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A Day in the Life of an Oxford University Exchange Student

Posted on November 09, 2023 by Bea Burack

Bea Burack '25 is one of four students spending their fall term at the University of Oxford's Keble College as part of the Dartmouth-Oxford Exchange Program. She recently took to the Rockefeller Center Instagram to share what a day in the life looks like for her. You can view the whole story here. Below are some highlights from the day she shared, as well as her general reflections on her time in the UK.

  • Exterior shot of Keble College

I love Keble and am so grateful to be here. I'm taking two political philosophy classes and I'm enjoying the Oxford tutorial system because the small class sizes mean more one-on-one time for working through difficult philosophical concepts with my tutors. And one of the best things about this program is that we are very integrated into the Keble community and live in the dorms alongside other Keble students. I've joined the Keble rowing team (which means I get to watch lots of beautiful sunrises over the Thames during morning practice!) and have been trying out moot court and British parliamentary debate. I also joined the Oxford Union, which gives me access to all sorts of cool speakers and events. I heard Johnny Depp's lawyer speak earlier this week and I'll get to hear from Kevin McCarthy, Nancy Pelosi, and Tom Hanks before the term is done. Thanks, Rocky, for making this opportunity possible.

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Exterior shot of Keble College

Good morning, Keble! This is the view from outside my dorm.  Got a bit of a late start to my day... I joined the Keble rowing team but our early morning practice was cancelled this week due to strong river currents. Now I'm off to my 10 AM lecture.

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Photo of the Bridge of Sighs

Running to make it to my lecture on time... but stopped to take a photo of the famous Bridge of Sighs on my way to lecture.

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Photo of a near empty classroom

Whew! Made it to lecture before the professor. Today we'll be learning about Aristotle's Politics. Went to a lecture on democracy for my other political theory course. Now I'm off to read some more Aristotle.

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Photo of book with a cup of coffee

Reading in a cute café I found on High Street :)

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Phil Hanlon, wife Gail, and students at a cafe.

Phil Hanlon and his wife Gail are here in Oxford on a sabbatical! They were very kind to treat me and the other Keble/Dartmouth exchange students to lunch in Jericho.

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Three students dressed up with short robes.

Dartmouth takes on formal hall dinner! Formal dinner in the gorgeous Keble dining hall. We get dressed up for dinner three nights a week here and have to wear special black robes. Now I'm off to finish an essay. Thanks for following along with my day at Oxford :)