College Life
College Representatives
For many Muslims, university can be an unsettling prospect. Fresher’s week, in particular, can prove to be a quantity of unknowns and a difficult time as students try to involve themselves in college life whilst staying true to their own religious and personal beliefs.
To help Muslim students settle in as quickly as possible we’ve organised a system of college representatives to aid your integration and help you to adapt to your new academic and social surroundings. They’ll let you know about the ISoc events going on during the week, arrange our famous 5th week Pidge-a-Present (to combat 5th week blues) and of course just be there as a friendly fellow Muslim face for you in your own college!
If you can’t see a rep for your college, don’t worry! Please contact our Welfare representatives and we should be able to get a representative from a nearby college or a member of the ISoc Committee.
| College | Male Rep | Female Rep |
|---|---|---|
| Balliol | Aman Sultan aman.sultan@balliol.ox.ac.uk |
Noora Al-Nemrat noora.al-nemrat@balliol.ox.ac.uk |
| Blackfriars | ||
| Brasenose | Husayn Sacranie husayn.sacranie@bnc.ox.ac.uk |
|
| *Campion Hall | ||
| Christ Church | Muse Ismaiel muse.ismael@chch.ox.ac.uk |
Asma Issa asma.issa@chch.ox.ac.uk |
| Corpus Christi | Tawfik Alterawi tawfik.alterawi@ccc.ox.ac.uk |
|
| Exeter | Mohammed Hamza Mahmud mohammed.mahmud@exeter.ox.ac.uk |
Nada Omar nada.omar@exeter.ox.ac.uk |
| *Green Templeton | ||
| Harris Manchester | ||
| Hertford | Raoza Binte Helal raoza.bintehelal@hertford.ox.ac.uk |
|
| Jesus | Shafin Shadman Alam shafin.alam@jesus.ox.ac.uk |
Nafisa Sharder nafisa.sharder@jesus.ox.ac.uk |
| Keble | Jafar Bin-Faisal jafar.bin-faisal@keble.ox.ac.uk |
|
| *Kellog | ||
| Lady Margaret Hall | Ahmad Awais ahmad.awais@lmh.ox.ac.uk |
Mominah Ramzan mominah.ramzan@lmh.ox.ac.uk |
| *Linacre | ||
| Lincoln | Ibraheem Sheikh ibraheem.sheikh@lincoln.ox.ac.uk |
Mariyah Saddique mariyah.saddique@lincoln.ox.ac.uk |
| Magdalen | Muhammad Ahmed Shoaib muhammad.shoaib@magd.ox.ac.uk |
Zuha Murtaza zuha.murtaza@magd.ox.ac.uk |
| Mansfield | Amina Benhammouda amina.benhammouda@mansfield.ox.ac.uk |
|
| Merton | Irfan Usman irfan.usman@merton.ox.ac.uk |
Basmala Saad basmala.saad@merton.ox.ac.uk |
| New | Ahmad Dayyan ahmad.dayyan@new.ox.ac.uk |
Jude Shayeb jude.shayeb@new.ox.ac.uk |
| *Nuffield | ||
| Oriel | Muhammad Ali Abrar muhammad.abrar@oriel.ox.ac.uk |
|
| Pembroke | Masrur Usaed masrur.usaed@pmb.ox.ac.uk |
Hanin Hassan hanin.hassan@pmb.ox.ac.uk |
| Queen's | quee4672@ox.ac.uk |
Habiba Siddiqui habiba.siddiqui@queens.ox.ac.uk |
| Regent's Park | Yasmin Rahman yasmin.rahman@regents.ox.ac.uk |
|
| Reuben | ||
| St Anne's | Riyad Ahmed riyad.ahmed@st-annes.ox.ac.uk |
Zainab Bhamji zainab.bhamji@st-annes.ox.ac.uk |
| *St Antony's | ||
| St Catherine's | Ahmed Muhtadi ahmed.muhtadi@stcatz.ox.ac.uk |
Zainab Shaik zainab.shaik@stcatz.ox.ac.uk |
| *St Cross | ||
| St Edmund's Hall | Junaid Chaudhary junaid.chaudhary@seh.ox.ac.uk |
|
| St Hilda's | Abdullah Abid abdullah.abid@st-hildas.ox.ac.uk |
Noor Al Salman noor.alsalman@st-hildas.ox.ac.uk |
| St Hugh's | Husam Abdalla husam.abdalla@st-hughs.ox.ac.uk |
Ihsaan Jama ihsaan.jama@st-hughs.ox.ac.uk |
| St John's | Ebrahim Jadama ebrahim.jadama@sjc.ox.ac.uk |
Hasina Ibrahim hasina.ibrahim@sjc.ox.ac.uk |
| St Peter's | Faizan Ijaz faizan.ijaz@spc.ox.ac.uk |
Ayesha Nasir ayesha.nasir@spc.ox.ac.uk |
| St Stephen's House | ||
| Somerville | Habib Habib habib.habib@some.ox.ac.uk |
Nuha Hassan nuha.hassan@some.ox.ac.uk |
| Trinity | Abdullah Abdullah omarr.belhaj-fahsi@trinity.ox.ac.uk |
Zainab Yousuf & Maliha Lisa zainab.yousuf@trinity.ox.ac.uk maliha.lisa@trinity.ox.ac.uk |
| University | Daaud Ali daaud.ali@univ.ox.ac.uk |
Ariana Islam ariana.islam@univ.ox.ac.uk |
| Wadham | Mohammed Salem mohammed.salem@wadham.ox.ac.uk |
Maryam Al-Ketbi maryam.alketbi@wadham.ox.ac.uk |
| *Wolfson | Usama Ali usama.ali@wolfson.ox.ac.uk |
|
| Worcester | AbdoAllah Mohammad abdoallah.mohammad@worc.ox.ac.uk |
Imaan Yousuf imaan.yousuf@worc.ox.ac.uk |
| Wycliffe Hall | ||
| Kellog | Yasin Usman yasin.usman@kellog.ox.ac.uk |
Accommodation
Applicants always struggle to pick one of the colleges of Oxford. Our best advice would be to look through our OUISoc College Guide, college websites and attend college open days to really gauge whether or not you'd envisage yourself in a particular college.
When it comes to accommodation, you should look at how many years the college will provide accommodation for. Some colleges offer onsite accommodation for all three years, but at some colleges you might have to live further from the city centre or rent privately one year. You might also want to consider the kitchen facilities, especially if you’re looking to make your own food. An increasing number of colleges also offer Halal food (see table below). Oxford also has plenty of Halal restaurants and butchers within walking distance. Room sizes tend to be bigger than at other universities and the cost of rooms varies between colleges. Location is also quite important; whether it's proximity to the city centre or to the prayer room, check this out if it's important to you! The ISoc has representatives in numerous colleges so if you have questions about life at a particular college these are the people to ask (see table above).
Remember, if you don’t have a particular preference for a college you can always make an open application and you will be randomly assigned to one for interviews. Also, during the interview process you might be sent to different colleges as well as your first choice. This means many people end up at a college they didn’t originally apply to, but still end up enjoying their time there and become quite attached to their college.
Check this table to see if your prospective college provides halal food in catering and private en-suites.
If you have any queries or see any errors, please feel free to send us a message.
| COLLEGE | HALAL FOOD | FIRST-YEAR ENSUITE |
|---|---|---|
| Balliol | Yes (chicken, lamb, beef, turkey, but ask to be sure) | On request |
| Blackfriars | Yes (in-house events, most meals at Regent's Park) | Can request on faith grounds (limited) |
| Brasenose | Yes (always available for lunch and dinner, but meals need to be booked ahead of time) | Can request on faith grounds |
| Christ Church | Yes (on request a day or two in advance, all meats) | All rooms are ensuite |
| Corpus Christi | Yes (all meat is halal) | Can request on faith grounds |
| Exeter | Yes (it's subject to daily variation) | On request |
| Harris Manchester | No | Yes |
| Hertford | Yes (at all meals) | No |
| Jesus | At formals on request | On request |
| Keble | Yes (on request) | On request |
| LMH | Yes (available most of the time) | Can request on faith grounds |
| Lincoln | Yes (on request) | Can request on faith grounds |
| Magdalen | Yes (on request for lunch and dinner) | No (but you can request a sink) |
| Mansfield | Yes (ask to make sure) | High probability (need to request to make sure) |
| Merton | Yes (on request for lunch and dinner) | Can request on faith grounds |
| New | Not always guaranteed | Yes (most rooms en-suite, can request to be sure) |
| Oriel | Yes (on request with sufficient notice) | Can request on faith grounds |
| Pembroke | Yes (at every meal) | Yes (nearly probable if you request) |
| Queen's | Yes (at every meal) | Yes (need to request to make sure) |
| Regent's Park | Yes (only chicken) | No |
| Somerville | Yes (only chicken) | No (but you can request to be on a girls-only floor) |
| St Anne's | Yes (but ask to make sure) | No |
| St Benet's Hall | Yes (on request, chicken) | No (can request low usage bathrooms) |
| St Catherine's | Yes (for all meals) | Can request on faith grounds |
| St Edmund Hall | Yes (on request) | Can request on faith grounds but probability is low |
| St Hilda's | Yes (Chicken Halal almost all meals, other meats and formals on request) | No |
| St Hugh's | Yes (on request) | Can request on faith grounds |
| St John's | Yes (at every meal) | No |
| St Peter's | At formals on request | No |
| Trinity | Yes (at every meal) | Can request on faith grounds |
| University | Only halal chicken can be requested | Low probability of getting an ensuite |
| Wadham | Yes (chicken is always halal) | Can request on faith grounds |
| Worcester | Yes (at every meal) | Can request on faith grounds |
Note
Whilst we’ve tried our best to ensure this information is up to date, it is always best to check with the college directly to make sure the facts are correct if they are important to you. Also, even if en-suite accommodation is not generally available, requests can be made on medical grounds and many colleges also accept requests on faith grounds (even if not explicitly mentioned in the table – again, best to email/talk to colleges directly to make sure!).