After the excitement on Tuesday of having been able to visit and see at close hand the places in which their subjects are put into action, the students in Merton returned to their studies on Wednesday morning raring to go.

Politics and IR students got to grips with the factors behind democratisation before a seminar on hybrid regimes, both topics of especial interest after the trip to the Houses of Parliament and its introduction to the history of British democracy; Business students were focusing on alternative investments and financial risk management, which was again topical after time on the floor of the Stock Exchange the preceding day. Medicine students explored the physiological effects and necessity, or lack thereof, of gluten-free diets, while the psychology classes examined the role of ethics in psychology, a topic of crucial importance, and a session which the individuals behind certain experiments –the Stanford Prison Experiment, to cite perhaps the most famous example— would have been well-advised to attend.

In the afternoon, all the students headed to the Saïd Business School for cross-disciplinary talks on a wide range of subjects, a fascinating experience. The evening saw many of the students in Merton take the chance to relax with a game much enjoyed by students in Oxford: croquet, new to many, in  a session led by Henry, one of our students here in Merton.

Three games were run, all very enjoyable— more enjoyable, in fact, than some were expecting when they first joined. The games saw a strong team morale at play, and even a strong hint of competitive spirit despite the novelty of the game. The winning teams in each match were the Lovely Unicorns, The Babes, and the inventively named Team Three, the victors in an evening that we are sure produced fond memories for a long time to come.