Wednesday evening marked the finale of our Ox’Perience program—a night filled with celebration and bittersweet good-byes. The evening began with a reception in the Cloisters followed by a formal dinner in the Hall. An awards program recognized outstanding achievements, and the talent show showcased the gifts of our Ox’Perience students. We closed out the night with hugs and good-byes in the Quad. A few tears were shed…okay, loads of tears were shed.

To our students: We hope the friendships you’ve formed and the memories you’ve made during your month at Oxford will linger long after the farewells of the evening. Your Activities Directors, Program Assistants, Program Deans, Executive Coordinator, and Program Director send best wishes to you on the next chapter in your life.

Use this link to enjoy the final video: https://animoto.com/play/v4YSaoPb4UIweoue0pgSyw

The Studio Art class collaborated with the Photography class to create a gallery of celebration. The students’ paintings, sketches, watercolors, and photos drew in the guests as scenes of personal vision and creativity took shape.

The Speech and Debate students showcased their speaking skills by either reading a selected speech or writing and delivering one of their own while Skills for Success students delivered their own TedTalks.

Our Major classes have met six days a week for three hours each time diving deep into their subjects. These teachers have poured into their students in a variety of ways, and these students have soaked up so much information. It’s almost as if the students are sponges. Today is the day the sponges are wrung out–displaying their learning to an audience. And what impressive and awesome learning has taken place!

Astronomy students researched topics–Cosmic Microwave Background, Dark Energy, Dark Matter and Hawking Radiation–created posters, and then presented their information. While the posters were available to these students, they didn’t read from the posters–they knew their information! They were so impressive and confident. Great job!

Business and Finance students explained the process they learned to create a company from start-up to company logo to how much to take in profits during the start-up year. They introduced their Chief Financial Officer and then explained their objectives, how they made their portfolio, where they are located and the benefits to their location.

Creative Writing students wrote many original pieces during their time here. They selected a piece and shared it with the guests. We heard poems and stories with vivid descriptions, heartfelt meaning, wise insight, and beautiful figurative language. Keep writing!

Criminology students researched various criminals, made posters, and presented their works as guests visited. These students discussed not only the crime committed but also some of the theories they have learned about in relation to the crime or criminal they researched.

During the month, engineering broke into two teams to identify a problem and engineer a plan to solve that problem. One team’s identified problem is that ubers and taxis have become too expensive, self-driving transportation is just as expensive, and people don’t trust self-driving vehicles. Their plan is to create software that provides safe, efficient, fully-automated driving that can be sold to businesses. The other team identified problems with modern safety helmets and offered Technohat, a safety helmet used in construction that offered numerous safety features. They may be applying for patents soon!

International Relations students learned about the Realist Perspective, Liberal Perspective, World Syystems Theory, Globalization. Then they applied those theories to their research topics: Rolls-Royce, The Cold War of Belief, and Tacked to Iraq.

The students in the Law class created posters reviewing the various topics they learned about throughout this course.

Medical Science students showcased their knowledge by performing skits of a patient visiting doctors and someone needing CPR while another made a formal presentation about the heart.

With the guidance of their teacher, psychology students developed their own research topics, did their own research, and created posters of what they discovered.

Genetics and Biotechnology students developed ideas about new products and pitched their ideas to a guest “investor” who would decide which idea to invest in. One idea was developing a product that would help breast cancer, one was a product that would help people with spinal cord injuries regenerate healthy cells, and one was a product that would clean wastewater using bacteria.

War in World History students collaborated on a presentation that covered the topics they learned in class–the three levels of analysis for causes of war and then applied those to World War I. They investigated the structural causes and causes of war at the national level.

In The King v. Blair Forrester, quite a lot, actually. This fictional case—based on a real statute—was the center of a dramatic mock trial in Sophia’s Law class. The charge? Throwing a corrosive substance with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, under section 29 of the Offences Against the Person Act 1861.

Students took on roles as barristers and witnesses to argue both sides of this high-stakes courtroom case. The prosecution claimed that Blair Forrester, angry after being kicked out of a party, returned hours later and doused Max Addo with acid in the garden. The defense argued it was all a misunderstanding—Blair was simply out buying snacks and chatting with a cousin about his favorite Netflix crime series.

Both sides delivered compelling openings, grilled witnesses in direct and cross-examinations, and made impassioned closing arguments. While there was plenty of suspicious circumstantial evidence— a past altercation, a conveniently timed Google search for “acid attacks,” and a hasty exit by someone wearing similar clothes—the lack of physical evidence left the jury wrestling with doubt. There was no acid residue on their clothing, no purchase record, and no eyewitness who definitively identified them at the scene. Was Blair a criminal mastermind or just really unlucky with timing and fashion choices?

In the end, students got a hands-on look at how the British justice system works—and just how difficult it is to prove guilt “beyond a reasonable doubt.” This was an exciting concluding activity for a course about how the law works and how it is upheld and contested through the courts.

Ox’perience students had two classic English options yesterday: afternoon tea in the garden or a football match. The afternoon tea invited the guests to dress to impress as they stepped into the lovely garden scene created by our Activities Directors. Scones, cakes, garden sandwiches, sparkling drinks, and, of course, tea. This was an elegant pinky-raised affair complete with gracious and charming manners.

Others opted to attend the Oxford United vs. Bristol Rovers football match. Our Ox’perience spectators traveled by taxi to Kassam Stadium to cheer on the home team. Even though Oxford United dominated for most of the game, the Bristol Rovers were able to work in the only goal of the game, with Oxford United losing 0-1.

Last night, students gathered in the auditorium which had been transformed into a soothing spa retreat. Enjoying conversation with friends and the calming background music, students treated themselves to facial masks, pore strips, eye masks, and cooling cucumber slices. Friends painted each other’s nails and added tinsel strands into each other’s hair. It was a night of self-care but, more importantly, connection–yet another sweet memory to take home.

This morning, our Ox’perience students dove deeper into their academic adventures. Genetics & Biotechnology searched the Oxford Botanic Garden for plants with natural antibiotic properties, blending science and nature. Business & Finance explored Blackwell’s Bookshop and a favorite, the Covered Market. Astronomy students worked in the quiet Corpus Christi garden while Medical Science students put finishing touches on their final projects. Each group’s adventure today continued their meaningful experiences and added some more Oxford magic.

How about both? A group of students hit the nearby tennis courts, where they not only played but also learned about the fascinating history of the game and the old-school traditions of “real tennis.” Fun fact: there are only 45 real tennis courts left in the world, 27 of them in the UK! Real tennis is a unique version of the sport played indoors on an odd-shaped court with sloping roofs and little openings that make it extra tricky. The game dates back to the Middle Ages and was hugely popular with European royalty—Henry VIII was a big fan. It all began as a French handball game called jeu de paume in the 12th century, and it wasn’t until a few centuries later that racquets came into play.

Students enjoy their major classes, their minor classes, and some fun activities like any other Friday here at the Ox’Perience. But this is the Final Friday–around the campus we are hearing murmurings of “I’m going to miss you!” “I can’t believe this is almost over!” and “I’m going to need another suitcase!” Before we concern ourselves with all of that, let’s take a look at today’s activities:

The Criminology classes learned a bit about the crime scene investigation team and each team member’s role in a crime scene. A CSI team consists of police officers, detectives, crime scene investigators, medical examiners, and specialists. Then came the hands-on practice of casting footprints.

To reinforce the students’ understanding of respiratory anatomy and physiology, build scientific observations skills, and make real-world connections to what they’ve learned in class, Medical Science students dissected sheep’s lungs. Sheep’s lungs are anatomically similar to human lungs, which allows students to explore the structure and function of the respiratory system in a hands-on, tangible way. Students are looking for key features like the trachea, bronchi, bronchioles, and alveoli. They also observe the elasticity of the lung tissue, helping them visualize how breathing works.