Cushman Writes

  I sat my collections in 0th week at Oxford, and now, in week 6, I still don’t know how I did. On this note, I plan to outline what collections are, my experience of them, and the experience of others to highlight how people view them. I can’t lie; my experience with collections has never been great. I think I have only ever had one back within two weeks of sitting them. Now, I understand my tutors are incredibly busy, but the stress of the papers caused by looming at the start of every term can’t be avoided. For those of you who aren’t familiar with the Oxford system, collections are essentially mock examinations. They intend to help you take your content from term and apply it to the exam setting. In History, this means sitting a paper lasting around three hours, in which you will answer three questions. And at Oxford, because our courses tend to be end-weighted (examined at the end), these are actually a good thing. They help us practice our technique, however, when you are l...

It has been a while since my last post, and I can only apologise for this. Whilst it may appear I have done little writing publicly recently, I have been working on a post that has somewhat spiralled to be 5,000+ words. In due course, it shall reach the blog at some point (term procrastination dependent). However, for the last week, I have been on a much-deserved reading week (cue the groan from every other Oxfordian who didn’t have one, for which I am sorry your tutors are less generous). As part of this, I have participated in some fantastic classes, including a manuscript one and a handling session of Anglo-Saxon artefacts. While it was a tremendous experience, I was also struck by how these objects ended up with us today. (Spoiler: most of the artefacts I handled this morning had been found in graves…) So, in this week's post (and yes, these are supposed to be weekly, but it’s only me keeping myself accountable), I want to explore my experience of handling and viewing these art...

  Last week, I wrote a blog post about why History as a subject is at risk. While my enthusiasm might suggest an unwavering love for my degree, the reality is more complicated. As any student will likely confess, the long days and lack of sleep eventually make you ask, "Is this worth it?" This week, I aim to explain why I have a love-hate relationship with my history degree. Reading time: 6 minutes Doing a degree is hard, but doing an Oxford degree certainly adds some complexities, such as timeframes. At Oxford, our terms are shorter, 8 weeks (+0 th week). This means a lot of content must be covered in just two months. Each term, I have studied at least one paper; however, there have been times I have been doing half of a paper in addition to my main term work. In History, we have seven assessed elements in the final honours school. These include the thesis, European and World History, History of the British Isles, a Further Subject Paper, A Special Subject (which coun...

In a departure from my usual history studies, I’ve decided to explore the history of NHS dentistry and its challenges today. This is a topic I follow closely in the news, as I believe the profession urgently needs support to survive within the NHS. To construct this week’s post, I’ve examined government reviews, surveys, and guidance from the British Dental Association and General Dental Council. I aim to summarise the key issues facing NHS dentistry and highlight potential solutions for its future. Reading time: 12 - 15 minutes ___________________________________________________________________________________  NHS Dentistry is struggling. Fewer appointments, a small number of dentists providing treatment, and not enough education institutes are just some of the problems facing our national health service today. As someone who has benefitted from the system, preserving this service is in our national interest. In the work below, I shall explore the history of the service and how t...