A number of students (and parents) have asked us for guidance on personal expenses. Naturally this will depend on the individual. In general, Oxford is considered very expensive, as expensive as London. (Rents for students are very high - just ask any British student when you arrive). Roughly speaking, we would say that Oxford is about 60% more expensive than most college towns in the East, such as New Haven, Boston, etc. You can save a lot of money by avoiding restaurants; an average lunch would cost about £9 (we will use pounds, you can check the current exchange rate in any good newspaper. Pub lunches are a good buy - about £4-£5. College meals are a real bargain - about £3.00 and you can cook meals in your flat (all have kitchens) eat exactly what you want and not go over £3.00. The college bars sell beer (the drinking age in England is 18) at about a third less than the public bars, "pubs". A bus ride to London (about 1 1/2 hours) costs about £6.50 return. We would say a student could live modestly for a week in Oxford, meals, some bus fares, movies, drinks, laundry, etc. for about £100 to £120. When you arrive you can open a bank account, with cheques. You can have money sent from the States through your bank or through the American Express office in Oxford.