Over the last semester, I grew a lot. Here’s a few of the things I think it’s mandatory for you to know, too!

1. Always read the preface and introduction! Sometimes, it’s not helpful, other times, it’s gold, and tells you, in brief, the purpose of the book, the research question behind it, the author’s bias, and, in short, the contents. I’ve been able to skip so many unhelpful books just by reading these two chapters.
2. Google Scholar is your friend. Solo, Oxford’s online library search system, is frustrating, and I had trouble finding the correct keywords for the academic topics I was searching. However, Google was able to pull up sources I could then search on Solo, find and then treck to the Bodleian and retrieve (or sit cramp in the Gladstone Link reading).
3. Plan your days! Okay, this one is rough. It takes time to sit down and decide what you want to get done the next day, and I never planned out my days to the letter, but every night, I wrote my to-do list on a sticky note. It kept my errands fresh in my head, and I was able to be more productive as I mentally prepped for my day.
4. Develop time management skills. I have yet to achieve this, but on the days I get it right, I’m so much more productive. If you know you need to do laundry, take the bike back to the shop, spend 6.5 hours in the library (yes, that happens here), and go grocery shopping, make sure you go to bed early and get the more important things off the list first. It’ll save you sleep later when you’re trying to write a research paper in 14 hours (it can be done, people, it’s just not fun).
5. It’s okay to take a day off (or two). Really. I was writing one 10-12 page research paper on even weeks, and two of them on odd weeks. Let me tell you, that’s a lot of words and a lot of stress. The best thing I did the whole semester was learn to take my weekends off. I went to Paris one and had a blast. It was a discipline to not stress about homework, but honestly, it was so much easier to come back to my papers if I had spent time rejuvenating.
6. Those weekends don’t have to be extravagant. One weekend, I went to Blackwell’s (the bombest book store ever), sat in their cafe, and read The Thing about Jellyfish by Ali Benjamin, highly recommend by the way. Another, my friend and I went and toured Blenheim Palace, which sounds extravagant, but it was only £14 (that’s $17 dollars for those of you who have the conversion rate memorized) which includes bus fare and food. You don’t have to make a whole hoopla out of it, but definitely take some time to yourself.
7. You don’t need a gym membership to exercise and lose weight. It’s funny, I’m studying at the most prestigious university in the world, and my biggest take away by far was that I love to exercise. European culture lends itself to a pedestrian (and biker) lifestyle. Oxford City Centre was roughly 2 miles away from The Vines, so I biked 4 miles minimum everyday, and then I probably walked another 3 around the city going to lectures, different libraries, and cafes. For instance, today I decided to Google map all the places I’ve walked, and it came out to 7.5 miles. Pair that with healthier eating (veggies are way cheaper in this country, so are gluten free products), extra running (gotta keep the cardio up) and I dropped 3 pants sizes in 4 months.
8. Have fun, and it’s okay to splurge. Okay, so I didn’t splurge all the time, but the times I did, I never regretted it. I learned to budget well, and if I was going to go out to the pub (which I did religiously every friday, shoutout to my friend for always being my pub buddy), I needed to cut back food spending (say goodbye to the ice cream you wanted this week). My wardrobe changed considerably here (thank you, charity shops), and I picked up a few books along the way, but I don’t regret any of it. I also don’t regret waking up at 3am to catch a bus to London, spend the whole day walking around the city, and the evening watching Much Ado About Nothing by the Royal Shakespeare Company, and then not getting on a return bus until 11pm. Do the things that sound outlandish. They’re the ones with the best memories.
9. Bad things happen. Roll with the punches. About 9 weeks into term, my bike was stolen, I had a paper due that week, 300 pages of extra reading for a seminar, a new lecture series I needed to attend, and I was exhausted from academic overuse (refer to #5 to combat this). Probably the worst experience of my life. Well, not my life, but definitely the semester. My whole life altered slightly. Trips that used to take 15 minutes, now took 40, and I didn’t really have the time to spare. Yet, it all worked out. My friends took my backpack for me, and I started running to lectures and seminars. On the days, I didn’t run, I walked through Headington Hill Park and University Park to get places. I slowed down and took time to learn to admire my settings. I learned to be alone with my thoughts. Someone stealing my bike sucked, but learning to enjoy the little things was worth it.
10. Develop a mantra. A go to response towards life. My friends and I had several. Friend: “Mo, you wanna--?” Me: “I’m down.” Friend: “Omg, why do I even ask. You’re always down.” That, my friends, I am. I hardly said no to experiences this past semester, even at the slight expense of homework. (This just means I did homework closer to 2am than 2pm. I still produced solid work, fam, I promise). Me: “Omg. I just can’t _insert_some_petty_drama_here_” Friend: Throw it in the F*ck-it bucket. While crass, it made everyone laugh, and sometimes, that’s just what you need. It’s okay to make a statement. Repeatedly. I promise.
11. Call home; they probably miss you slightly more than you’re missing them. So I’m pretty sure I failed this one, slightly. One time I called my grandma, and her answer was “Hey, we haven’t heard from you in a while.” Sorry, Grandma! But honestly, it’s good to hear from home. I have a habit of being caught up in the moment and don’t think about people elsewhere in the world. It’s probably a military thing, but if you’re like me, or you’re not still, call home! More often than you think you should. Which for me, was about 3-4 times a month, rotating family members.

I learned a lot at Oxford, and none of it was school related (okay, some of it was school related). It sparked in me a sense of self as I walked through daffodils, laughed in the snow, and drank too many calories (Moo Moo’s shakes are amazing. Try them!) If you have a chance, study abroad. If you don’t, learn to enjoy the little things where you live! It changes your whole perspective.