Wadham Cornwall Reading Party 2023

An undergraduate Reading Party from Wadham will go to Cornwall from Saturday 18 March to Saturday 25 March 2023 inclusive (from the end of ninth week to the end of tenth week).

For many years we have enjoyed a Wadham Reading Party during the Easter vacation. A group of 12-14 undergraduate students from different subject areas has spent a week in a large old house by the sea in Cornwall. The week includes no formal tuition but allows participants to focus on their own reading and writing. It offers an ideal opportunity for both finalists and undergraduates from other years to do some serious vacation work while enjoying a beautiful environment and change of scene from Oxford libraries.

Participants spend about seven hours a day, within which there are two sessions of quiet time, on academic study. For the rest of the time, they enjoy indoor or outdoor relaxation with many opportunities for informal conversation and activities. Shopping and cooking are shared as part of the experience of this working holiday in a self-catering property.

We are very fortunate to have a fund left by a former Fellow of Wadham (the Lennard Bequest) to help with the expenses of travel, rent, and food during the week. Those taking part will need to contribute a maximum of £10 a day towards costs, in addition to any personal expenditure.

Many Wadham students have derived great pleasure and academic benefit from our annual Cornwall Reading Party. Its success depends on participants getting on well together in this new environment, as well as having the capacity to work independently without disturbing others for sustained periods. All should expect to enjoy a week in a remote spot with limited internet access and mobile phone coverage while taking part in the running of the household as an active member of the group.

It would be sensible to consult your tutor(s) before applying, as they are generally consulted by us about the virtues (or otherwise) of prospective participants. When the final list has been selected, the applicants will be informed by the end of third week.

If you would like to take part please email Peter Thonemann by the end of second week, Friday 27 January. Please give your name, subject and year, a brief idea of your activities and interests, and any further details about any special skills you have, or how you could contribute to the group. Please tell us also if you drive and if you might have access to a car, and if you have a student Railcard.

If you would like to know more, please see Peter Thonemann's report on the 2022 Reading Party or email him with any questions.