Oxford: The Ultimate European Adventure

Perhaps it is because students can study the tragedies of Shakespeare, the economics of the U.S.S.R., or the philosophy of Leibniz. Each semester, the Azusa Oxford Semester Study Abroad Program gives 20 APU students the opportunity to tailor their academics and study one-on-one with Oxford University tutors.

Being one myself, I can give provide an inside look at what an Azusa Oxford student will experience. Students will have one primary subject tutorial with eight meetings, a secondary tutorial with four meetings, and one seminar with eight meetings. They will have one or two private tutorials a week where an essay is read by the instructor, and then commented on. In this program, students are expected to complete extensive independent reading and research under their instructor’s tutelage.

All of this can be done in the romantic city of Oxford, England, with its dreamy spires, medieval castle walls, and grassy cloisters. The city is brimming with hundreds of years of history and tradition, something very foreign to many American students.

Yet, there’s more to Oxford than walking the same cobblestone streets as John Wesley, like the opportunity to board a plane or train and stay in Warsaw for a few days. When the studying is over, students can spend an evening in London and catch the Phantom of the Opera or travel to Paris for a weekend filled with visits to the Eiffel Tower and Notre Dame.

However, if you ask any student that returns to Azusa what they will miss most about Oxford, it’s not usually the books, trains, plays, or the exchange rate. It’s living in a community of fellow adventurers willing to take a few months away from friends and family to explore life on the other side of the world. For more information on the Oxford Semester or any other of APU’s Study Abroad programs, visit their website or call (626) 815-2110.