Studying Medicine at Oxford

by Devon, Oxford Summer Course Participant

Thursday, 7th July

I kickstarted my day with my usual mug of breakfast tea whilst chatting to my new friends about our excitement for the day ahead.

My first class today was not like my typical morning session in the classroom. Instead, we walked through Oxford to learn about evolution and adaptation in the Oxford University Museum of Natural History. It was overwhelming to discover that we were surrounded by over 7 million pieces in the museum – 5 million of them were arthropods! It was surreal to observe the taxidermied animals and to be able to touch them. I was fascinated by the fact that the museum’s collection includes the world’s first scientifically described dinosaur – the Megalosaurus bucklandii – and also the infamous Oxford Dodo. This museum is the only place in the world with soft tissue remains of the extinct dodo!

‍