Question about European secondary schools (and Oxford)

[Melissa B]

My dd was looking at the website for Oxford University. It appears that they are only in school for 24 weeks per year - 3 terms of 8 weeks each. Is this typical of European secondary schools / universities in general? If so, what do the students do the rest of the year? Are there any expectations of travel/study/???

[Gwen in VA]

My son will be spending next year at Oxford, so we are wrestling with this issue.

 

Other students from his American college who have spent a year at Oxford have traveled during the breaks. My son will be coming home over the Christmas one (family reasons) but is planning on traveling during the spring break.

 

At least at Oxford, my understanding is that students may not live in the dorms over breaks, period.

 

I look forward to hearing other answers -- I have visions of thousands upon thousands of European college students wandering all over Europe during the breaks! I have wondered how internships and jobs fit into the Oxford schedule too.

[DawnUK]

Not really related, but I just wanted to mention that travel in Europe can be absurdly cheap. It might be a good thing to take advantage of. There are several low budget airlines, where round trip tickets can be had for $30-60. We once got tickets roundtrip from England to Portugal for $23.

 

--Dawn

[Laura Corin]

Oxford and Cambridge have particularly short terms - the average in other universities, as far as I remember, is more like 10 weeks per term. Secondary schools typically teach for 39 weeks a year, although private schools tend to have shorter (and more intense) terms.

 

My sister went to Oxford and found the combination of the short terms and having to move all of her stuff out of her room for the holiday rather inconvenient.

 

ETA: The terms at Oxford are very busy and students are very strongly discouraged from taking part-time jobs. Most students therefore work in the holidays.

 

Laura

Edited July 18, 2010 by Laura Corin

[asta]

Not really related, but I just wanted to mention that travel in Europe can be absurdly cheap. It might be a good thing to take advantage of. There are several low budget airlines, where round trip tickets can be had for $30-60. We once got tickets roundtrip from England to Portugal for $23.

 

--Dawn

 

Yea, love the fares, hate the VAT!

 

 

a

[Mama Lynx]

Many, many years ago, I did a term at Oxford. I remember being told that the students generally have an extensive book list that they are supposed to read over the holidays, and that no one does.

 

We had assigned reading, and an assigned paper, to complete before our term began. However, it was a program for American students in Oxford, and so I don't know if such assignments are typical for the normal students.