A Day in the Life of a Biology Student at Oxford

Are you considering applying for an undergraduate degree in Science at Oxford University? If so, read on to find out about what a typical day is like for undergraduate students in the Biology faculty. Freddie, an Oxford undergraduate, talks you through his experiences of lectures, tutorials, and football!

Please note that the Oxford Scholastica Academy is an organisation which contracts with Oxford University for the use of facilities, but is not affiliated with it.

Why I Chose to Become a Biology Student

I chose a degree studying Biology because I’ve always loved studying animals in their natural environments, so a subject with a focus on ecology seemed like the perfect choice!

However, while studying at the University of Oxford, my interests have moved towards molecular biology and genetics. During my first year, I quickly found lectures in the “Cells and Genes” modules more interesting than those in “Ecology”. Fortunately, my degree lets me choose my modules so I get to study topics that I enjoy!

The historic reputation and setting of Oxford University did attract me, but really I applied because I wanted to get the best degree that I possibly can. The city of Oxford is bigger and busier than I first thought, but I see that as a bonus. My college, Balliol, is where I live and socialise, but my lectures and tutorials take place in other colleges too, as well as in the University’s Biology department.

Here’s an outline of a typical day for a Biology student:

Morning

10:00-12:00

Every morning, I have two lectures in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History – that’s the same building that hosted the famous Huxley-Wilberforce debate of evolution, which took place in 1860!

As a Biology student, you choose five out of your six lecture modules, as well as taking a compulsory module on “Evolution”. On the whole, lectures are interesting and well-presented, covering a wide range of biological topics. Some of my favourite areas include the origins of agriculture from the “Plants” module, and learning about the immune system in “Disease”.

Before coming to Oxford I thought lectures would be difficult and dry. In reality, professors are good at making lecture content clear and interesting! They’re also willing to answer any questions you might have and set reading to improve your understanding.

Even so, it is sometimes hard to focus for the whole two hours!

Afternoon

14:00-17:00

Some weeks, I’ll have three-hour lab sessions to learn practical techniques – an essential part of studying Biology. Similar to the lectures, you get to choose three lab modules out of a potential six, and they’re designed to complement the lecture content. This means the content you’re taught in labs can be useful to revise for exams.

The focus of these lab sessions can vary wildly depending on the professor who leads them. For instance, I have had labs where I described features of plant leaves at the Oxford Botanic Garden, and others where I’ve been running experiments in the lab the entire time.

To be honest, labs can be quite frustrating when an experiment goes wrong and you don’t know why. That said, it’s also very satisfying when an experiment works well and you get a great set of results to discuss.

Not all lab sessions set a written report, but when they do, they normally take between two and four hours to complete. I probably spend more time on lab reports than other Biology students, since I find the analysis to be the most interesting part of experiments.

Once a week I also have a three-hour statistics class, called “Quantitative Methods”. In this class, we use a computer programming language called R to perform statistical tests on data from experiments.

For me, “Quantitative Methods” is probably the most difficult part of the degree. Fortunately, my college has a tutor who goes over what we’re taught in classes, although I do have to put in extra effort to ensure I understand everything from this module.

Afternoon

14:00-17:00

Some weeks, I’ll have three-hour lab sessions to learn practical techniques – an essential part of studying Biology. Similar to the lectures, you get to choose three lab modules out of a potential six, and they’re designed to complement the lecture content. This means the content you’re taught in labs can be useful to revise for exams.

The focus of these lab sessions can vary wildly depending on the professor who leads them. For instance, I have had labs where I described features of plant leaves at the Oxford Botanic Garden, and others where I’ve been running experiments in the lab the entire time.

To be honest, labs can be quite frustrating when an experiment goes wrong and you don’t know why. That said, it’s also very satisfying when an experiment works well and you get a great set of results to discuss.

Not all lab sessions set a written report, but when they do, they normally take between two and four hours to complete. I probably spend more time on lab reports than other Biology students, since I find the analysis to be the most interesting part of experiments.

Once a week I also have a three-hour statistics class, called “Quantitative Methods”. In this class, we use a computer programming language called R to perform statistical tests on data from experiments.

For me, “Quantitative Methods” is probably the most difficult part of the degree. Fortunately, my college has a tutor who goes over what we’re taught in classes, although I do have to put in extra effort to ensure I understand everything from this module.

Oxford tutorials

The famous tutorials at the University of Oxford were one of the main reasons I applied, and they are still one of my favourite parts of my degree. A tutorial is essentially an academic conversation about the area of biology that the academic specialises in. The exact format of the tutorial depends on the tutor.

Discussing topics in such depth ensures you fully understand the relevant lecture content, and that you get to explore any ideas you might have. Tutorials are more casual than I thought they’d be, which gives you the confidence to ask any questions even if they seem really simple!

As a Biology student, I normally spend 10-15 hours reading and writing an essay in preparation for each one-hour tutorial. Usually I have one tutorial a week, so the workload isn’t too heavy.

Now that I’m in second year, I get to book my tutorials with tutors to cover topics that I’m interested in, with some flexibility with the essay titles too! Preparation for tutorials is not always writing an essay; sometimes I give presentations or complete worksheets instead.

Evenings and Weekends

Although my week is busy at Oxford, it’s not too much to handle. I still find time to attend interesting lectures from societies such as the Biological Sciences Society, the Nature Conservation Society and the Climate Society. These are excellent additions to my work as a Biology student. For example, I recently enjoyed a talk about fish which have adapted to the Antarctic environment – a welcome break from learning molecular biology!

When I’m not studying Biology, I play football for my college and go to the local gym. There are many other sports and societies at Oxford too! 

Student life at Oxford is tiring but rewarding, with plenty of opportunities to expand your interests in your chosen degree subject.