Oxford from the Inside

In the latest episode, Megan (she/her) is joined by Siam (he/him) to discuss methods for managing stress in the long term, how to change your mindset around stress, and some tips for dealing with stress in the moment. Tune in to find out how Shawshank Redemption can help you manage stress, and much, much more!

Useful links:

The Happiness Trap book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Happiness-Trap-Based-revolutionary-mindfulness-based/dp/184529825X/ref=sr_1_1?adgrpid=52136689334&dchild=1&gclid=CjwKC

The Daily Stoic book: https://www.amazon.co.uk/Daily-Stoic-Meditations-Perseverance-translations/dp/1781257655

Why Worry video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9YRjX3A_8cM

Timestamps:

0:50 - How do you manage stress? Introduction

1:45 - Changing your perspective

5:10 - Managing a stressful moment 

7:15 - Stoicism

10:10 - Mindfulness and meditation

14:30 - Using hopefulness as a tool 

20:56 - How do you deal with stress in the moment?

In the latest episode, Megan (she/her) is joined by Alice (she/her) and Ana (she/her) to discuss what life is like as an international student at Oxford. How can you navigate UCAS and personal statements? Can you easily make friends with other students? What was the biggest surprise arriving in the UK? Tune in to find out more! 

For more information, here is the university website for international applicants: https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/applying-to-oxford/for-international-students

You can also check out department and college websites for more information!

In this episode, Olviya (she/they) asks Sofia (she/they) why she chose to study biochemistry, the supercurriculars she did and her advice for anyone wanting to study biochem at Oxford. 

In this interview, JP Ay (he/him) interviews international Law student Jessie Chung (she/her) about being a OCD mental health advocate (@ocdxo on Instagram) on a mission to break the stigma surrounding discussions of mental illnesses.

Jessie shares her own struggles with OCD and being an international student, and shares some great tips for how to improve and maintain a healthy mental health while stuck at home during lockdown.  Definitely one to watch if you have ever struggled with depression, anxiety, OCD or would like some tips on how to deal with intrusive thoughts!

00:09 Introductions  

01:23 What kickstarted you journey to being an OCD activist?  

03:31 How would you define OCD? Why is it important to understand?

07:30 How do you think student's working environments have changed over 

          lockdown? How has this impacted their mental health?

09:13 What has your experience been of university work load on your stress 

          levels and mental health? 

12:02 Do you think it has been harder to adapt to university lifestyle from 

          home as an international student?

14:15 Can you share any methods or resources that you've used to promote a 

          good mental health?

19:00 Why do you think there is still such a stigma around mental health?

22:55 Do you have any talks coming up on mental health? Were there any that 

          you really enjoyed? 

24:15  Where can we find your social media posts and more mental health 

           tips?

25:19 Closing Statements

For lots of additional mental health resources do check out Jessie's Instagram page (@ocdxo), the OCD UK page: https://www.ocduk.org/ and the Oxford University Counselling Service's podcasts: https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/welfare/counselling/self-help/podcasts

In this episode of the Quickfire Questions series, Siam asks Laurel, 3rd year English student at Jesus College, if she could do any other degree, what would it be and why! Have a listen and find out a bit about what Oxford students could be interested in, besides the course they ended up choosing!

In today's episode Siam talks with Andrew about how to go about writing a personal statement in Theology and Religion. Stay tuned for invaluable advice, Andrew's experiences and different topics you can mention in your Personal Statement.

In this episode Siam talks with JP all about how to go about how to publish your own book! JP, an already self-published author, tell us his experiences of publishing his book, what the process is like, his relationship with his editor and much more! 

For all those aspiring academics and authors - stay tuned!

Quickfire Questions: In today's episode, Megan (she/her) talks to Eilidh (she/her) about what Eilidh is doing after graduating from Oxford. Do you have to become a lawyer if you study law? Do you have to have a strict career plan? How can you decide what you want to do? Tune in to find out all this and more!

Olviya (she/they) talks to Nélson (he/him) and Leo (he/him) about volunteering: how and why they volunteer, the access schemes they run, and how much of an impact student participation can make on widening access at Oxford.

Find Target Schools at: https://www.oxfordsu.org/activities/target-schools/

Join OxPath: https://www.oxpath.co.uk/

Timestamps:

00:15 - Introductions

01:00 - How did you begin in volunteering?

02:27 - Leo talks about OxPath 

06:03 - Nélson talks about Target Schools

08:22 - The impacts of COVID on experiences of volunteering

11:40 - What it's like to volunteer in access during Hilary term.

13:19 - Is your scheme partnered with the Crankstart Scholarship scheme?

14:15 - Where to find Target Schools and OxPath.

14:55 - Final words of advice about volunteering 

15:30 - Closing statements

Check out our latest 'Quickfire Questions' episode where Abbie (she/her) asks Ana (2nd Year, Earth Scientist) about what a normal day in her life looks like as an Earth Scientist. How does Earth Sciences differ from other degrees? Are the days very full? Is there a lot of work involved? What sort of things do you learn about? Get all your answers and more in this short episode.