Social Life
With three dedicated Social Secretaries, there is always something going on in the MCR.
Second Desserts & MCR Guest Nights -
our Mertonian Signature
At the MCR, we take pride in our Second Desserts. Second Desserts are the post-dinner drinks and refreshments served in the MCR. At Merton, these consist of an extensive cheese board sourced locally from the Covered Market (with up to 20 varieties), a desserts boards with pastries, a large inscribed cake, chocolates, fruits, and more, and a wide selection of drinks (port, wine, Mavrodaphni, but also elderflower pressé, and more non-alcoholic alternatives). Our chocolate fountain also makes an appearance on occasion!
Second Desserts also offer a delightful opportunity to meet friends and socialise. They frequently follow ‘MCR Guest Nights’ in Hall - in which MCR members are welcome to bring Guests from other Colleges, family members, and others, all for the price of a normal formal and extra special food -, and other occasions. These usually happen 3 times per term, and are preceded by Prosecco Pre-Drinks in the MCR. The whole event is highly enjoyable!
BOPs
BOPs are a venerable tradition at most colleges. The origins of the acronym are unclear (some say ‘Big Organised Party’ and some ‘Big Open Party’, still others ‘Break of the Peace’, but it could be something different altogether), but what in any case a BOP is a chance to let your hair down and dance the night away.
Every fortnight during term, a joint MCR-JCR BOP is held in the College’s Sports Pavilion which is about five-minutes from the Holywell Annexe. However, before this is the MCR pre-drinks held in the MCR itself where . Each BOP is themed and so there are always prizes for the best costumes. So get creative!
Vice President’s Graduate Colloquia
Colloquia hosted by the Vice-President of the MCR are casual discussions of graduates’ own research aimed at a non-specialist audience. They are a great opportunity to learn about topics outside of your own field, and you will get to benefit from the community’s expertise while enjoying snacks and drinks provided by the MCR.
Usually there are two or three a term and are determined entirely by graduate interest. All members are welcome to volunteer to give a talk and are invited to propose a colloquia discussion to the VP.
MCR Garden Party, Winter Ball et al.
Each Trinity Term is brightened up by the MCR’s Summer Garden Party, held in the resplendent Fellows’ Garden. Pimms, prosecco, cake and snacks are available for all, and it is a lovely opportunity to enjoy the weather and socialise with friends and colleagues.
In addition, our annual Oxbridge Sister College Exchange Dinner with Peterhouse, Cambridge, is also organised each Trinity term.
Merton is the only college in Oxford to have a White-Tie Winter Ball. Triennial, the Ball is one of the College’s most magical evenings. The ball is designed so that students on undergraduate degrees can experience it at least once during their time at Merton, however as graduates the timing does not necessarily work out that way, which is why alumni are also always welcome to attend.
If you have any ideas for a social event, get in touch with one of the Social Secretaries and we will see if we can make it happen! In the past we have had a wide range of events arising from graduate interest such as chocolate tastings, music nights, plant pot painting, vineyard grape harvesting and much more!
The Time Ceremony
On the last Sunday of October, for the hour when clocks go backwards from 02:00 BST to 02:00 GMT, Mertonians past and present gather in Fellows’ Quad in their gowns to walk arm-in-arm backwards around the lawn turning in circles at its four corners (port optional) in order to keep the time-space continuum in check.
I would detail the complex mechanics behind this process in greater detail, however to divulge such immensely complex information in this brief summary would only further confused and bewilder.
