Sport, music and student societies

Whether you want to compete seriously or just for fun, bond in a team or work on your individual health and fitness goals, you will find what you are looking for in sport at the University of Oxford ( OxfordUniSport), which consistently ranks as one of the top 10 British universities for sport by the British Universities and Colleges Sports (BUCS).

There are teams, tournaments and competitions at all skill levels, from college clubs to inter-university, or 'varsity', teams. If you want to represent the University, you have the chance to join a rich tradition of highly competitive teams.

The University’s top athletes gain the status of ‘Blue’, an accolade that stems from the first boat race in 1829, when Cambridge tied light blue ribbons to their boat and Oxford adopted Christ Church’s dark blue. Nearly 200 years later, the annual varsity Boat Race ( OUWBC) between Oxford and Cambridge rowing teams is screened live by the BBC and watched by millions all over the world.

The University’s Sports Federation helps to run over 80 clubs – including traditional sports, new and esoteric activities, and everything in between – for anyone from the interested novice to the international athlete.

The University offers excellent sporting facilities on three main sites within a short distance of the centre of Oxford.

• The Iffley Road sports complex is where many clubs train and compete; it boasts a fitness gym, an all-weather running track, an Olympic-standard hockey pitch, a 25-metre swimming pool, rowing tank, cricket school, sports hall, dojo and café, along with provision for football (soccer), lawn tennis and rugby.
• The picturesque University Parks offer rugby, football, lacrosse and hockey pitches, cricket facilities, croquet lawns and tennis courts. They are one of the only places in the world where spectators can watch first-class cricket for free.
• The Marston Road sports ground is dedicated to the women’s football, rugby and cricket clubs and has its own clubhouse.

The University Club, situated in Mansfield Road, provides additional resource to graduate students and university staff. It hosts several sports clubs, such as football, cricket and archery, in addition to a fully-equipped gym and an attractive café and restaurant that provide a thriving social centre. Membership of the University Club is free to graduate students.

Many of Oxford's colleges have sports facilities of their own, from squash courts and fitness suites to boathouses, cricket pitches and lively clubhouses, forming a network of green spaces across the city.

There are many ways to participate and enjoy music at Oxford, both classical and contemporary.

In Oxford's long tradition of classical and sacred music, students regularly perform in the city's numerous beautiful, historical and purpose-built venues as part of the University Orchestra, Oxford Philharmonia, Oxford Bach Choir and the Schola Cantorum chamber choir.

Oxford Philomusica ( OxfordPhil) is the University’s Orchestra in Residence which, as well as offering concert performances, provides master classes and conducting classes for students. The annual Music at Oxford ( MusicAtOxford) programme features concerts and recitals from talented student performers and groups as well as internationally-renowned professional musicians.

Complementing the opportunities at University level, there are also many college orchestras, choral societies and chamber choirs. Oxford is home to the world-class New College Choir ( newcollegechoir) and Christ Church Cathedral Choir, which perform worldwide and record regularly.

On stage, backstage or in the audience, you can take in a great variety of classic, contemporary and experimental plays. Oxford is famous for its dramatic productions, with about 30 student productions every term at venues around the city including the Burton Taylor Studio, the Oxford Playhouse ( OxfordPlayhouse) and a number of seasonal venues such as college gardens and the Said Business School rooftop ampitheatre which provide wonderful settings for outdoor shows in the summer term.

Oxford's many historic and green spaces often become unconventional venues; in recent years the quad of the Bodleian Library, the University Parks and the Norrington Room of Blackwell's academic book shop have hosted productions of Shakespeare and Marlowe plays.

There are University-wide bodies – including the Oxford University Dramatic Society (OUDS), the Theatre Technicians’ Society (TAFF) and the Oxford Revue ( oxfordrevue) – and many societies at college level. Every year OUDS mounts an international tour of a production directed, performed and produced by students. It also hosts a national tour every summer, culminating in a run at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival.

There is a full-time University Drama Officer who helps students to plan, programme and publicise their productions. The Drama Officer also organises workshops and talks, which are free and open to all, and can advise those planning a career in theatre or film on graduation.

Each year a major theatrical figure is appointed as the Cameron Mackintosh Visiting Professor of Contemporary Theatre and gives a series of lectures and workshops for students. Postholders of this position include Ian McKellen (1991), Richard Attenborough (1996), Kevin Spacey (2008-09), Patrick Stewart (2006-07) and Meera Syal (2011-12).

Oxford's dynamic community is a powerhouse of positive social engagement.

The city is home to a number of global charities focusing on the alleviation of poverty and environmentally sustainable development including Oxfam ( oxfamgb), the New Internationalist ( newint) and the Centre for Effective Altruism, which comprises the organisations Giving What We Can ( givingwhatwecan) and 80000 Hours ( 80000Hours). Oxfam and the CEA have volunteering opportunities for students, alongside Oxford-based chapters of many other internationally respected charities such as Amnesty International ( OxUniAmnesty) and Christian Aid.

The student-run Oxford Hub ( OxfordHub) provides a focal point for charitable activity in Oxford, devoted to campaigning and volunteering activities and promotes the development of socially conscious students. The Hub offers support, information and inspiration to help connect students at the University to causes they would like to support.

Students interested in journalism and broadcasting have a wealth of opportunities at Oxford.

• Oxide ( Oxide_Radio) is a student-run radio station combining a diverse playlist with talk shows and interviews.
  
• The Cherwell ( Cherwell_Online) and The Oxford Student ( TheOxStu) newspapers publish everything from restaurant reviews and crosswords to investigative journalism and sports reports.
  
• Isis magazine ( The_Isis) is Britain’s oldest student publication, but Oxford has dozens of others, in print and on the web, in the University and colleges.

Student societies at Oxford give you the chance to participate in the scientific community, no matter what you study, and the University’s world-class scientific research attracts renowned speakers from the cutting edge of all fields of science, maths and technology.

The Oxford University Scientific Society (OUSS) hosts lectures from distinguished figures in a wide range of scientific subjects, recently featuring astrophysicist Dame Professor Jocelyn Bell Burnell, neurobiologist Professor Colin Blakemore, geneticist Professor Steve Jones and Professor Kevin Warwick, who specialises in cybernetics.

If you are interested in a very particular area, many science subjects also have their own societies, such as the Biochemical Society ( OxBiochemSoc), Physics Society, Engineering Society and the Space and Astronomy Society. Many of these societies organise social events as well as lectures and field trips; some events are open to everybody, including the general public, in pursuit of the University’s aim to further the public understanding of science. 

OUSU

As a graduate student you will have automatic membership of the Oxford University Student Union, OUSU ( ousunews).

OUSU welcomes all students who want to get involved and they serve students in a number of ways. OUSU represents Oxford students’ views to the University administration and other external bodies, like the National Union of Students. There are many opportunities to get involved in the process, by attending or serving as representatives at fortnightly meetings of OUSU Council and voting in elections and referenda.

OUSU campaigns on important issues such as equal opportunities and environmental action and awareness, and provides important welfare services to students, including the Student Advice Service (SAS), a free, confidential referral and advice service for students encountering welfare or academic-related difficulties whilst at Oxford.

College Common Rooms

The Middle Common Room (MCR), also sometimes called the Senior Common Room (SCR) or simply the Common Room in graduate colleges, is the hub of graduate life within every college. The term  refers both to a physical space within college, a comfortable place to socialise that may have facilities such as a kitchen, bar and/or television, and also to an active graduate community.

Each MCR elects a committee annually to represent student views to the college administration and to the Oxford University Student Union (OUSU). The MCR holds official meetings to make policy decisions and discuss important issues. The committee also oversees the planning of social events, such as formal dinners, guest speakers, and parties.

The Oxford Union ( OxfordUnion) is the world’s most famous debating society and has an outstanding reputation for bringing to Oxford internationally known guests and speakers.

Established in 1823, it aims to promote debate and discussion not just in the University, but across the globe. The Union is also a social centre, and there are frequent lectures by all kinds of figures, from Yasser Arafat, Diego Maradona and Steve Redgrave to Doris Lessing, Michael Heseltine and Michael Douglas.

Please note - unlike the Oxford University Student Union (OUSU), the general students' union of which all Oxford students are automatically members - a membership fee must be paid to join the Oxford Union.