http://www.buzzfeed.com/jenniferschaffer/oxford-illuminatio-mea#.qx5Xnk9WM
1. After you study abroad at Oxford, you’ll long for those glorious formal hall conversations.
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2. And of course, you’ll miss the jaw-dropping halls themselves.
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3. You’ll pine for the hours you spent studying in this circular slice of paradise.
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And the closing bell that sent you home.
4. Your college town will seem a little lackluster after you’ve spent time on Turl Street.
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What coffee shop can compare to the fireplace room of TSK?
5. Instead of tailgating, you’ll want to grab a bottle of wine and walk up to South Park.
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6. You’ll miss your tutors, who forced you to grow some serious intellectual muscle.
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7. And you’ll never want to step foot in another fraternity house after you’ve been on a crew date.
Arzoo: Where the Magic Happens. 5 out of 5, in our hearts.
8. You’ll miss seeing these gowns around town, and you’ll secretly wish you’d bought your own to wear back home.
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I know, I know, the students only wore them on special occasions. But they look so great!
9. You’ll search in vain for a more tranquil spot to do your reading than your college grounds.
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10. After your final exams, you’ll miss seeing students doused in champagne and confetti.
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11. You’ll miss the exhilarating experience of Evensong.
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Even for the most secular person, there is something transcendent about the organ and the high ceilings and the evening falling outside.
12. And when you begin to miss all the charming Oxford traditions, you’ll want to pin carnations to your lapel when you take exams.
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In America, exam period means sweatpants. At Oxford: a suit and bow-tie.
14. … and the rare, warm afternoons you spent with a book here.
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15. You’ll miss the miles and miles of books at Blackwell’s…
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It always felt like they had a bigger stock than Amazon.
17. You’ll miss passing under this bridge at the end of every day.
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18. And when you return to your home campus, you’ll be like, “Where are the deer?”
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21. You’ll miss punting down the Cherwell…
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No matter how many times you almost dropped the pole.
22. … and watching it change colors over the course of the year.
Howard Stanbury / Creative Commons / Flickr: stanbury
23. You’ll miss the picnics you planned in Port Meadow in the spring…
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26. You’ll miss the seriousness of the scholars around you…
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27. … and that uniquely-Oxford sense of being at the heart of things.
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28. You’ll miss the beautiful blossoming pink cherry tree on the High Street.
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29. You’ll miss the days when this behemoth could get you into London for 11 pounds.
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30. You’ll miss the way that, depending on the time of day, a short walk to Pret could feel like passing through the heart of a busy city or strolling through a quiet town.
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31. You’ll miss the movies you caught here…
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And the bar inside the theatre.
33. You’ll miss the autumn morning fog which hung around ‘til two in the afternoon.
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34. You’ll miss these stern faces reminding you to study hard…
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37. You’ll even sort of miss how you were never allowed to walk on the grass.
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39. You’ll miss the peace of running through Christ Church Meadows.
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40. And how every scene felt like it was from another, distant time.
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41. You’ll miss that little dip when you bike across Magdalen Bridge.
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You’ll tell all your friends back home about this incredible place called Oxford. But for anyone who hasn’t been, it can be hard to fully understand the magic of the city.
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The one thing that will comfort you after you leave is knowing that Oxford has been there for centuries.
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And it will be still there, magical as ever, should you someday return.
