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Oriel College, Oxford
From The Student RoomTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > Oxford > Oriel College, Oxford
LocationSituated on Oriel Square, Oriel rests beside Christ Church's Canterbury Gate, Corpus Christi, Merton, and University. This means that whilst Oriel has a small tourist trade, it is less likely that tourists will interrupt your daily routine unlike at the more famous "Harry Potter" colleges. AccommodationOriel is fortunate to be able to offer all undergraduates accommodation for every year of their course, if they want it. The rooms are split between the main site and James Mellon Hall (always called JMH) with the former being largely reserved for first and second year undergraduates with some graduate and finalist accommodation. The best and most historic rooms are on the main site with those that were once part of Tackley's Inn being the oldest (Staircase 29 & 30). There are 4 quads in college with almost all first year accommodation being in 3rd Quad (aka St Mary Quad). The rooms in 3rd Quad are old and show their age, although the Doll's House has been renewed and the other staircases are about to be renovated. Needless to say, though, the best rooms available to undergraduates are those on the Island site where ensuite bathrooms are the norm. However, as with most things in Oxford, you get what you pay for. Ensuite means expensive and with accommodation prices going up and up in the city, it's always worth thinking about compromises. The majority of finalists live on staircase 30 on the Island site of college, or at JMH where the promise of a kitchen, and ensuite, and some (albeit relative) peace and quiet is a bonus. For those wanting to enjoy living together as a group with the safety of college as a landlord, Oriel owns a number of flats and houses on the Main Site and at the JMH complex. The Flats have just been refurbished, the houses are perhaps avoided unless you really do want some of the worst accommodation college has to offer.
The A*/A rooms are generally on the island site (the pretty different coloured buildings) and are almost always ensuite (although bizarely sometimes you have your own bathroom but it's just outside your room so you do still have to leave your room, but it's just for your use). They have good carpets, newly painted, full-length mirrors and silly gimmicks like motion-sensored lights which actually annoys me a little. They've also got intercom systems which is pretty swish. B/C are fine, it's on the main college site and to be honest it's identical in size to the island site rooms (there are probably a few that are bigger but similarly a few that are smaller). It just has older furniture, a slightly stained carpet and the walls are covered in blue-tack marks. I like it better though as on the new rooms you're not allowed to put stuff on the newly painted walls to protect them but in the older rooms you can go mental so my room's covered in photos and I really like it. Bathroom's are 3 between 6 so you never have to queue but they are downstairs which is a bit annoying. D rooms also fine, again the carpet has a dodgy pattern and the showers are not great but it's fine. I personally wouldn't like to live there just because of the showers, but it is one of the few staircases to have a kitchen on and it can be a really friendly staircase. In fact most of the main college staircases are more sociable as you live so close together and there can be 18 on a staircase rather than about 6 on the island site. Social SpacesLibrary and ComputingWelfareAtmosphereIt really is a beautiful college, everyone really is very friendly and it's a fantastic place to study. FacilitiesOriel is very good at rowing - if you want to get involved they will welcome you with open arms - the equipment is great, the coaching is very good. If you don't want to that's also fine - Rugby, football, darts, ultimate frisbee, Lacrosse, etc. all have clubs and if you're not into sport there is plenty more to do elsewhere in college... there is something for everyone. Student-eye viewThe college has earned a reputation as being something of a maverick. In practice this means Oriel stands outside of OUSU (Oxford University Student Union) although attempts have been made in recent years to change this. In reality it makes for an entertaining mixture of Oxford tradition and modern student life. Formal Hall, one of Oriel's proudest traditions, is served six nights a week with the food served to the students being identical to that served to fellows on High Table; students wear suits and gowns and the whole experience strikes you as being uniquely Oxford. Few colleges actually have this any more and Oriel students defend their right to Formal Hall vigorously. Oriel, commonly referred to in Oxford as T'Oriel, has had strong political activism in recent years, though on all sides of the political spectrum. The 2005 - 06 JCR President, Frank Hardee, ran for OUSU President; Oriel regularly features on Oxford Union committees and a number of its students have become officers. In between, JCR members have been active in the Labour Club, the Liberal Democrats, and in Green groups. The College's conservative character certainly no longer holds for most students and is perhaps an amusing tradition for most, who either don't care or simply laugh. If Oriel's place in the political sphere of Oxford has been strong in recent years, it is overshadowed by the fortunes of our college sporting success (and failure). The college has a reputation for rowing and is the only college in Oxford history to hold both Men's and Women's Head of the River in the annual Hilary Term Torpids races. Each college has a premier sport but this does not mean that Oriel is solely about rowing. Rugby, Football, Table Tennis, Squash, Boxing, Netball, and various bar games are a regular feature of the sporting week. Most Oriel students, though, make their way into the newspapers as actors or standup comics. In recent years the Oriel has won Drama cuppers, featured prominently in the Oxford Revue - including President of the Revue - and enjoys the fortunate patronage of the College Dean, Dr Methven, who has helped make Oriel a force to be reckoned with in Oxford student theatre. Unfortunately Oriel is not blessed with a great number of resources for drama, despite the reputation, and colleges such as Keble or Magdalen with their own theatres tend to have more in the way of college-based drama. Nevertheless the revived garden Shakespeare, including 2006's Taming of the Shrew and 2007's A Midsummer Night's Dream are a sign of Oriel strength despite lacking materials. Musically the college has been a poor provider of resources but in 2006 this was rectified by the provision of a new music room and in 2007 a college orchestra was launched. For non-classical musicians, the emphasis tends to be on individuals to find somewhere to go since the music room is reserved for orchestral instruments. There is a drum room on the main college site which is in the process of being upgraded. WarningOriel has been near the bottom of the Norrington table for quite some time now. As a result of this, the college is coming down very hard on any students that fail to achieve a 2:1 in any year of exams, whether they count towards their degree or not. Their current attitude appears to be to expell any one who doesn't achieve the grade, however short they may be, so they don't have any students holding them back from moving up the league table. | 
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