Want an insight into what a day in the life of an Earth Sciences student might entail? Below a couple of our current undergraduate students walk you through their 'typical' daily experiences so that you can get a taste of what life at Oxford might be like! (It’s worth noting, however, that your own experiences will likely vary quite considerably from these examples, as they depend on which year you’re in, what modules you take and of course what you enjoy doing in your spare time!)
RIGHT: An Earth Scientist inspects an ammonite in the Blue Lias Formation during the second year field trip to Dorset, England.
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2nd Year
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3rd Year
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8am - Wake up (or sleep in, if my first lecture isn’t until later in the day; as is often the case. 9am lectures are relatively rare for 3rd years!).
Have a cup of tea – essential – and breakfast. Walk into the department; my route takes me along Marston Cycle Path, which is sort of rural-feeling. I put music on and enjoy zoning out before my day begins. |
9am - First lecture of the day: Quantitative Palaeobiology with Associate Professor Erin Saupe.
Example content: Theory of evolution and natural selection. Erin tells us about the work of different scientists who took key steps forward in our understanding of these topics.
3rd years study fewer modules than 1st years (and we get to choose what we study!), so we generally have fewer hours of lectures on a given day – leaving more time for completing coursework, and self-guided study.
10am - Practical: Volcanology with Professor Tamsin Mather.
Example content: An hour-long lecture on volcanic eruptions. Tamsin explains the eruption styles, such as Strombolian, Peléan, Plinian, Hawaiian – and why they are different from one another.
11am - Break!
Time for a quick coffee or snack from the vending machine, and a chat with other students milling about in the departmental Atrium.
Then, an hour of practical work; working through questions on the topic we were lectured on, with help from PhD student demonstrators and Tamsin. On other days, our practical work may last the full two hours, and involve analysing thin-sections of igneous rocks under the microscope.
Midday - LUNCH. The moment we’ve all been waiting for.
Often, I bring a packed lunch with me to the department, such as leftovers from the night before, and sit with friends on the sofas in the Atrium (or go outside on warm days).
Sometimes, I go to the Biochemistry Department's café (basically next-door) to grab a takeaway hot meal. Or, I’ll go and meet my friends who study other subjects in Caffé Nero, grab a coffee and have a break and lunch. Alternatively, I might head over to College (I study at Univ, which is only a 10 minute walk away), for a hot meal. Lots of options!
1pm - Head into the Department library.
Fish out my laptop from my bag, and snuggle up with a dinosaur blanket (provided, of course, by the Department). I make sure that I have a big water bottle filled up from the water fountain in the Atrium, to stay hydrated.
I usually check through my emails and plans, to figure out what I need to do. Sometimes, I look over lecture notes to check I understood what I was taught in lectures, or try to complete unfinished practical work. I may also do tutorial work, for example analysing a seismic section so we can discuss it during a tutorial later in the day. Or, I might work on coursework. This could be writing up the report for the mapping project I undertook in the summer after my second year (an incredible trip to southern Greenland). Or it could be reading journal articles for my 3rd year ‘extended essay’ which focuses on the causes of past climate change.
But don’t be fooled – I don’t stay in the library the whole time!
I usually have a mid-afternoon snack and head out of the library for quick breaks (where I of course end up chatting in the Atrium with other Earth Scientists… the perils of such a friendly department!). Also, if I get stuck on the work I’m doing, I may head out of the library to find someone to help me. Other students (e.g. in year-groups above mine), or PhD students, or lecturers, are all usually willing to help when I need it!
3pm - Tutorial with a PhD student on Sedimentary Basins.
In 3rd year, we organise our own tutorials on what we would like help with. I meet up with a few others from my College, who all want some extra help with analysing seismic sections of sedimentary basins. We meet a PhD student, who gives us the extra teaching we need (really helpful!).
In 1st year, you tend to have tutorials with lecturers rather than PhD students – although you’ll likely have a mixture of the two throughout your whole time on the course.
4pm - Back to the library – or home?
What I do here depends on how much work I have. If I want to get ahead with my work, I may well head back to the library and do an hour or so more. I tend to leave the Department by 5 or 6pm.
Or, I may leave earlier – if I have some other activity I would like to do instead.
5:45pm - Dinner in Hall, at Univ.
I meet my friends from College to have dinner in Univ's dining hall. I don’t always do this – I often head straight home and cook for myself in my accommodation’s kitchen.
6:30pm - Lyrical Jazz Class!
Time to get the energy flowing, let loose with some dancing. I go with my friend to Corpus Christi College for this 1.5 hour class, run by the Oxford University Dance Society.
8pm - Home, sweet home.
I head back to my accommodation (often by bus; I have a bus pass to reduce the cost of this). Once at home, I might have a shower and head to bed. Or, I might go to the common room to watch TV with my friends, eat cake and have tea.
10pm - Bedtime!
Potentially this is inaccurate - sometimes I end up going to bed later than this because I’m working late on a busy day, or because I’m spending time with friends. But I aim for 10pm!
Example content: Theory of evolution and natural selection. Erin tells us about the work of different scientists who took key steps forward in our understanding of these topics.
3rd years study fewer modules than 1st years (and we get to choose what we study!), so we generally have fewer hours of lectures on a given day – leaving more time for completing coursework, and self-guided study.
10am - Practical: Volcanology with Professor Tamsin Mather.
Example content: An hour-long lecture on volcanic eruptions. Tamsin explains the eruption styles, such as Strombolian, Peléan, Plinian, Hawaiian – and why they are different from one another.
11am - Break!
Time for a quick coffee or snack from the vending machine, and a chat with other students milling about in the departmental Atrium.
Then, an hour of practical work; working through questions on the topic we were lectured on, with help from PhD student demonstrators and Tamsin. On other days, our practical work may last the full two hours, and involve analysing thin-sections of igneous rocks under the microscope.
Midday - LUNCH. The moment we’ve all been waiting for.
Often, I bring a packed lunch with me to the department, such as leftovers from the night before, and sit with friends on the sofas in the Atrium (or go outside on warm days).
Sometimes, I go to the Biochemistry Department's café (basically next-door) to grab a takeaway hot meal. Or, I’ll go and meet my friends who study other subjects in Caffé Nero, grab a coffee and have a break and lunch. Alternatively, I might head over to College (I study at Univ, which is only a 10 minute walk away), for a hot meal. Lots of options!
1pm - Head into the Department library.
Fish out my laptop from my bag, and snuggle up with a dinosaur blanket (provided, of course, by the Department). I make sure that I have a big water bottle filled up from the water fountain in the Atrium, to stay hydrated.
I usually check through my emails and plans, to figure out what I need to do. Sometimes, I look over lecture notes to check I understood what I was taught in lectures, or try to complete unfinished practical work. I may also do tutorial work, for example analysing a seismic section so we can discuss it during a tutorial later in the day. Or, I might work on coursework. This could be writing up the report for the mapping project I undertook in the summer after my second year (an incredible trip to southern Greenland). Or it could be reading journal articles for my 3rd year ‘extended essay’ which focuses on the causes of past climate change.
But don’t be fooled – I don’t stay in the library the whole time!
I usually have a mid-afternoon snack and head out of the library for quick breaks (where I of course end up chatting in the Atrium with other Earth Scientists… the perils of such a friendly department!). Also, if I get stuck on the work I’m doing, I may head out of the library to find someone to help me. Other students (e.g. in year-groups above mine), or PhD students, or lecturers, are all usually willing to help when I need it!
3pm - Tutorial with a PhD student on Sedimentary Basins.
In 3rd year, we organise our own tutorials on what we would like help with. I meet up with a few others from my College, who all want some extra help with analysing seismic sections of sedimentary basins. We meet a PhD student, who gives us the extra teaching we need (really helpful!).
In 1st year, you tend to have tutorials with lecturers rather than PhD students – although you’ll likely have a mixture of the two throughout your whole time on the course.
4pm - Back to the library – or home?
What I do here depends on how much work I have. If I want to get ahead with my work, I may well head back to the library and do an hour or so more. I tend to leave the Department by 5 or 6pm.
Or, I may leave earlier – if I have some other activity I would like to do instead.
5:45pm - Dinner in Hall, at Univ.
I meet my friends from College to have dinner in Univ's dining hall. I don’t always do this – I often head straight home and cook for myself in my accommodation’s kitchen.
6:30pm - Lyrical Jazz Class!
Time to get the energy flowing, let loose with some dancing. I go with my friend to Corpus Christi College for this 1.5 hour class, run by the Oxford University Dance Society.
8pm - Home, sweet home.
I head back to my accommodation (often by bus; I have a bus pass to reduce the cost of this). Once at home, I might have a shower and head to bed. Or, I might go to the common room to watch TV with my friends, eat cake and have tea.
10pm - Bedtime!
Potentially this is inaccurate - sometimes I end up going to bed later than this because I’m working late on a busy day, or because I’m spending time with friends. But I aim for 10pm!
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