Ch 33: Michaelmas: Top 3 Social Events

Oxford Socials come in all size, color, variety, and flavors. They tend to be as creative and fun as the folks that come up with them (and attend). Here are a handful that I particularly enjoyed:

1.) Fresher's Week- A special time for all souls new to the Oxford community to come out and play. It was an exciting time for me. My first chance to experience full college "bops", revel in the awe of it all- of being in a community so rich with tradition and yet ripe with excitement.

2.) Oxbridge Boat Party- What could be more fun then taking a fancy-paints, black tie boat ride around London on a luxury cruise and dance with 400 mates from Oxford & Cambridge? I was even able to write the outline for a paper on the trip over- what a bonus! One of the many reasons to invest in a good a tuxedo in Oxford.

3.) Matriculation Day- A tradition at Oxford that funny enough does not take place the first week but rather a few weeks into the first term. Matriculation marks your full acceptance as a student of both the University and the college you belong to (mine is Pembroke, a great college started in the 1600s by the Earl of Pembroke). The day starts at your college (where you are dressed in full subfusc), continues with a march to the Sheldonian building (where a welcome speech is given in Latin) and end(?) with a long afternoon and evening within the many pubs of Oxford.