Welcome to the Exeter College MCR! 2006-2007

Just to clarify some of the terminology, the MCR (Middle Common Room) serves as the focal point for all graduate activity in college. The name itself serves a dual role: the MCR refers to both the graduate student body and the actual rooms occupied by the society within college. The MCR is governed by a committee of students elected by the graduates in January of each year. The MCR Exec takes care of the day-to-day running of the MCR; provides welfare support and represents graduates at both a college and university level with a strong commitment to improve services for graduates. Most importantly the Exec is responsible for your busy social life during term and organise a wide spectrum of social, sporting and intellectual activities.

The graduate community, here at Exeter, consists of a wide range of nationalities, subject areas and people from all walks of life. As a result, we hold a variety of events, (some of which are more traditional than others!) such as whisky tasting, wine tasting, games evenings, themed bops (check out the photos from our couples/Valentine's bop), film nights, trips to Cambridge, and music and sports events. We also draw on the strengths from our wide variety of nationalities by celebrating national holidays, such as Burns' Night and Thanksgiving dinners. We are fortunate to have a wide range of speakers come to Exeter. These have included Alan Rusbridger (editor of 'The Guardian'), Philip Pullman, AS Byatt, distinguished author and former winner of the Booker Prize, Baroness Helena Kennedy QC, (a leading human rights barrister) and Prof Parveen Kumar CBE, chair of the Medicines Commission.

If anybody has any questions or queries about applying to Exeter, please feel free to contact me at maria.sciara@exeter.ox.ac.uk. We would be more than happy to answer any queries you have regarding life as a postgraduate at Exeter and/or to show any of you around the college so that you can meet our fantastic students and get a feel for the MCR.

Maria Sciara
MCR President 2006
D.Phil Politics

Welcome to the Exeter College MCR! 2007-2008

Welcome to the all-singing, all-dancing Exeter MCR! Should you join our ranks, you will find yourself enjoying one of the most active and friendly graduate communities at Oxford. Our common rooms are beautiful and comfortable, offering a kitchen, a tutorial space, computer access (including wireless), newspapers, periodicals, and lockers. Many of us frequent the MCR regularly, because our College has the good taste to be located in an ideally central location.
The MCR is served by a committee of students elected in January of each year who are responsible for optimising the graduate experience in College. This includes the day-to-day running of the MCR, welfare support for members and good relations between graduates and the College. We also plan fun events, including parties, theatre excursions, exchange dinners with other Colleges, lectures, games nights, wine tastings, and more. Our welfare officer,  Hannah Perrin, specialises in the care and feeding of graduate Exonians, serving a famously fabulous Tea and Cakes on Wednesday afternoons in the MCR's Latimer Room during term.

The graduate community at Exeter enjoys a diverse fellowship among students of many nationalities, ages, religions, and academic interests. For evidence of this, let me refer you to the photos pages. There you will find artistic contributions from MCR members, testifying to the creativity of some of our more relaxed moments. There you will also see the stunning architectural beauty which frames the context of our daily lives here. If you crave classic aesthetics, Exeter is for you. Our College will soon be celebrating its 700th anniversary in 2014.
A good place to find out more detailed information is the Freshers' Guide. If you have more questions about graduate life at Exeter, do contact me or any other member of the exec. Many of us are on Facebook or you can find our email addresses on the exec page. We look forward to meeting you and welcoming you in person to our outrageously wonderful and fascinating community.

Meredith Riedel
MCR President

Welcome to the Exeter College MCR! 2008-2009

Welcome to the William Petre Society - or as most of us lovingly call it: Exeter MCR! MCR is short for Middle Common Room, and it stands for two things:

1. The community of graduate students and 2nd BA's studying at Exeter College, Oxford University. We also have some associate members, which include 4th year undergraduates at Exeter College, and spouses or long-term partners of MCR members.
2. A designated room for the members of this Society. It is located in staircase 8, Exeter College, and has two main sitting rooms. It also offers a kitchen, a tutorial space, computer access (including wireless), newspapers, periodicals, and lockers to store your books and gown in.

But what is the MCR all about? Mostly, it's about having fun, meeting interesting people (from other subject areas!), and generally making friends for life. Of course, there is a more official side to it, too. Every year at the end of January, an Executive Committee is elected. The committee runs the MCR, and represents the student body at College and University committees. We are there to guanantee that you get the most out of your stay. This includes negotiations on fees, charges, and rents, as well as offers of support and guidance given. Exeter College has a reputation for not just listening to our opinions, but also acting on them and really improving things where necessary. Two recent examples from summer 2008:

1. Exeter College is building new graduate accommodation. We were invited to comment on their plans, and they changed the design of the rooms after they heard our student perspective. By the way, the new graduate accommodation is just about the best you can get in Oxford. Many refurbished rooms are ready for Michaelmas 2008, and in 2009 even more rooms will be available for graduates.
2. Some graduates do not have offices in their departments, and libraries are at times overcrowded, or have restricted opening times. Although space is scarce, College granted us a designated graduate study space when we raised this concern.

If you ever encounter problems, no matter whether it's connected to your studies or your personal life, we are also there for you. Our Welfare Officer and the MCR President are the best people to contact in these cases, and anything you raise is treated absolutely confidentially. And you can of course ask any Exec member for help if you have a question and don't quite know where to find the answer to. Coming to Oxford can be a bit confusing, especially in the beginning. We've all been there, so never feel shy to ask. We've prepared a Freshers' Guide, but obviously it can't cover all questions you might have. For this reason we've also set up a Parenting Scheme. At the beginning of each academic year, existing MCR members parent Freshers - that's all the new students. Like this every new student has a specific person they can contact with just about anything they'd like to know about being in Oxford - even before their arrival there.
But back to the fun bit: The MCR is there for you to feel at home. Exeter does have a reputation for having one of the (if not THE) most welcoming, and most visited MCRs. We organise many events, including dinners, bops (parties), excursions, games nights, wine tastings, and more. But more generally, there'll always be someone round to chat to. Many of us especially appreciate coming here for lunch, or our weekly Tea & Cakes (and coffee and fruit). It's good to have a bit of time off work to energise yourself again. And what's better than talking to someone - not about work? We have a vibrant community of students from all sorts of countries, working in many different areas, and having very different views and opinions on just about anything you can think of. It's the best situation you could imagine to have interesting and diverse discussions.