After completing the master’s in theology and religion at Durham University (2014-2015), I moved to the University of Oxford to pursue a specialization in science and religion with the Faculty of Divinity’s (now called Theology and Religion) science and religion MSt program (2015-2016).  

Oxford was the first (and only) place I encountered individuals who possessed unparalleled such raw intelligence (processing speed) and capacity for abstraction (in undergraduate philosophy classes) that I wondered if we were the same species. In Singapore and elsewhere, I met (and still do meet) knowledgeable and intelligent individuals, individuals who are good at pretending to be intelligent (good at debating/arguing for their view / tearing others’ views down, but not good at thinking objectivity or synergistically, which require much greater processing power in addition to intellectual virtue), and individuals who were good at masking their ineptitude with obfuscating jargon / esoteric mental models, but they never were in the same league/stratosphere with some of the folk at Oxford.

The science and religion course was intense. I was also trying to pick up Latin, keeping up with the several languages acquired from previous years of study, and taking undergraduate courses that interested me. I would, on average, be reading three tough academic books (or the equivalent in journal articles) every two days on topics I did not have an undergraduate background in and would get regular headaches. It felt like being the academic equivalent of Rocky Balboa in his prep to fight Ivan Drago:

Thankfully, our tutors and supervisors, especially Donovan Schaefer and Alister McGrath, were great. My coursemates were great as well. They were collegial and supportive. The course requirements minimally include two essays, one presentation, one dissertation, one written examination, and one oral defense (of your dissertation’s thesis).

I worked very hard throughout the academic year and was rewarded with good results: my supervisor told me that I was the only master’s student in the faculty who acquired distinctions for all elements of the course. I will share my essays and dissertation in the coming posts. In the meantime, here’s a vlog of an Indonesian celebrity’s experience as an Undergraduate student at Oxford:

She was there the same time I was there, 2015-2016, so her experience of the city, university life, and living alone in a foreign country resonates with mine. Her vlog is well-made, earnest, original, and not like the cookie-cutter, silent, and self-absorbed uni/school vlogs that have since exploded on YouTube.

@0:50, that part of the Bodleian Library is one of my favorite places to work. The next favorite place was the café in the basement of the Ashmolean Museum. I went to that café so often that the café staff would banter with me. Sometimes, collegemates would join me there to study.  

@1:20, cycling is a common way to commute around the city. Other vehicles are mindful of cyclists and, for the most part, treat them with respect on the roads. I cycled all around the city to commute, explore quieter parts of the city, and find quiet cafes to work at. The temperate climate, available infrastructure, and considerate drivers made cycling a joy.

@2:14, as a post-grad, I could sit in any undergraduate course’s lectures and did so in these common lecture halls on topics like philosophical logic. Met Singaporean undergraduates on the Public Service Commission (PSC) in these same courses.  

@6:20, the covered market has this great Thai eatery. It was not uncommon to see Singaporeans and Malaysians getting their Asian food fix in a country that eats sandwiches for lunch. I got my haircuts there too.  

@10:30, Oxford University Press has a bookstore filled with its own expensive academic books. Nice to check out once but too pricey and esoteric for most people. The humongous Blackwell’s bookstore as well as Waterstones are probably better places to visit.

@12:10, her accommodation is much better than mine. Sure, she had to pay for it. By contrast, I was trying to save money and paid for the cheapest in-college accommodation possible. There was no en-suite toilet, the (very) shared kitchen was several floors below me, and the total floor space of my room was probably three-quarters the size of a non-master bedroom HDB BTO flat. Right after I left, I heard from members of my college that they turned that room into a storeroom because they deemed it unsuitable for human habitation.