In the spring of 2017, I studied abroad at the University of Oxford through IFSA-Butler. Oxford has several colleges within the university, and I went to Hertford College, the school with the famous Bridge of Sighs (pictured above—it’s much less impressive inside than outside haha).

As a quick background, I’m a 2018 grad of Amherst College in Massachusetts, where I studied Math and French. Studying at Oxford was one of my favorite college experiences, but I barely documented it on my blog. I wanted to write this post to give prospective students a better idea of life at Oxford, especially since the academics at such an elite school might sound intimidating.

At the time, my friends actually tried to dissuade me from applying to Oxford, saying “Don’t go to Oxford—you’ll die!” A lot of people assume that going to Oxford will be so intense to the point it’s no longer enjoyable. I like a good challenge though, so I applied anyways, got in, and went.

I was expecting the worst, but I luckily didn’t die—the academics were intense, but I found the work satisfying, and I still was able to enjoy life outside of class.

So, I want to dispel some myths in this post about what it’s like to attend Oxford as a visiting student. Here are 6 things you should know if you’re considering studying abroad at Oxford, plus a YouTube video I made for my study abroad program in 2017! (This video includes most of the academic info in this post—#1-3. If you prefer to watch/listen instead of read, go for it. The rest of the post is new information, though).

Last weekend, I did the TARC Fall Classic in Carlisle, Massachusetts. TARC stands for Trail Animals Running Club, and it's one of the most active trail groups in Boston. They're best known for their no-frills races, with at least one occurring each season, featuring distances from 10k to 50 miles. I did the TARC Spring Classic 50k in 2018, which was my first trail race (though the terrain was quite moderate, so I technically consider La Madone 14k my first real trail race).

At the Fall Classic this year, there were around 250 finishers across the 4 distances: 50 miles, 50k, half marathon, and 10k. The most popular races were the 50k and half marathon.

Here's my race recap:

Last year, I wrote a resume of failures, which--ironically--became one of my most successful posts. Friends and acquaintances told me that it was “humanizing” and that they were inspired to make their own.

I think one of the things that made the post relatable was how vulnerable it was. We tend to only share our successes on social media, especially when it comes to our professional lives. We see announcements about grad school acceptances, new jobs at Google, white coat ceremonies. I’m always excited to see my friends go places, and I think we definitely should keep sharing major professional developments.

That said, seeing only celebratory posts can give us the false impression that everyone knows what they’re doing, or has a fancy career. So, I wanted to keep it real again and share what I’m doing--working a freelance, part-time role without benefits. I certainly don’t know what I’m doing, and don’t have a clear career trajectory. But I appreciate the freedom I have currently, and hope it becomes less stigmatized to take a non-traditional path. 

This race was a little different from my others because I decided to go camping the night before. While this might seem like a terrible idea, camping is actually not unheard of before ultra trail races--it's the complete outdoor experience haha. The Salem Road Race wasn't a trail ultra, but I was running for fun and wanted to make an adventure out of the trip. 

The Salem Road Race is a relatively new 10k in historic Salem, Massachusetts (where the witch trials took place). This was only the third iteration of the race, but there were over 2500 participants! It's gotten pretty popular, likely because of the finish line party at Notch Brewery. Note that since this is an event with alcohol, you must be 21+ to run.