[HDNG]INTRODUCTION:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL] Formerly Oxford Polytechnic[EBOLD][PARA][BOLD]For general information about Oxford: [EBOLD]see [ULNE]University of Oxford[EULNE].[BOLD] [EBOLD][ITAL][PARA]Oxford Brookes is unlike its famous neighbour in many ways. [PARA]Despite being in the same city of ivory towers and dreaming [PARA]spires, Oxford Brookes dodges any of the dusty stuffiness of [ULNE][PARA]Oxford University[EULNE]. The students, however, are just as partial to [PARA]punting pissed, falling in the river and strolling through [PARA]Christchurch meadows.[EITAL] It has 3 modern campuses: the main [PARA]Headington site at Gipsy Lane is 1 mile outside Oxford's centre in [PARA]the suburbs,[ITAL] [EITAL]away from that hazy churn of academic ritual[ITAL].[EITAL] It is [PARA]compressed into a [ITAL]cramped [EITAL]11 acres of 60s blocks of glass and [PARA]concrete ([ITAL]but is not as bad as it sounds[EITAL]). The newest site is [PARA]Headington Hill Hall, a 15-acre estate which used to belong to [PARA]Robert Maxwell, just across the road from Gipsy Lane. The other[PARA]site is at Wheatley, housing the education and business courses [PARA]on its 65 acres, 5 miles further out into the countryside.[HDNG]ATMOSPHERE:[EHDNG][PARA][ITAL]Oxford is so geared towards students that it would be a sad [PARA]student who failed to enjoy themselves here. The fact that [PARA]students can say they study at Oxford (carefully dropping the [PARA]'Brookes'), and the genuinely high academic standards, have [PARA]meant that Oxford Brookes has proved a popular option for [PARA]middle class kids, snobbish about other former polys. This, and [PARA]the sheer expense of living in Oxford, has encouraged a affluent [PARA]selection of bright and lively students.[EITAL][PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]THE CITY:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA][ITAL][STAT][BULL] Population: 109,000 [BULL] London: 55miles [BULL] Bristol: 55miles [PARA]Birmingham: 55miles[ESTAT][EITAL][PARA][ITAL]If tourists want to 'do' England properly, they must 'do' Oxford. [PARA]They must tour the colleges, go for a punt on the river and [PARA]possibly drop in to one of the city's many museums:[EITAL] the famous [PARA]Ashmolean (archaeological and artistic treasures); the Bate [PARA]Collection; Christ Church Gallery; History of Science Museum; [PARA]Museum of Modern Art; the Oxford Museum; the Pitt Rivers and [PARA]the University Museum. However, it's not all atmospheric shots [PARA]from 'Morse'; real people do also live in Oxford and for them there[PARA]are plenty of shops (including 2 shopping malls), banks, a [PARA]market, public libraries, and enough new and 2nd hand [PARA]bookshops[ITAL] to fill a village on their own[EITAL]. On the seedier side, there[PARA]are also 2 brothels in Jericho, North Oxford. Also,[ITAL] amongst [PARA]Oxford's more dubious honours,[EITAL] the city has one of the worst [PARA]homelessness problems outside London.[HDNG]TRAVEL:[EHDNG][PARA][BOLD]Trains: [EBOLD]Trains draw up at Oxford Station, close to the steps of [PARA]the city's most central colleges. Main line service to London, [PARA]Paddington (1hr), Birmingham, Edinburgh, Bristol, etc.[PARA][BOLD]Coaches: [EBOLD]As well as National Express, there are 2 other coach [PARA]companies (Oxford City Link and Oxford Tube). [ITAL]For London, the [PARA]bus is much cheaper, more frequent and only slightly slower than[PARA]the train. [EITAL] National Express services to London (ú5.50, 1:40hrs, [PARA]every 20mins), Bristol (ú1.10 2:25hrs,5/day), Birmingham (ú6.50, [PARA]1:25hrs, every 2hrs).[PARA][BOLD]Car:[EBOLD] 5 mins off the M40. Also on the A40, A34, A23, A43 and [PARA]A420. However, there is very restricted access to the city centre[PARA]and parking is either limited or expensive. Car theft is also a [PARA]problem - remember the University is only a few miles from the [PARA]infamous joyriders of Blackbird Leys.[PARA][BOLD]Hitching: [EBOLD]Pretty good on the M40 or the larger local A roads, but [PARA]get out of the city by bus.[PARA][BOLD]Local: [EBOLD]Several local bus companies with frequent and cheap [PARA]services (40p to get as far as digs in Jericho), [ITAL]but they're not [PARA]really worth it for shorter trips[EITAL] and they give up at about 11pm.[PARA][BOLD]Taxis:[EBOLD] Enough of them, but they cost about ú3 a mile.[PARA][BOLD]Bicycles:[EBOLD] [ITAL]Ah yes. Paradise on pedals.[EITAL] Oxford is flat, many [PARA]roads are closed to cars and most colleges have sheds. [ITAL] [PARA]Everyone cycles - it's an integral part of being an Oxford student.[PARA]Two words of warning: (i) a good lock and a cheap bike is the [PARA]safest defence against theft; and (ii) pedestrians, beware of [PARA]pedal-powered hells angels. That's 21 words. [EITAL][PARA][PARA]The University provides a free bus between the Gipsy Lane and [PARA]Wheatley sites every 1/2 hour, which takes about 15 minutes. [PARA]The modular course structure (see Special Features below) [PARA]means that some students have academic commitments on both[PARA]sites.[HDNG]LIBRARIES and COMPUTERS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Books: 300,000 [BULL] Periodicals: 2,500 [BULL] Study places: 790[ESTAT][PARA]There are libraries on both sites and 24hr access to some of the [PARA]hundreds of net-worked PCs, [ITAL]but the computer facilities are a bit [PARA]over-stretched.[EITAL][HDNG]CAREER PROSPECTS:[EHDNG][PARA][STAT][BULL] Careers Service [BULL] No of staff: 6full[ESTAT][HDNG]SPECIAL FEATURES:[EHDNG][PARA][BULL]Oxford Poly (as it was) was one of the first British colleges to[PARA]develop a modular course structure and now offers over 1,000 [PARA]options ('units'). Students chose the courses they want and [PARA]collect points for each one, so that, after 3 years, they've got [PARA]enough points for a degree - [ITAL]just like Tiger Tokens.[EITAL][PARA][BULL]There's a no smoking rule in all areas of the University, except[PARA]the SU Bars.[PARA][PARA][ITAL][HDNG]FAMOUS ALUMNI:[EHDNG][EITAL][PARA]Neil Edwards (rugby); Jim Fallon (rugby); Andrew Logan (creator [PARA]of the Alternative Miss World); John Pilkington (BBC); Adrian [PARA]Reynard (racing car manufacturer); Tim Rodber (rugby).[HDNG]FURTHER INFO:[EHDNG][PARA]Prospectuses for undergrads, part-timers, postgrads and [PARA]professional courses. The SU publishes an alternative prospectus.[PARA][PARA]
