Oxford and Cambridge University courses are known for being tough - but exactly how hard are they in terms of student workload?
Why is the Oxford and Cambridge workload high?
As a very rough starting point, it's fair to say that your day-to-day workload at Oxford or Cambridge will be noticeably higher than at other UK universities (even other top-ranked Russell Group institutions). This is for a number of reasons - obviously, the institutions are well-respected for a reason (translating into courses designed to develop academic rigour in students, producing highly skilled graduates). Additionally, the courses tend to be particularly intense because of term length - while most university terms might last approximately three months, Oxford terms are condensed into just eight weeks. This means a lot of work gets crammed into a relatively short period of time - again, increasing your workload.
Does subject choice affect Oxbridge workload?
The subject you're choosing to study for your degree has a significant impact on what your workload will look like - not just in terms of quantity, but also in terms of style.
For STEM subjects like Maths or Engineering, for example, you'll be set weekly 'problem sheets' which usually require following along with a lecture and applying the skills learnt to a series of problems. For humanities subjects (think English, History, etc), you're more likely to be given reading lists week-to-week - books/journal articles which need to be read, analysed, and utilised in the context of an essay you must write on a related topic. For other subjects like Music, there might even be an additional practical element to the course (for example practicing for an upcoming recital, which in itself will take a great deal of time).
Does the Oxbridge workload change over time?
While students are often able to get a rough idea of how their weeks will look within the first month or so of studying at Oxford or Cambridge, it's not always easy to understand how the workload changes long term.
Of course, some weeks things will just 'click' faster than in others - this is to be expected.
However, there are also other factors to consider. The first is your year of study - most students on a three-year course who have exams in years 1 and 3 (the common layout for most humanities degree), for instance, tend to find that their second year is the most relaxed in terms of weekly workload. Another point worth noting is that, even within each year, your workload can change heavily - for example Trinity/Easter Term (the summer term - specific names are different in Oxford versus Cambridge), upcoming exams often means more work needs to be done.
Is the Oxbridge workload manageable?
Of course, all of this culminates in a lot of work. To give a rough average, humanities students might be writing 2x essays per week (on an average week), and STEM students might have a roughly equal number of problem sheets. Put that alongside actually doing your learning (for example working through that reading list, or attending lectures), presenting/discussing your work (in tutorials), and then actually coming back to revise it all before exams, and you're left with a challenging schedule - especially while trying to balance it all with a social life/extracurriculars, too.
However, it does actually end up being better than it sounds on paper. The truth is that you tend to learn how things work pretty quickly upon starting your course, and it simply turns into a routine which you're able to get into the hang of within a fairly short amount of time. The longer vacations can also be used to decompress and relax to some extent. Most importantly of all, however, you learn to manage your time very well at Oxford or Cambridge. If you're deliberate and conscious in planning out your schedule on a week-to-week basis, everything will get done, and there's no need to panic. There is also a great deal of support both within official university channels and within informal social circles, so you'll never need to feel alone in this journey. Ultimately, a passion for your subject will also go a long way in helping you push through what at first feels like a daunting workload, but eventually turns into a fascinating challenge with the right mindset.
