9. Study Skills and Resources

9.1 Study Skills

Much of the advice and training in study skills will come in the regular tutorial and class teaching your college arranges for you. In these sessions, and in preparation for them, you will develop your powers of expression and argument. 

A wide range of information and training materials are available to help you develop your academic skills, including time management, research and library skills, referencing, revision skills and academic writing, through the Oxford Students website: https://www.ox.ac.uk/students/academic/guidance/skills

9.2 Resources

9.2.1 Books

A complete set of lecture notes should not be viewed as your sole source of information for a course. If you have found the course relatively straightforward then they may prove sufficient, though that is not to say you couldn't benefit from other texts and further reading, but if the course has gone less well then you would certainly be wise to consult other texts from the college library or internet for more examples and other treatments of the material. Access to other mathematical texts and sources will help in clarifying points made in lectures, completing arguments given partially, doing things in different ways, and so on. 

Reading lists are issued alongside the lecture synopses and are revised annually. They contain a range of suggestions, including alternatives and suggestions for further reading. It is often advantageous to have your own copy of some books - often you will be able to buy useful texts from your predecessors in college, or through second-hand bookstalls run by MURC.

9.2.2 Libraries

Mathematics & Philosophy students will need to use a variety of libraries during their time in Oxford. Your College library will have a good selection of books which can be borrowed. Each library is equipped with computers for searching databases and catalogues, and for checking emails and printing. 

Your University card is required to enter and/or to borrow books or order items from closed stacks. There will be an induction for Mathematics & Philosophy students during 0th week, teaching you how to use SOLO, a search and discovery tool for the Oxford Libraries' collection of resources. To find books featured on your reading lists, you can use SOLO. Ask library staff for assistance if you can't find the books you need. You can recommend new purchases via the library's website. 

Once you have found the books or journal articles you wish to read, you may be able to borrow the item from a lending library or you can read a reference copy in a Bodleian Library Reading Room. In addition your College library will often have lending copies of items on reading lists.

Mathematics and Philosophy students will most likely use the following three libraries:

  • BOD Philosophy Reading Room (Philosophy)
  • Philosophy Faculty Library (Philosophy)
  • Radcliffe Science Library (Mathematics - Science and Medicine)

9.2.3 IT

The University is committed to making available computer facilities sufficient to cover the coursework requirements of undergraduates. Your computing requirements will be supported primarily by departmental and college IT staff. 

All students will be automatically allocated a University email account and may register for further services with IT Services. IT Services are located at 13 Banbury Road and offer facilities, training and advice to members of the University in all aspects of academic computing. You can find more information at: https://www.it.ox.ac.uk/

Colleges have PCs (and in some cases Macs), mostly networked, for the use of junior members. Many college students' rooms are wired with ethernet points to enable students to connect their own PCs to the network. There are concerns around computer security and anyone opening an account must agree to abide by the University's rules. At Oxford there is a University disciplinary procedure for enforcing the rules, and breaches of the will involve the Proctors with all the sanctions and penalties available to them. 

Some University webpages are NOT available outside the Oxford network. If you are regularly using a computer outside the Oxford network, you need to set up VPN. Instructions on how to do this can be found at: https://help.it.ox.ac.uk/vpn

9.2.4 Andrew Wiles Building

The mezzanine teaching floor of the Mathematical Institute, Andrew Wiles Building, contains three lecture theatres (L1-L3), three smaller lecture rooms (L4-L6) and six classrooms (C1-C6). 

The area also contains an undergraduate study room with desk space for approximately 40 people, along with sockets for person laptop use. There is WiFi throughout the building. 

The mezzanine also hosts a cafe with seating and tables for 100 people, serving drinks, meals and snacks. 

The building is accessible to undergraduates during the opening hours of 8am-6pm, although Health and Safety advice will need to be followed. Please check the Mathematical Institute website for the latest guidance on how to use the building. 

9.2.5 The Faculty of Philosophy

From the start of the 2025-26 academic year, the Philosophy Faculty will be located in the new Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities in the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter. The Philosophy Hub at the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities contains the following facilities:
•    the offices of the Faculty’s administrative staff and the Chair of the Faculty Board;
•    the offices of some academic members of the Faculty of Philosophy, although most are based in colleges;
•    the Institute for Ethics in AI;
•    a Philosophy-specific study space;
•    a small kitchenette and a communal area, for use by staff, faculty members and graduate students; and
•    a Harvard-style lecture theatre, a large seminar room (“The Ryle Room”), and several smaller meeting rooms. 

The Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities also contains:
•    hubs for six other faculties and the Oxford Internet Institute
•    the Humanities Divisional office
•    the Bodleian Humanities Library
•    graduate study areas
•    catering outlets
•    additional lecture theatres and performance venues
•    cycle storage for students and staff
The Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities is normally open from 07:00-22:00. Library opening hours differ. To access to the building and many of the rooms within it you will be required to swipe your University card, so you should ensure you have this with you at all times. For any problems relating to access, please contact one of the building’s receptionists at reception@humanities.ox.ac.uk. Further information on Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities, including guidance on accessibility, can be found at https://www.accessguide.ox.ac.uk/schwarzman-centre-for-the-humanities.

Wireless access to the OWL network and Eduroam is available throughout the building, including in the graduate spaces.

9.2.6 The Language Centre

The Language Centre provides resources for members of the University who need foreign language skills for their study, research or personal interests, and also to improve English language skills. 

More information can be found here: https://www.lang.ox.ac.uk/

Mathematics and Mathematics & Philosophy students may take a language course in any of their second, third or fourth years. This will not count towards your degree classification but you will receive a certificate upon passing a course. Students reading Mathematics have priority in registering for these classes, but if there are vacancies, places are offered to those reading for joint schools, and Mathematics & Philosophy students are invited to apply. 

9.2.7 Careers and Employability

Careers guidance is provided by the Careers Service, and at a personal level by college tutors. Careers advisers carry out guidance interviews with students, discussing their skills and aspirations with them. They also provide training in writing applications, interview technique and analysis of transferable skills. The Careers Service provides information about occupations and employers, and advertises work experience opportunities. 

Members of the Faculty who have taught you are usually willing to provide support and references. The Careers Service provides a link person, who has expertise in areas where mathematicians (including students of Mathematis & Philosophy) are often in demand, for example in finance careers. College tutors are regularly updated on Careers Service activities. 

In addition to its general programme, the Careers Service runs an annual 'Jobs for Mathematicians' half-day, in collaboration with the Mathematical Institute. At this event, there are talks from alumni currently working in jobs suitable for mathematicians. The event also helps students consider their transferable skills. You can find more information at: https://www.careers.ox.ac.uk/

A significant proportion of students continue onto further study after completing their undergraduate degree. A talk on postgraduate study is included in the annual 'Jobs for Mathematicians' event and further information about postgraduate study opportunities at the Mathematical Institute can be found at: https://www.maths.ox.ac.uk/study-here/postgraduate-study

If you are considering graduate work in philosophy, and in particular if you are considering taking Oxford's flagship 2-year taught graduate course in philosophy, the BPhil, then your attention is drawn to 6.1.3 concerning the financial implications of choices you may wish to make.