Date: July 24th, 2014…read more Room: No. 107, Dickson Poon, Building, China Center, St. Hugh's College First: the good things. The Instructions upon arrival were fine for the B&B style of the Oxford College experience. An able Porter provided me with a map and fine instructions on where things were and when and where I could get breakfast, etc. Next good things: The building and room were clean, as in brand spanking new clean, but with still some construction dust. The furniture is adequate, if a little monastic, a single bed, tiny bathroom, a single cheap chair, some shelving, a closet, etc. Give that a three stars out of five... Bathroom is tiny, shower is okay, plenty of water pressure and hot water, etc., but a little plastic and cramped. The toilet was school/prison/public bolted-to the wall hidden-tank variety that screams "CHEAP" but okay, it is a dorm room. The toilet seat was cheap flexible plastic, so if you weigh more than Kate Moss expect it to bend under your fessocks. Towels are nice, generous even, good cotton. Which brings us to the bad news.... AND IT IS VERY VERY BAD!!!!! On my hall were two stairways, one a fire exit stairway. THIS FIRE EXIT STAIRWAY WAS LOCKED AND THERE WAS NO WAY TO OPEN IT. IN A FIRE I WOULD HAVE DIED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Second, the Dickson Poon Building is made of GLASS and has inadequate ventilation and a SOUTHERN AND WESTERN EXPOSURE. Therefore in the summertime, it is an OVEN!!!! I recorded a temperature of 34 degrees C in my room (94 Fahrenheit) using my iPhone. Third, there was absolutely no way to get any air circulation in the room. There was a "fire door" every ten feet, that hermetically sealed off that chamber. Each room had a tiny inadequate air duct, which no air went in or out of (I put tissue paper up to it, it did not budge either way). Overall, it is an entirely negative experience. I've lived in Europe for 20 years, and stayed plenty of times in the summer with places that do not have air condition, This is different. This is an oven, not a "problem" or "a little warm." Glass places like this at least have fans, if not air conditioning. To design a building made of glass with no interior circulation is the height of stupidity. I blame the engineer and architect of the building, they are morons. In short, never ever ever ever ever stay at St. Hugh's College. They do not know what they are doing, and have a bad building to put you in. Oh, and it was 96 pounds a night. A ridiculous price for how mediocre to horrible it is.

From the owner: St Hugh's College is a constituent college of the University of Oxford. Based on a leafy North…read moreOxford site we are also a beautiful venue for conferences, events, meetings, weddings and bed & breakfast.

We were on a guided walking tour of Oxford. The city of Oxford is demonated by Oxford University…read morewhich is actually comprised of 41 separate colleges and it dates back to around 1096. Some of the buildings are open to the public - some are not. We were there on a Sunday and most were not. I was happy to be on a guided walking tour with a tour guide who was knowledgeable about the university. I would highly encourage a guided tour if you have the time. This is a beautiful campus/city and there is a wealth of history attached to both the city and the university. This was definitely worth the trip from London where we were staying.

Quality/Quantity - Wanted to take a break from all that tourist stuff, so we decided to visit…read moreOxford University. Did not realize that they had so many "schools" here. We tried to find the main campus, but struggled. Was it because we came on a Saturday? Or because we came after all the students already started summer break a few weeks ago. My wife was happy to come during the break; I prefer visiting during the school year to see the liveliness. Overall, we had a good time visiting as many of their schools, libraries, campuses, churches, etc. as possible. Was not surprised that this place was so touristy; schools make so much additional $$ giving paid tours and/or charging admissions to enter. Also, we were fortunate enough to have visited when the museum sponsored a free event for the kids, see pictures. Lastly, I took a nice local beer break in one of their libraries. So cool to be able to have a beer in a library, might be a first for me. Back in my college days, we had to go to the student union pub. Atmosphere - Beautiful, cool, and historic. Schools spread out over a few mile radius, so be prepared to walk if you want to visit. We grabbed a hop on hop off map as a guide of places to visit, see picture. Service - Good. Price - Depends on which schools tour and admission costs. A few, very few, campuses were free. Owner Comment - Great town to visit, nice break from London. I suggest visiting during the school year.

Green Templeton College is a merger (in 2008) of two Oxford colleges, Green College and Templeton…read moreCollege. I received my MSc from Green (in Social Anthropology), lived on-site, and was fairly involved. Most of the people at Green are medical students, but there are also many students reading Anthropology, Education, and Social Policy. Only about a 10 minute walk north of the city centre, it's a beautiful site. The Radcliffe Observatory is the centerpiece of the college, which houses the dining hall and an observation deck at the very top. I'm not sure if non-students are allowed to roam the grounds, but the Proctors front office is right at the entrance and they'll give you the information.

Green College is located on Woodstock Road and is (in terms of physical size) quite small. Entrance…read moreto the public is very restricted, so you'll have to find a student if you want to have a look. The college is quite picturesque and it's students have medical backgrounds for the most part. Notably, it has just merged with Templeton College and will now be called Green Templeton college, with the addition of a few hundred business students; creating one of the largest colleges in the University. The Radcliffe Observatory is located onsite, the views from the top are breathtaking!

My experience with this institution was quite limited. I parked on its edge and walked downtown…read more Its parking options were quite nice. Lolzsies. In other words, I have no relationship with Saint Johns. It was, however, splendid to walk the grounds and visually absorb the architecture. It looks like it would be a wonderful place to study. It is after all world-renowned. If you're sightseeing, it is quite walkable to central Oxford.

I learned a lot during my summer study abroad experience, but the thing that's sticks out the most…read morein my mind, is the fact that I learned that Oxford, is not just one big university, as one might think of it in the states. It's actually a series of 39 smaller colleges, each with their own separate campuses and facilities and educational specialties -- one of those colleges being named St. Johns. But let's be honest here, you don't really want to tell new acquaintances and potential employers that you studied at St. John's College for the summer, you want the reaction you get from telling them you studied at Oxford. And therefore, the misconception continues... I had a great time studying here, although I won't comment too much on the curriculum or teachers, since I was a part of specialized summer program. However, the grounds were well kept and immaculate. The architecture was historic and gorgeous...and the dorm rooms were crazy big. At least mine was...I had so much damn space in that room, it was like I had a studio apartment all to myself. There's a pub on campus, that's pretty spacious and well stocked, and there's a few kebab vans on the street near campus that serve late night greasy stuff, including the very popular cheesy chips (i.e. fries). 1am food for drunkards....UK style.

The college has a great history of teaching mature students to a level of university entrie. John…read morePrescot studied history here. They have two sites Oxford and Headington. Its funding comes from many areas. Trade union donations were once the biggest funds. The college teaches many subjects from social work qualifications to Sociology. It is a great college for people wanting to change their life and finally live the dream and get into uni. The college has a fellowship that has reunions every year. The fellowship is also active in the future of the college.

What can you do with £1.50? Down payment on a G&B almond chocolate bar? Deposit on an M&S sandwich?…read more Or, give it to the pleasant fellow in the little cubicle at the entrance to Trinity College, Oxford and take yourself on a mini tour round the grounds, popping into the chapel and the dining room en route. Not a round the world trip this, but cheaper than paying the tuition fees. Really nice to see the imposing quadrangles and the old buildings steeped in learned history. Fun dodging the serious students scurrying to their tutorials and it's relaxing to gaze at the ornate ceiling of the ancient chapel. Make yourself at home in the Harry Potteresque dining room with the long bench tables, wood panelling and fusty straight laced portraits frowning at the young students' indiscretions. See if you can spot the shadow of Charles Dance and wonder if this is where the inspiration for the TV series began. Spicy. The gardens are spacious and very pleasant. Recommended.

Wonderful history college...the beautiful old building cares lots of good memories...read more

Beautiful stain glass. After awhile it is hard to remember which college is which. For me, the…read moredistinctive chapels are a great memory of the different colleges. Exeter College, the most I remember is the stain glass.

Reviewing as a tourist, not a student. The chapel here is stunningly beautiful. It's worth stopping…read morein while exploring Oxford for that alone. No admission fee for this college as a tourist, so spend the 10 minutes or so exploring the grounds of this historic college.

The Maison Francaise is probably the best source of French culture in Oxford. Apart from a lack of…read morefood, which is forgivable considering it is primarily an academic institution. There are regular film showings, with some French classics and lesser-known European cinema; most screenings are free and the listings can be found on the website. However, the main events put on by the Maison Francaise are the academic seminars and lectures. Famous writers, great academics and political figures gather regularly (usually at least one event a week) for one-off talks, day-long seminars and other sorts of presentation. Everyone is usually welcome to attend, although it's best to sign up to the newsletter to find out last-minute changes and precise details. There are even French plays held from time to time, although it's not all French - there have been Eastern European events, Polish authors and discussions on worldwide politics.

Great school. Nice atmosphere. Changed to here from the Oxford English Centre and did not regret…read morefro one second. 5 Stars!