“I want to participate in the program at Oxford where students compare race and education in the U.K. and U.S. because it will give me a more sophisticated perspective on educational theory.”
I wrote those words in October of 2022 as a high school senior applying to study special education and Plan II Honors at The University of Texas at Austin. Three and a half years later and 5,000 miles away, here I am. Even though I’ve been here for two weeks already, it still feels surreal to say that I’ve made it; I’m living my dream.
First Impressions of Oxford
At first, I was nervous that reality would not live up to my expectations. But as soon as we stepped off our shuttle bus onto the cobblestone path across from Christchurch Castle, which inspired Hogwarts, I knew that Oxford, England, would not disappoint.
Walking through the streets of this historic town, every building tells a story. As we learned on the “Uncomfortable Oxford” tour we took as a class, atop the weathervane of Oxford Town Hall, there is a flat metal sculpture of a cow crossing a river. This scene explains how Oxford got its name: early settlers found the area suitable for settlement because their oxen could ford the River Thames there.
A City Built for Stories
Set up against that river is the Oxford Botanic Garden, a magical place where families come to have picnics in the sunshine, and writers have visited to gain inspiration for their work. As you walk in, there are neatly trimmed patches of luscious roses in every color, which are featured in the works of Lewis Carroll as white roses painted red. There is a massive pine tree, which, according to legend, is a descendant of the tree that inspired J. R. R. Tolkien to create the Ents, the friendly tree people in “The Lord of the Rings.”
This city is a haven for writers and readers alike. When I stepped into Blackwell’s, the largest bookstore in Oxford, I was equally flabbergasted and delighted to discover that the building is five stories tall. There’s a beautiful reading room in the basement and two separate stores affiliated with the main building: one for manga and another curated in homage to the books and writers that had their start in Oxford.
Inside Oxford’s Libraries and Traditions
There are also 40 libraries part of the University of Oxford, collectively referred to as the Bodleian Libraries after their primary benefactor. Our class had the unique privilege of accessing these libraries after swearing an oath to respect the books, in the main chamber that once hosted political debates with King Charles I in attendance (before he was beheaded). Afterward, we studied together in the iconic Radcliffe Camera, Oxford’s most famous reading room.
Everything in this city is dedicated to learning — the design of architecture, the wealth of books, and of course, the people. Right now, school is still in session for Oxford students. Instead of two semesters of 15 weeks, Oxford runs on a trimester schedule. Each trimester lasts eight weeks, and they all have funny names: Michaelmas, Hilary, and Trinity.
It is finals season, and students trot around town in “sub fusc,” the long, black traditional robes they are required to wear when sitting exams. It is tradition for students to wear carnations to indicate how far along they’ve gotten through their exams. White means they’re about to take their first exam, pink means they’re in the middle of exams, and red means they’ve finished their last exam.
Learning about their system from a current Oxford student has given me “a more sophisticated perspective on educational theory.” Oxford is well aware of its reputation as an elitist, ivory-tower institution and has worked to correct itself. Dr. Peter Claus, director of equitable access for underrepresented populations, spoke to us about the importance of giving people of all backgrounds the opportunity to get a world-class education.
He told us that he assigns 40 hours of reading per week to his students — a full-time job! That insight gave me a new appreciation for my own status as a student. This time that I have in college is precious and limited, and although it can be easy to distract myself from my classes with jobs and internships, I have a renewed determination to focus on learning.
A New Perspective on Education
I came here thinking I would be studying the British education system, but the infectious academic fervor of this city has driven me to learn so much more. One afternoon, I got lost browsing the labyrinthine collections of the Ashmolean Museum, the oldest museum in England, and learned that it took hundreds of years and many subpar experiments for Europeans to crack the code of creating porcelain like the Chinese.
On a day trip to Bath, I felt a profound sanctity and catharsis in drinking from the natural hot springs, which were a pilgrimage site for the indigenous pagan Celts, their Roman conquerors, and the Anglo-Saxons who replaced them. They have Einstein’s blackboard here, and a whole cathedral of a museum dedicated to Darwin’s revolutionary theory of evolution, and the remains of a castle that was in ruins in the 14th century. So much to see, so much to learn — more than I could ever finish in a lifetime, let alone a brief five weeks.
This study abroad has not only fulfilled the dream of my 18-year-old self but also inspired me to set more ambitious goals for myself, to seek out more experiences, and to grow.
This blog was contributed by Samantha Ho, Global Ambassador for Summer 2026. Samantha is a College of Education and College of Liberal Arts senior participating in the faculty-led program “Exploring UK Education” in Oxford, England.
