Matriculation

Amongst all the quirks of the University of Oxford is the matriculation ceremony, which is essentially marks the formal induction of all students into the university. Some say that this is perhaps the single most important formal event here; getting into Oxford is a big deal for most people, and the matriculation ceremony is really a celebration of this. Once you are in, you will most likely pass and graduate, which almost becomes, in effect, a non-event.

Our matriculation ceremony happened on the 13th of October, a Saturday. The matriculation ceremony is a college event, and we congregated at Mansfield college at 11.00 AM for some photographs. Unfortunately the excesses of the previous night had left me hungover, and the evidence can be seen in my face and puffy eyes. I guess I am no longer of the age where such excesses can remain concealed.

We were dressed in what is called the sub fusc, which includes a specially made graduate gown and a mortarboard over a dark suit, white shirt, black socks and shoes, and a white bow-tie. Look at the pictures to see what I mean. Incidentally, we can only formally carry the mortarboard right now, and can only wear it after we have graduated (posing for photos is probably excepted).

Anyway, we marched in procession to the Sheldonian Theatre, the scene of all such major ceremonies, and which will be the venue of our graduation in about a year's time. The event was lasted about 20 mins, wherein the chancellor of the university Lord Patten gave a short Latin speech and a long English translation, and we were deemed 'matriculated'. The overall pomp and feel of the occasion was fantastic, something I'm going to remember all my life.

Fittingly, we spent the rest of the day celebrating; the finale was a graduate bop (an Oxford word for a theme party) with the theme 'sexy sub fusc' at Linacre college. We drank and danced the night away with a few hundred others like us.



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