oxford honors semester program

Tentative Dates for Fall:
August 30 - December 14
Application deadline: February 25, 2013

Tentative dates for Spring:
January 3 - April 1, 2013
Application deadline: September 14, 2012

Participants should plan to leave the U.S. one day prior to the program start date in order to arrive on site for the first day of the program. Students must leave their residences on the last program day.

Program fee :
Fall 2012 and Spring 2013 semester: $19,990
Program fee includes 15 credits undergraduate tuition or 9 credits graduate tuition, single room in self-catering student apartment, cultural visits, excursion to London, evacuation and repatriation insurance, pre-departure orientation, administrative services in Oxford and at George Mason University.

The program fee *does not include* transportation / international airfare to and from Oxford.

Eligibility:
Mason Undergraduates: 3.50 GPA+; Honors Program and University Scholars with a 3.30+GPA
Graduate students: 3.80+ GPA. Participants must be enrolled in a degree program at Mason.

General Information Session with past participants:

TBD October 2012

Application Information sessions
Johnson Center room 239 A
Wednesday May 2, 10:00 am

Johnson Center room 235
Friday May 11, 10:00 am

CREDITS: Undergraduates receive a total of 15 resident credits and graduate students receive 9 resident credits

TYPE OF HOUSING: Each student will have a single room and share a lounge, bathroom, and kitchen with other students on the program.

ACADEMIC DIRECTOR:
2012 Academic Director is
Dr. Paula Petrik

APPLICATION DEADLINE:
Spring 2013:
SEPTEMBER 14, 2012

Fall 2013 & Spring 2014:
FEBRUARY 25, 2013

APPLICATION FEE: $150

CONTACT: Marie alice Arnold 703.993.2167.
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New Spring Semester Option!

In 2013 the Center for Global Education will begin to send qualified students to the Oxford Honors Semester Program for a spring term - January - April.

The Prestige

Launched in 1995 CGE’s most prestigious program is the Oxford Honors Semester. Each semester, a small group of high achieving Mason undergraduate and graduate students are selected to study at the University of Oxford, alma mater of presidents and prime ministers.

."I learned so much from my tutors, and I feel so blessed to be here. At first, I was overwhelmed. Even though I took full load of credits at Mason each semester, Oxford tutorials demand a lot of reading, writing, and most importantly, thinking! I can actually see my essays improving throughout the term, and I can formulate my arguments in a concise, succint manner (yay!!!). I didn't think such sharp improvement would be possible within a short term, but I guess Oxford indeed is a magical place."

- So Hee, Fall 2011 participant

"A fascinating conference on Sudan, regular weekly lectures at the Refugee Studies Center and Graduate Christian Union, plus the atmosphere of the Oxford Union debates made the semester an intellectually stimulating experience."

2011 Oxford Honors participants on excursion to Hampton Court Palace

The Academic Experience

"After experiencing the tutorial system I realized that my analytical skills and research capabilities were novice as compared to what I am capable of now. In the most basic
sense I feel myself thinking and analyzing differently."

"At Oxford you can study works or concepts in a more in-depth manner than in an American classroom."

Other than a short mini-seminar tutorial, this program offers no courses. Participants learn through Oxford’s unique tutorial system. The tutorial system gives participants unparalleled individual attention through weekly one-on-one meetings with an Oxford scholar. Each student is guided through an intellectual exploration of their chosen discipline. Tutorials are similar in structure to intensive directed reading courses or graduate independent studies at George Mason University.

Tutorials are offered in the social sciences, theoretical sciences, business, and the humanities. During tutorials students are expected to do substantial independent library work and periodically produce written essays and oral presentations. 

At the close of the program participants produce a portfolio of their work. The portfolio consists of an essay reflecting their experience and copies of their tutorial work.

During the fall semester (Oxford’s Michelmas term) your term begins with the mini-tutorial seminar experience. During the spring semester (Oxford's Hilary term) your term ends with the mini-tutorial seminar experience.

The Oxford Honors semester program is a tradition unlike any other at Mason.

Mini-tutorial seminars are small group tutorials enhanced by academic lectures and visits to museums or sites related to the tutorial topic. Each student will be in a group of three or four students. The mini-tutorial seminar course will have an introductory meeting followed by three tutorial meetings of 90 minutes. The three mini tutorial seminar options are: CS Lewis or Shakespeare.

Eligibility and Application Procedures
The Oxford Honors Semester program is the Center for Global Education's most competitive and reputable study abroad program. It is only open to 1) Mason undergraduate students with a 3.50 and above GPA, 2) Mason graduate students with a 3.80 and above or 3) George Mason Honors Program students and University Scholars with a 3.30 and above GPA. If you fall into one of these three categories, then you are an excellent candidate to compete for the opportunity to study for a semester at the prestigious University of Oxford.

Besides a complete online application, these additional application materials are due by Speptember 13, 2012 for the spring 2013 term:

* Patriot Web copy of transcript
* Two academic letters of reference
* writing sample, no more than five pages
* autobiographical essay/statement of academic purpose (500 words)
* Oxford Petition for Resident Credit form
* Oxford Housing preference form
* Four proposed tutorials with description (about four sentences long for each proposed tutorial)
* Six passport size photos
* copy of meningitis vaccination
* copy of the front page of your passport
* copy of the front and back of your health insurance card

These materials must be submited to the Center for Global Education, Johnson Center Room 235.

Other Activities and Details
While abroad at Oxford, students have access to the complete Oxford experience because they are directly affiliated with one of the school's individual colleges. As an affiliate students can take part in the college's social, intellectual, and athletic activities. Examples include playing rugby, rowing on the crew team or singing in the college choir.

If admitted to the program, fall semester participants leave for England in late August. This arrival date allows program participants adequate time to settle into living quarters and complete the required mini-seminar tutorial, an upper division course accompanied by field trips and taught this year by Professor Paula Petrik.

Once the regular Oxford term starts in October (terms are shorter and more intensive than George Mason's), each student will take two tutorials.

Spring semster participants leave early January. The regular Oxford term (tutorials) will start immediately. Each student will take two tutorials. Tutorials will end in early March. They will be followed by a three week mini-seminar tutorial.

Undergraduate students earn a total of 15 hours of George Mason resident credit (3 hours for the short course, and 6 hours for each tutorial), while graduate students earn 9 credits (3 hours for the short course and 3 hours for each tutorial).

Oxford Alumni: Where are they now?

Returning students are overwhelmingly enthusiastic about CGE's Oxford Honors Program. Several alumni have gone on to become Fulbright Scholars. Stay tuned to this section of the webpage for updates about which Oxford alumni are doing what.

It turns out, the semester prepared me for my career in a way I couldn't have imagined a few years ago. Now I am a Campaigns Officer at the British Embassy in Washington, DC, communicating British foreign policy priorities to an American audience. I attribute my time in Oxford with preparing me for my role at the Embassy and giving me the proper knowledge and background to succeed among the Brits! – Shannon 2008

I now better understand my capacity for learning and the extent to which I can push my limits in terms of reading, synthesizing information, writing, and discussing and defending my ideas.

I had the opportunity to attend a lecture on Shakespeare’s presence during his own time at the Bodleian, a concert by the Oxford Philharmonia at the Sheldonian Theatre, a debate at the Oxford Union, and a performance by Oxford students of ‘The Wind in the Willows.’

*CGE reserves the right to modify or cancel a program in light of currency fluctuations, changing security and safety conditions, or other unforeseen circumstances.