Oxford - why aren't your libraries full of Ginsberg?

[sebastienne]

Oxford, Oxford, I get it.

I know that you don't need to offer your students anything - you select the best because you produce the best, and you produce the best because you select the best, and you wouldn't want to interfere in that self-perpetuating process, would you?

I know that I should have no expectations of you - that you will continue as you always have, and if I can make it through you sane I will be rewarded with a degree from an undeservingly respected institution - but sometimes your sheer callousness still comes as a surprise to me.

And sometimes - just sometimes - I wonder if you're really worth all this pain.

Oxford - I've given you all and now I'm nothing.

Oh, I'm feeling melodramatic tonight. Guess I'd better go put my queer shoulder to the wheel...

Comments

[ex-leighwoos982.livejournal.com]

I like your name. you're probably an eleven on a scale of one to ten.

sort of replacement for rambling deleted post

[ms-rebecca-riot.livejournal.com]

yes to cut a long story short, Oxford is a very screwed up placed with some VERy pretty buildings and some very nice fields.

[ex-leighwoos982.livejournal.com]

For a while I felt like Oxford fucked me up a bit. ALthough all my failings were my own, working at another uni is very educational. Most places would laugh at the disorganisation and antiquated academic practice of the place, it's hard to convince my fellow staff members how things were done there. It's a researcher's heaven though.

Stick at it. you deserve that degree.

[pozorvlak.livejournal.com]

I dunno, disorganization and antiquation seems to be a constant...

[mrkgnao.livejournal.com]

*much with the comforting*

Yep, it's like that, but yes it is worth it - at least you'll think so in a couple of years when you realise you will never do anything this hard and thankless ever again. Err, that was meant to sound cheering.

Hug a nice administrator today!

[anotherusedpage.livejournal.com]

You're not nothing. For what it's worth. And yes, they're shits, but... I dunno. For me, it's mostly about the people I met. *shrug*
Hang in there. Loveyou.

[sashagoblin.livejournal.com]

If it helps at all, I know just how you feel...and shit, I've only been here three months and get out in another five. Oxford is the most arcane, absurd, arrogant, annoying and pressurised environment in which i've lived. There's no recognition of students as anything other than academic units, unashamedly so, and the bitchiness of the political infighting has to be seen to be believed. And I spent 6 years in another English department. So yes... er *moral support*
*cup of tea*
i hope you don't mind me posting, btw. I'm Sasha, Laurie's friend\Andy's girlfriend. And *solidarity*!

[ms-rebecca-riot.livejournal.com]

Some of the lecturers do appear to be ******* weird inbred houndstooth coat funny bow tie wearing gimps who frequently avail themselves of the services of dominatrixes.

[kitmarlowe.livejournal.com]

the most arcane, absurd, arrogant, annoying and pressurised environment in which i've lived. There's no recognition of students as anything other than academic units

Word, word and thrice word.

[germainsgame.livejournal.com]

urm... I kinda like it.

Sure, the lazy, arrogant fuckers wouldn't let me change degree when I was so disillusioned I wanted to leave, but it has gradually become clear that they were probably right to do so. They may have had the wrong reasons, but things have worked out pretty much ok.

My tutors have always been kind, and interested in me, and even when I was 30mins late for two tutes in a row, and the consequential arguement reduced me to tears the guy did apologise. Also, when he accidently missed a meeting in similar circumstances, he admitted he'd been a bastard and gave me a really nice bottle of wine. So that worked out more than ok.

The place is what you make it- like all places. But then, I can only exist with pressure, and enjoy having an institution to react against. Blatantly going to be an investment banker. Ah well.