Registered visiting students St Catherine’s College is one of nearly forty colleges which, together, make up the University of Oxford. Its foundation stone was laid by Her Majesty the Queen on 4 November 1960 and its first undergraduates were admitted two years later. In keeping with its present location its buildings are modern, the result of an international competition won by renowned Danish architect, Arne Jacobsen. The College is one of the largest in Oxford; it has over 150 Fellows and Lecturers and has approximately 675 undergraduate and postgraduate students. In addition to its formal academic side it has a wide reputation in music and drama, and in sport. It has extensive facilities including a large Junior Common Room with a Debating Pit, Television and Games Room, Small Theatre, Music House and Private Dining Room. On site are squash courts, facilities for weight training and a punt house. Close by are a boathouse and playing fields for rugby, soccer and field hockey. It is generally regarded as one of the friendliest and most open colleges in Oxford. Membership of the College As members of the College, registered visiting students are members of the Junior Common Room (JCR) and may join its sports teams and clubs. They may also enrol in a great number of Oxford University clubs and societies. They may attend faculty lectures and have full access to the university library and computing services The JCR is the centre of the College’s social life and has extensive lounges and other facilities. All junior members are subject to the authority of the Dean and are required to obey College and University regulations. Students will have the status of Registered Visiting Students at the University of Oxford. Study in Oxford St Catherine’s College welcomes applications from students who have completed at least two years of college or university who wish to study in Oxford as non-degree students. St Catherine’s works on a trimester basis. Michaelmas Term runs from early October to mid-December; Hilary Term from early January to mid-March; and Trinity Term from mid-April to late June. Applications are accepted for one, two or three terms although maximum benefit from study at St Catherine’s clearly accrues to those able to come for the whole year. Successful applicants will receive detailed instructions about dates of arrival in Oxford. Applicants should include in their applications their full name, home address, date of birth, and the number of years attended at university/college. US candidates should include their GPA rating (it is unlikely that a place will be offered to anyone with a current GPA less than 3.6) and, where appropriate, SAT/ACT scores. Candidates from other countries should send some equivalent evaluation. They should also include their current college transcript, two letters of recommendation, a sample of written work (not more than twenty pages) and a statement, not exceeding 200 words, of their academic goals and reasons for wishing to study at St Catherine’s College, Oxford. Students provisionally accepted will be sent a tutorial preference form on which they will be asked to indicate their proposed course of study. The Tutorial System Students meet with a tutor on a regular basis, either singly or in pairs. They are expected to produce written work for every tutorial and tutorial discussion revolves around the work so produced. Students normally take two tutorial courses a term, a primary course of eight tutorials and a secondary course of four tutorials. It is possible to replace the secondary course with an additional primary course extending over two terms. Tutorials are supplemented by lectures. In addition to the college undergraduate library, students have full access to the University’s main research library, the Bodleian, and may have access to departmental/faculty libraries. NB Please note that although Oxford courses are often best known under group names (eg “Philosophy, Politics and Economics”, ‘Literae Humaniores”, etc), Visiting Students are not limited to a choice of traditionally associated subjects; and in any case often could not, in the time, cover all the subjects in such a group. Rather they should select subjects according to their own preferences and the requirements of their home universities or colleges. Clearly the more discussable subjects are better suited to the tutorial system. Visiting students should also note that, like Oxford undergraduates in general, they are likely often to be taught by tutors from outside their particular College, depending on subject and interest. Grades and Credits At the end of each term tutors provide reports of the term’s work together with a grade calculated in accordance with normal Oxford standards. St Catherine’s College can forward these reports and grades directly to the student’s home college. St Catherine’s College does not award credits or other formal qualifications: it is the responsibility of students to make proper arrangements in advance of coming to Oxford to ensure that their home colleges award credits for the work done at St Catherine’s. (US colleges normally award one semester credit for each tutorial hour; thus students normally qualify for up to 12 semester credits for each term’s work.) Board and Accommodation Students are housed mainly in twin rooms, wherever possible alongside ordinary degree candidates. The Visiting Student fees include accommodation throughout the term and in the week before and after Full Term. The fees do not cover any meal allowances. The College has a Dining Hall which provides meals throughout the week although students also have access to kitchen facilities. Applications Application forms are available from and should be returned to: Mrs Naomi Freud Director of Studies for Visiting Students St Catherine’s College Manor Road Oxford England OX1 3UJ Enquiries should be addressed to the Visiting Students's Administrator (helen.alexander@stcatz.ox.ac.uk) Open applications through the Undergraduate Admissions Office. St Catherine’s also takes visiting students through the Open application scheme. This is only for students who would like to study at St Catherine’s for a complete academic year. Students follow a course alongside our other undergraduates, fitting into a current course of tutorials. We currently take up to 5 students per year. If you have not completed a degree you must be from the EU to be eligible, however we take graduate students from both the EU and overseas. For more information please visit the Oxford Admissions Office; http://www.admissions.ox.ac.uk/forms/visit.shtml