of the many traditions maintained at Oxford is the practice of wearing carnations during ‘finals’ (end of year exams). You wear a white carnation for your first exam, a red for the last, and pink for each day in between. Never again will you be able to look a carnation in the face without getting flashbacks to that intense few weeks of cramming, cramming and more cramming.

4. You speak the Oxford code (including sub fusc, eights, entz, battels, blues, mods and pidges).

Being part of the Oxford club is all about picking up the lingo. Strange as it all sounds at first, before you know it you’ll be meeting friends in the JCR before heading to eights, checking your pidge for information about mods, complaining about battels and debating the finer points of sub fusc. You’ve probably picked up a sprinkling of Latin along the way too.

5. You’ve got a wardrobe full of fancy dress…

Oxford students LOVE dressing up – and not just in gowns. From freshers’ week onwards, you’ll find your college ‘entz’ calendar consists largely of regular ‘bops’ – themed fancy dress parties. As a result, your Oxford legacy probably includes an impressive collection of charity shop treasures, headwear, oversized glasses, spray-on glitter, and a stick-on moustache for every occasion. It’ll come in handy when you finally get the call to join MI6.

6. And many stories involving mysterious kebab vans.

In keeping with the city’s Harry Potter connections, the streets of Oxford magically transform at night. Outside of each college, a white van appears at dusk, ready to sell kebabs and cheesy chips to post-bop students with the munchies. No night out is complete without a visit to your local van, but often this isn’t the end of the story [insert drunken half-forgotten memory here]. Your feelings about food purchased from vans are likely to be ambivalent for a long time to come, combining strong elements of both nostalgia and dread.

7. You have a friend who will probably be Prime Minister one day.

Oxford has a good track record as a training ground for the UK’s political elite – especially the famous PPE (philosophy, politics and economics) degree. Regardless of whether you were a regular at the Oxford Union’s debates or crossed paths with members of the infamous Bullingdon Club, chances are you can think of at least one classmate whose face you wouldn’t be surprised to see in the cabinet someday soon.

Have an Oxford experience to add to the list? Share it in the comments below, tweet us or share on Facebook. If you studied elsewhere and want to share your own memories of university, get in touch with our editorial team.