The Oxford Experience, Department for Continuing Education, University of Oxford

The Oxford Experience is a residential summer programme designed for non-specialists which offers a choice of about a dozen seminars each week over a period of five weeks. Participants do not need any formal qualifications to take part, just an interest in their chosen subject and a desire to meet like-minded people.

Classes meet with their tutor in small, friendly groups, usually of ten to twelve people for 3 hours each morning. Most of the courses include excursions which are an integral part of the course. Optional visits, lectures and other social events are offered every week. A closing reception and dinner mark the formal end of the programme on the Friday evening.

The programme is held at Christ Church, one of the most impressive and beautiful colleges in Oxford. As a resident guest here participants gain access to many areas closed to the general public and enjoy an insider's view of modern student life at the college. Most of the site is open to participants, including the cathedral, which is also the college's chapel; the picture gallery; the riverside walks in Christ Church meadow. Participants stay in student accommodation and dine in the hall (Oxford's largest).