Stay Kosher on Campus
I'm choosing my college, are there any that make keeping kosher easier?
Every student weighs a number of factors in choosing a college, and if you wish to keep strictly kosher, it may be worthwhile examining how 'kosher-friendly' your prospective colleges are. Even if this sounds like a minor deal now, how and when you are able to eat is a basic part of your university experience and general wellbeing. Ultimately it is possible to keep kosher at any college but the comfort with which one is able to do so varies considerably between them. Very few colleges have the facilities to provide students with their own kitchens, many do not allow microwaves in students' rooms and in some it is difficult to get access to microwaves at all. Even communal cooking facilities are difficult to come by in certain colleges and some colleges levy hefty fees for meals (even if the student never eats them) and refuse to grant exemptions.
The standard method for keeping kosher at the average Oxford college is as follows:
Students eat weekday evenings and Shabbatot at the Oxford Jewish Congregation (OJC);
the congregation provides sumptuous subsidised meals for students (link). Students
ask permission from their college to have a microwave in a nearby communal kitchen
and keep a fridge in their room to prepare all other meals. Oven use in communal
kitchens is often possible with the standard 'double wrapping'. All of this is
obviously somewhat inconvenient and in a few colleges is difficult to organise.
Although 'living-out' of college would make things easier, it is usually not
possible during the first year and is always more expensive.
Now, if you are currently choosing your college you may wish to take into account the 'kosher factor'. Firstly, consult our college 'kosher-friendly' ratings to see how the colleges you are looking at compare. Secondly, there's strength in numbers. If you know other students applying to Oxford who keep kosher, applying together to a college that would have the facilities to give you a kitchen is the ideal. The more students who keep kosher in any one college, the easier it is to accommodate their needs. The colleges most likely to be able to provide facilities are those with accommodation for all three years of the undergraduate degree (e.g. St Hugh's and others); these colleges usually have the greatest variety in terms of facilities and allocation. Thirdly, although applying to a grand old fashioned college may seem cool, they often have the most antiquated facilities (e.g. Christ Church) and are sometimes the least accommodating of special dietary requirements.
So, without further ado, click here for our 'kosher friendly' ratings of 11 Oxford Colleges
