President’s Welcome

Dear Freshers,

On behalf of the entire graduate community here at Balliol, welcome to Oxford! If you chose Balliol as your graduate college, congratulations on making the best choice of your life so far. If you had a moment of madness and didn’t choose Balliol, but are joining us nonetheless, congratulations on this extraordinary stroke of luck. Either way, we are eagerly looking forward to welcoming you into the Balliol MCR.

Balliol MCR (‘Middle Common Room’) is the graduate community at Balliol and a unique environment for graduate study which revolves around Holywell Manor and the Master’s Field. Though we have a reputation for academic excellence, we are also widely known in Oxford for having an unparalleled social and friendly atmosphere. Through bringing together an incredibly diverse array of intellectual, cultural, and social backgrounds, the MCR is one of the most vibrant graduate centres in Oxford. Alongside the academic environment of your department, the MCR will play an integral role in shaping your enormously enriching and rewarding Oxford experience.

We all know that moving to a new college, a new university, and especially a new country can be a daunting and overwhelming prospect. To help you find your feet and to help you feel at home as soon as possible, the MCR Committee has organised a Freshers’ Week for when you arrive, starting on Friday 3rd October. The provisional timetable will be emailed out to all incoming Freshers. As you will see, it is a busy week, but I cannot encourage you enough to throw yourself in, attend as many events as possible, and take up every opportunity that comes your way.

Of course, this e-guide can only do so much. Oxford can be quite a quirky and confusing place. To get you acclimated before you arrive, every Fresher will be assigned ‘college parents’ (two or three students who are already in the MCR), who will be in touch in early September. They are an extra point of contact who will be able to provide an approachable welcome and answer any specific questions you might have.

On a personal note, I could not have asked for a more supportive, welcoming, and stimulating community than the Balliol MCR during my past three years at Oxford. This community has opened my eyes to new intellectual and cultural frontiers. It has provided me with a home in Oxford and enough memories to last a lifetime. I hope you will, like me and many other members of the MCR, make the most of your time here.

This really is a special community, and we can’t wait to welcome you all to it.

All my best,

Alina Nicheperovich

MCR President