Senior English major Tara Paris is studying at Oxford University this fall term, and she invites anyone interested in her exploits to visit her blog, oxfordsemester.wordpress.com.
Tara follows in the footsteps of many SPU English majors who’ve taken advantage of the Best Semester study-abroad program at Oxford. Upon returning to us, these majors report the benefits of the Oxford/Cambridge system: the heavy emphasis on writing, which has strengthened their skills in that area; the one-on-one attention of a tutor, which ups their game at discussing literary texts; and the scary/liberating self-direction expected of British students—far different from the lockstep schedule of readings and exams their American counterparts are handed each term.
We all wish Tara well during her time away and hope she isn’t tempted to stay in beautiful Oxfordshire indefinitely!