Christ Church is one of the largest and grandest colleges at Oxford. Although its reputation precedes it, there's a very friendly and inclusive atmosphere. With five quadrangles, the college houses Oxford’s cathedral and backs onto the beautiful and picturesque Christ Church meadow.
The food at Christ Church is amongst the best and most reasonably priced in Oxford. While there are "tea points" dotted around college, there are no kitchens and so each meal is served in the Great Hall (of Harry Potter fame), creating a great community atmosphere. Breakfast, lunch, and brunch at the weekends are served on a rolling basis, costing around £3 per meal, and the three-course dinner is paid on a termly basis, owing to be very good value for money. Informal and formal sittings take place every night, though there is often themed dinners to mark most cultural celebrations such as Diwali and Thanksgiving, although most students’ foodie highlight is the twice-termly Guest Dinners. Options for all dietary requirements and allergies are available.
All first and third years are guaranteed to live on site, with the majority in ensuite rooms. Whilst second years can also stay on site, some opt to live in college-owned flats, just a ten-minute walk away, with kitchens and a shared bathroom between four - this is a great chance to live more independently. Christ Church accommodation is some of the prettiest, with beautiful old architecture. There are ‘Meadows’ rooms which are are aptly named due to having stunning views over the Meadows. The most sought after rooms are what are called ‘Peck Sets’ whereby there are two bedrooms joined to a lounge in Peckwater Quad, so a really fun and socially space to share with a friend. All first year rooms are randomly allocated, and then second and third year rooms are chosen according to a random room ballot, thereby giving all students a fair chance to get the room they want. There is also no discrepancy between accommodation price for any room in any year.
The college sports ground – just across the meadow – is certainly one of the best in Oxford and features tennis courts, rugby pitches, and an astro turf. With the river right on our doorstep, it's a great way to involved in rowing, and each Michaelmas term, the college hosts the annual intercollegiate Christ Church Regatta. The college punts offer the perfect excuse to take a relaxing trip up the Isis. For students interested in getting involved with Christ Church's creative community, there is an arts room as well as a music room.
Christ Church has a dedicated student-run welfare team, who organise weekly welfare teas and late-night tea breaks, offering the perfect opportunity for a friendly chat with student peer supporters who are trained by the counselling service. They also run events such as yoga and massages nearer exam time. Another Christ Church perk is free cake offered to students, and sweets from the "Welfairy" – an excuse for all Christ Church students to live up to their College's Alice in Wonderland roots where, in the words of the Mad Hatter, “it’s always tea time”.
Every term two entertainment reps - Entz reps - are elected to organise, you guessed it - all things entertainment. Weekly emails detail all the events on for that week, usually comprised of discounted club tickets, film nights, karaoke, silent discos and even petting zoos (there is always an equal mix of drinking and non-drinking activities). The highlight for most students is the twice-termly BOPs (basically a very cheesy fancy-dress party - but lots of fun!). We also have a college bar on site, open most nights where lots of people like to congregate before a club night or after a Guest Dinner.
“Christ Church has some of the best accommodation facilities for all three years. It also owns lots of sporting grounds and green spaces that are well-worth taking advantage of”
“One of the best things about Christ Church is the sense of community! Being one of the bigger colleges means there is a football team, a rugby team, a hockey team, a choir and so much more. Having accommodation and food provided also means that everyone gets to live and eat together every night”
“It’s so much fun being at a big college like Christ Church because you get to meet so many people, so will definitely find ‘your people’. The college is really generous with financial support too so all in all the environment for students is really welcoming - college really does feel like home”
“Christ Church offers extensive welfare support, with a whole team of people who are willing to help, no matter the issue, great or small. Although we have a welfare warden available 24/7, its also reassuring that all the Porters (like college security) are super friendly and are always happy to help with assistance or questions, no matter the time of day.”
You might also want to take a look at the official college website.