Meg Notes: Tour de Oxford {Magdalen College}

Sunday, October 18, 2015

Tour de Oxford {Magdalen College}

For those of you who don't know, Oxford University is made up of colleges. For example, I am a student at Oxford University, but I am also a member of Corpus Christi College. This is a bit confusing to people who are used to the American university system, where a university is made up of departments (and where we also call university college).

In the case of Oxford, the town is basically the university and the university is made up of individual colleges which have departments inside of them. The colleges are made up of students studying a variety of subjects, from French literature to neuroscience. One of the best ways I can describe it is like Hogwarts. (I know. I'm sorry for another Harry Potter reference. Actually, I'm not sorry.) Basically, Hogwarts = Oxford, and the Hogwarts Houses = colleges.

I have made it my goal whilst at Oxford to visit all 38 of the colleges which make up this university. I am calling it my Tour de Oxford.

First up, Magdalen College.

Magdalen College (Magdalen is named after Mary Magdalene, but is pronounced "modlin" as it would have been pronounced in the 15th century) was founded in 1458. It is well-known for its extensive grounds (it has a beautiful Fellows Garden as well as a deer park), its choir, and being the old stomping grounds of many famous intellectuals, politicians, and writers, such as C.S. Lewis.

[Along Addison's Walk, where J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis had long discussions about God.]

One of the neat things about Oxford is the history of the place. It is neat to think about all of the people who have come here and all of the ideas they brought to the world. So it was neat to stroll down Addison's Walk and think about God, life, and the universe.