- Hi my name is Pascal, I'm a second year master's student in international development,
as well as the former President of the GCR,
Oxford speak for the Graduate Common Room, aka the student body representative here at the college.
- Hi I'm Kat, I'm a second-year DPhil here in the Middle East Centre, I'm Ukrainian and I'm also a
former Vice President for social affairs here in the college.
St Antony's is nicely located in north Oxford, only a 10 minute walk from the city centre.
This is a graduate only college with over 500 students from over 70 countries,
making it the most international college in Oxford.
- This is the porter's lodge, this is your first point of contact if anything should
happen they're responsible for the safety and security of the building,
as well as managing all of your mail that comes in from wherever you're coming in from.
Welcome to the buttery.
- In daytime this is usually a study space or a hangout spot for all our students,
and in the evening it turns into a very lively bar.
So this building is predominantly for students, and that's why the student body always organises all the events here.
- Whether that is karaoke night, Gaelic night, Saint Paddy's day, sometimes the bar is just open for
you to hang out with your friends.
- So they're all student-run, for students entertainment.
- This is our dining hall, it's open for lunch and dinner on Mondays through Fridays,
as well as brunch on Saturdays - oh yeah.
Um, and it is a really modern and inclusive space as you'll see,
you'll find your professors sitting with students. - And you will always find a specialist on something
that you're curious on, or something that's in the news, or something that you've read.
But as you'll come to see it is a fantastic and vibrant place to build, er, to build community.
- And on top of that students within the GCR, the Graduate Common Room, organise a weekly language immersion night
which is, er, native speakers who can teach a language to those who are
just beginning to learn a language or those who want to practice a language.
And twice a term this space usually transforms from a simple dining hall to a, er, big venue for
some of the biggest college BOPs - and a BOP is just a big party, it's Oxford speak for that.
We usually have over 300 students here, dancing the nights away, and just enjoying life in Oxford.
One of our staple BOPs and one of the most liked BOPs in Oxford is HalloQueen, it happens every
October here in this amazing space,
and it was set up over 20 years ago as a safe space for the LGBTQ community,
and has since grown into a celebration of diversity around the University and our college.
This is our common room for all students to enjoy, whether during the day after meal times,
to do a bit of work - relaxed type of work - or in the evenings,
we have different film screenings in here, we have yoga here.
As a social science and humanities college we also like to host election nights here,
so you know we have loads of people coming from all different colleges - - Free pizza!
- Free pizza, to watch elections and just chill with their friends.
So one of the biggest sports clubs here in St Antony's
is the St Antony's boat club, and we are over 70 members and we've just had a really
successful season of rowing, and are gearing up for another rowing competition, coming in the summer.
A regional research centre that we have here on campus is the Nissan Institute of Japanese Studies,
which also hosts the Japanese centre library,
which is one of the four University libraries that we have here at St Antony's.
- And behind us you will see the beautiful quad, which is where we have
once a year, a summer barbecue where professors, the administrators and students gather for
live music and wonderful food by our award-winning chef,
and as well as some of our accommodations.
On our left here is the Gateway building, and here's also more ensuite accommodations.
- And we also have accommodations all around campus and just across the road from St Antony's.
- So this is our library. It used to be a church, it's a beautiful space of stained glass windows,
and though divine intervention doesn't often happen when you need to get your work done,
it is a phenomenal space to read and get to get some work done.
- And it houses very important
social sciences, political sciences and humanities books here on campus.
Welcome to the Gulbenkian reading room which is
another study space for you to work in if you want a bit more peace and quiet.
- This is one of my favourite spaces to work, it has been dubbed 'the dungeon'.
- So at St Antony's we have five libraries, one is a college library which is available
to just St Antony students. Then you have four University libraries which are
the Russian and Eurasian centre library, which is this one.
The Latin American centre, Japanese centre,
Middle Eastern centre also have their own libraries.
So part of what makes St Antony's such a vibrant community is just the different clubs and institutions here,
whether it's the football team, the basketball team, we had wine and cheese club
get started this year, and if we don't have it there are always ways, whether it's
through the GCR or the Antonian fund to get your club started.
- We also have life drawing, cultural celebrations,
you know, anything you want to do or celebrate, you know,
we encourage you to do so, and to come up to the student body, and to voice your your suggestions.
So behind us is the Middle East centre which houses the Middle Eastern centre library and archives,
and this building is actually very famous because it is Zaha Hadid, a British Iraqi architect's last project.
We also have at six other regional research centres here at St Antony's.
- Yeah so we have the Asian centre, the African centre, the Japanese centre;
- The Latin American studies centre, the Russian and Eurasian study centre, and the European studies centre.
- Because we're home to seven regional research centres we have a plethora of lectures and
seminars here weekly, about 12 to 18, dealing with matters happening all around the globe.
- And we have a range of heads of states, and foreign ministers, and policy experts, academics,
come talk at St Antony's because it is so internationally well known.
- Rumour has it that at any point in time,
7-10% of all foreign leaders and ministers are St Antony's alumni.
So this is Church Walk. - It's the street just off college where we have
the Latin American centre, and where we have some of our accommodations as well.
So behind us is North Parade Avenue, and it is frequented by St Antony students to hang out,
get a coffee, get some cake, go to the pub, and there is a convenience store
at the end of the street as well, which is the closest one to college.
- So Oxford can be an incredibly daunting place, but once you get here there's just
a wealth of support here to see you through, with your academic advisors,
your welfare team, as well as financial help through the Antonian fund, should you need it.
- And the college hardship fund, the University hardship fund, so don't worry
we have plenty of people here to help you and support you through your time at Oxford.
- So we hope we've made a great case for why St Antony's is the best college here at Oxford,
for me anyways it has been an incredibly welcoming community that has really grounded my experience here,
and the people that I've met literally from all over the world I know are going to be
a part of my life forever, and so I'm really really excited
I got to experience the last two years here.
- I agree, having been here for a couple of years now St Antony's is the place for
a very tight-knit, welcoming and supportive community, and we really felt that through the pandemic,
even before and after, um, so we really encourage you to pick this wonderful college.
- Come to St Antony's! - Yeah!