Reflections on a Year as a Pembroke Visiting Student – Nimarta Narang

Pembroke College hosted the Baddeley Dinner on Friday 20th May in honour of the Visiting Students of 2015-2016. The dinner was attended by tutors from varying disciplines like English and Biology along with College Officers of Pembroke such as Dame Lynne Brindley, Lynn Wilkinson, and Mike Naworynsky.

A drinks reception in Broadgates Hall was followed by dinner in the Forte Room. Even though the dress code was meant to be smart-casual, there was more emphasis on the casual in regards to the environment of the dinner as everyone was relaxed and comfortable with each other – a testament to how well we, as Visiting Students, have adjusted to our year abroad.

Yixuan Zhang (PPE) could very much attest to this: ‘The Baddeley dinner allowed us to sit together with the loveliest people whom we didn't know at the beginning of the year and have become some of our closest friends. Pembroke is a place that I've genuinely called home for a year and a place I will miss so much when I'm away.’

I distinctly remember one of our first meetings with the Master, Dame Lynne Brindley, about what to expect from our time here at Pembroke. Academic commitment was given a strong emphasis with a comment on how we are advised to have one extracurricular activity, as most of our time should be devoted towards work for our tutorials. This was a bit of a surprise for most Visiting Students, speaking mostly for those based in the US, as extracurriculars are thought to hold equal weight as academics.

In the span of the first few weeks, there was definitely pressure to find something that could be the ‘one thing’ we would do - this along with finding friends, getting used to the tutorial system, and adjusting to the cultural differences in social interaction. I remember being utterly flummoxed when I was asked “you alright?” as I took it to mean that people thought I looked unwell when in reality, it was just a general friendly greeting. More awkward instances followed suit as terms like ‘tea’, ‘supper’, ‘pants’, and ‘trousers’ were thrown around.

This year we have Visiting Students from universities in the US, France, and Italy. The subjects we study range from English Language and Literature, Mathematics, French and Religion, Economics, PPE, and Experimental Psychology. The ‘one thing’ among many things that we have found range from being involved in rowing, the Oxford Union, an acapella group, Pembroke Arts Festival, and writing for the various publications across Oxford.

We live with first-years, yet are closer in age to third-years and take modules that are similar to the ones taken by second-years. Even though we cannot be classified into one particular year group, I never felt that we were distinguished from other Pembrokians at all. In fact, it helped us integrate into the community and take part in many Pembroke traditions – like getting ‘married’ on a fine Saturday morning!

With that said, it has been a year of growth, frustration, enjoyment, and definitely a year of surprise. Jeff Breton (Biological Sciences), a Visiting Student from Tufts University in Massachusetts, commented: ‘I've enjoyed being here just as much for the people I've been able to meet as for the academics. The work has been challenging and a pretty good opportunity to dig into some areas of biology that I didn't think I necessarily would have otherwise. I've enjoyed being here because I've found a really good community and had a chance to do something both enjoyable and productive with my year abroad.’

It will be strange not being able to waltz into Farthings (Pembroke’s café), attend Formal Hall, run to the Union for a talk, or watch rowing races from time to time. Only in Oxford will I be able to take a break from the library and play croquet out on the quad or attend garden parties and balls.

But alas, all good things come to an end. We visiting students may have had a temporary presence at Pembroke and across Oxford, but hopefully this does not extend to the friendships and bonds we have made during our time here.

Article by Nimarta Narang (Psychology and Philosophy, 2015) - visiting from Tufts University