New Student Information
Magdalen College Fresher's Guide
On behalf on the Magdalen MCR, welcome to Magdalen College! Incoming students ('Freshers') should receive an information pack from college in August with details about orientation schedule, college regulations, and housing assignments. Here's one excellent resource that will help you get started on your journey to Oxford: the MCR Fresher's Guide. The guide contains information about how to get to Oxford/Magdalen, advice on what to bring, and information on setting up bank accounts, shopping, and so on - things that you need to do when you first arrive.
Most courses begin officially with Michalemas Term, though you should check with your supervisor and/or your department to finalize an arrival date. Michaelmas Term 2009 begins on Sunday, 11 October. (see http://www.ox.ac.uk/about_the_university/university_year/dates_of_term.html for more details).
You should expect to arrive in College a week prior to the start of Term for new student orientation at Magdalen - i.e. Sunday, 4 October. More information about the exact schedule or orientation will be updated as it becomes available. It is a good idea to check with your department to see whether or not there are additional departmental orientation days that might require an earlier arrival.
International students may choose to arrive earlier to participate in international student orientation - there is a one day orientation programme geared specifically for international graduate students that provides a good introduction to Oxford. This orientation will take place on Wednesday, 30th September, 2009. For more information on the International Student Advisory Services' plans for Freshers, see http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/io/orient2009.shtml.
International students should also start the student visa application early to allow for processing time before coming to the U.K.: http://www.ukvisas.gov.uk/en/
Congratulations on joining the Magdalen community! We can't wait to welcome you in person. If you have any questions about the MCR or logistics about your arrival in Oxford, feel free to contact the Fresher's Rep, Kevin Shenderov, at kevin.shenderov@magd.ox.ac.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!