“Where fun goes to die?”

Coming from a state school background as the first person from my sixth form to go to Oxford, I knew very little about the college system when I applied.

Initially I applied to Worcester, because it was one of the very few I’d heard of (credit to Emma Watson), I knew it had nice gardens and a good location, and saw no point researching colleges further than that because I didn’t think I’d get in. For Medicine, as with most science subjects, you’re assigned a second college for interviews and mine happened to be Merton. When I received an offer from Merton I was ecstatic, but also confused, and decided it was time to do some research into the college. I’m a sociable person, so imagine the horror 17-year-old me felt when my Google search of 'Merton, Oxford' described it as the place where 'fun goes to die'.

In that moment I was adamant that I was just going to turn down the offer and go to a nice, 'normal' university, but thankfully my mum managed to make me see sense.

In reality Merton is nothing like that. On the first day my dad kept joking about spotting piles of dead fun in random places, but as soon as I arrived I was directed to the JCR (Junior Common Room – like a mini-students union) Entz reps (the social secretaries of College) to get my Freshers' Week tickets. Like any college there are people with different interests - some go out three nights a week, some spend their time playing university or college sport, and others opt for games nights in the TV room; and everyone can enjoy themselves. There are many choices for how to spend your time, and that is a choice that belongs to you.

The JCR Entz reps also organise Bops; which is a quaint name for fancy-dress themed parties for people to chat and dance, and generally socialise; fancy-dress can feel a little silly to begin with, but these parties are actually great fun, and we’re all silly together! Friends at other colleges have told me that we have some of the best bops in the uni, and Merton has four per term whereas other colleges normally have two! Who sounds more fun now?

Another worry I had about Merton was its size, but I really love the community that comes with having a relatively small college. The years above were super-welcoming, everyone knows each other and you’ll always bump into someone to chat with. It's great when you’re having a stressful day or missing home to be surrounded by friendly faces. I worried about not fitting in but quickly made some really close friends after bonding over fancy-dress shopping and outfits for the next freshers' event!

The workload for Medicine is, unsurprisingly, intense, but no more so at Merton than any other college, and the same goes for other subjects too. There are some weeks where you end up mega-busy and others less so, but for exams everyone needs to know the same syllabus and students at all colleges are taught the same by the faculties. Everyone should come to Oxford knowing they’ll have to continue working hard and no matter how hard they try to hide it, everyone does!

So, no, there are not piles of 'dead fun' lying around and people aren’t just hidden away in their rooms all day. All the colleges have little reputations that other colleges tease them with, but Merton's is no more deserved than that of any other – and I can't imagine being anywhere else!

Charlotte
First Year Medicine