compsoc-freshers March 2026

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CompSoc Newsletter Week 8!
by Declan Osborne 09 Mar '26

09 Mar '26

[Oxford CompSoc banner graphic] [7th Week] Hilary Term Week 8 Newsletter Hellos and Goodbyes, Competitive Programming and Bubble Tea! Greetings, fellow CompSoc-ers, The final week of term has dawned. Five days remain. Fear not, however — there's still time to get stuck into some CompSoc events before we all run away for the vacation! We have two events this week for your delectation, kicking off today with a competitive programming contest! Join us in the Undergraduate Social Area from 7:30-9:30pm tonight for the final competitive programming contest of the term. Finally, on Wednesday, we'll round off a hectic term with a spot of bubble tea! Join us from 5:30-6:30pm as we head off down to Fantastea to chill out with bubble tea and lively conversation. In addition, FLOSS@Oxford are this Thursday hosting a talk on GNU Emacs. If computing in freedom interests you, head on down to find a link to join the video call! The call will run from 6-7pm. Everything that begins must someday end, and the sun has finally begun to set upon my tenure as CompSoc's newsletter writer. I hope you've enjoyed the riveting prose and the captivating fun facts, and are looking forward to a new dawn of (possibly less verbose) newsletters. That's all from me — see you around! :) — Declan, CompSoc Secretary Fun Computing Fact: In my first ever CompSoc newsletter, I told you all about the amusing 'lp0 on fire' error message used in Unix-like operating systems, which originally alerted an operator to a printer physically catching fire (something that could and did happen!) However, did you know that, in some Linux kernels, a thermal failure in the CPU can result in the appropriate error message 'CPU#<n>: Possible thermal failure (CPU on fire ?)'? Given that some earlier CPUs actually could go up in smoke without sufficient cooling before thermal throttling at high temperatures became common (see it happening!<https://youtu.be/Xf0VuRG7MN4?si=1gEEncsM4sjPTqK7&t=57>), this error message is actually quite appropriate! New CompSoc Committee At last Saturday's Annual General Meeting, members elected the new Committee to lead CompSoc through 2026/27. Please welcome the following individuals! * President – Adhish Kancharla (Magdalen, he/him) * Vice-President – Amos Cheung (St Catherine's) * Secretary – İhsan Baydar (Keble) * Treasurer – Elliot Anurag (St John's, any/all) * Social Secretaries * Pramiti Sriram (Hertford, she/her) * Arnav Sharma (New, he/him) * Talks Officer – Asfur Malik (Jesus, he/they) * Learn to Code Officer – Peter Li (Hertford, he/him) * Competitive Programming Officers * Çağan Ahmet Yanmaz (Univ, he/him) * Andrew Park (Jesus, he/him) * CTF Officer - Natasha Ershova (Univ) * IT Officers * Peter Jones (Mansfield, he/him) * Raphael Darley (Balliol, he/him) * Publicity Officer - Penny Choy (St Hugh's, she/her) * Branding Officer - Declan Osborne (Christ Church, he/him) * Hackathon Officers * Peter Li (Hertford, he/him) * Esh Kolli (St Hilda's) * Senior Member - Alex Rogers (St Anne's) * Welfare Officer - Pramiti Sriram (Hertford, she/her) * Legal Counsel – Parul Sinha (Brasenose) Still not a member? How?! Membership only costs £1 for LIFE, with tons of benefits - discounts on merch and tickets, free food at all socials, our exclusive Discord server and more - so it's definitely worth signing up! [Be a member]<https://ox.compsoc.net/product/lifetime-membership/> or, go to https://ox.compsoc.net/product/lifetime-membership/<https://ox.compsoc.net/product/lifetime-membership/?fbclid=IwAR1Oe_vwCudNvU…> [Events] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/9pf/3bl/6x7/HT26%20Termcar…] [Events] Competitive Programming: Eighth Week Contest [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/phu/oyi/wg4/PNG%20Competit…] The final Monday of term has arrived, and the final competitive programming contest has also arrived alongside! Join us this Monday from 7:30-9:30pm as we head on down to the Undergraduate Social Area one last time to face off under the supervision of our two new Competitive Programming Officers... When: 7:30-9:30pm, Monday 9th March Where: Undergraduate Social Area, Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/9nUv0DJ3C Bubble Tea Social [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/n3z/c67/lew/PNG%20Bubble%2…] This Wednesday, we're headed down to Fantastea for our final event of the term! Join us from 5:30-6:30pm, as we chill out with some bubble tea at CompSoc's expense and say hi and goodbye to everyone one last time before we retire for the vacation. Come along to relax and indulge in some free drinks on us! When: 5:30-6:30pm, Wednesday 11th March Where: Fantastea 36 High St, Oxford OX1 4AN Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/4cO4ZB7T7 FLOSS@Oxford: Computing in Freedom with GNU Emacs [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/pki/su2/qco/FLOSS%40Oxford…] An event hosted by FLOSS@Oxford: "In this presentation I will tell you how to do much of your computing with the help of GNU Emacs. Emacs is a programmable text editor that can be used to do programming, manage your agenda, write emails, read the news, and more. All of this is done in an integrated and coherent way, while respecting your freedom." - Prot Attending Open to anyone, technical or not, whether a free software expert or newbie. Just follow this videocall link<https://ogeer.org/ox/meet/emacs/>; no registration required! Speaker Bio Protesilaos Stavrou<https://protesilaos.com/> (any pronoun<https://protesilaos.com/commentary/2022-07-31-preferred-gender-pronoun/>) is a philosopher living in the mountains of Cyprus at a house they built themself which they affectionately call “the hut.” They spend their free time programming on GNU Emacs, writing essays on a wide range of life issues, and doing infrastructure work around their house. They are also a self-taught programmer who enjoys learning by doing. They maintain more than 20 Emacs packages and continue to make contributions to the benefit of the Emacs community and free software at-large. Find all the relevant projects here: https://protesilaos.com/emacs. On 2022-03-19 the Free Software Foundation awarded Prot the 2021 Award for Outstanding New Free Software Contributor. They received it in their mail in late August 2022. Here is the announcement, which also includes all links to the backstory, as well as a video of Prot showing the physical item: https://protesilaos.com/codelog/2022-09-01-emacs-fsf-award/ (pictures too!). In May 2023 they received the Google Open Source Peer Bonus Program award for their Emacs modus-themes package: https://opensource.googleblog.com/2023/05/google-open-source-peer-bonus-pro…. Prot's relevant essay on Accessibility and software freedom: https://protesilaos.com/codelog/2023-05-11-accessibility-software-freedom/. When: 6-7pm, Thursday 12th March Where: Online video call Join the call here: https://ogeer.org/ox/meet/emacs/ [And More...] Check Out OxWoCS! Make sure to join OxWoCS (Oxford Women in CS), a society we're working closely with, if you identify as a woman or woman-adjacent person in CS! They have a host of wonderful events on, including talks, panels and socials. Computer Science is unfortunately a subject with one of the biggest gender gaps in Oxford and worldwide, and addressing this is at the core of OxWoCS. Perplexity Pro A message from our sponsors at Perplexity: Students get free Perplexity Pro and exclusive student features like flashcards and quizzes when you verify your student status. Sign up at perplexity.ai/students [Follow Us] [Web Site]<https://ox.compsoc.net/> [Facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/oxcompsoc/> [Instagram] <https://www.instagram.com/ox.compsoc/> [Discord] <https://discord.com/invite/cUZFPG5WZ6> [YouTube] <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwdzpxzUZ2i84x5WyVR36Cg> [TikTok] <https://www.tiktok.com/@ox.compsoc.net> or, contact us at committee(a)ox.compsoc.net [Our Sponsors] [Jane Street] [Citadel] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/sbs/qah/tta/Jump%20Trading…] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/11s/ilc/mex/Quantco_1.png] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/zmq/log/hdy/HRT%20Logo.png] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/utn/wzf/o3c/Incident.io%20…] [TPP] [TPP] [TPP] [TPP] Manage your email preferences here<https://lists.ox.compsoc.net/mailman/listinfo>. Unsubscribe by sending an email to the address below this email. 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CompSoc Newsletter Week 7!
by Declan Osborne 02 Mar '26

02 Mar '26

[Oxford CompSoc banner graphic] [7th Week] Hilary Term Week 7 Newsletter Annual General Meeting, Competitive Programming and More! Salutations, Old Friends, It's the penultimate week of term — oh, how time flies by. But, even as the biblical floods cease and the sun emerges once more, CompSoc ploughs fearsomely on. Your events this week are... This evening, we're back in the Undergraduate Social Area (again) for our final competitive programming advanced bootcamp of the term! Come along from 7:30-9:30pm to get some training in. We close off this Saturday with a triple header. We'll kick off first with our final CTF contest of the term! Head on down to the UGSA from 5-7pm to work on it in person — details to be announced in our Discord server on the day. Somewhat contemporaneously, through the power of quantum superposition, we also plan to hold our final specialised Learn to Code session of the term. The topic is yet to be revealed — stay tuned for details. Later in the day on Saturday, we'll be holding our Annual General Meeting! Join us in the Undergraduate Social Area from 7pm as we elect each of the members for the 2026-27 Committee and vote on your motions. If you're interested in running for CompSoc's Committee at the AGM, check out our election guide<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rvJy3CJcY9n-vwpFHdiV0Duyelh2YBdi> and register your interest<https://forms.gle/LrhUHwFL5rrRAwEd7>. Our motions channel is also open — if you'd like to submit a motion, join our Discord server<https://discord.com/invite/cUZFPG5WZ6> and make a post in our motions channel. — Declan, CompSoc Secretary Fun Computing Fact: Running elections online may sound like a horrible idea. How do you handle all of the new opportunities for tampering and fraud? Well, the International Association for Cryptologic Research thought they'd resolved some of this with their favourite technology — cryptography! The Association last year held elections for its leadership, with a system that required three trustees to combine parts of an encryption key to access the final results. However, this quickly hit a snag when one of the three trustees 'irretrievably' lost their part of the key. The results were deemed inaccessible, and the elections were cancelled. Upcoming CompSoc Elections On Saturday 7th March, we'll be holding CompSoc's Annual General Meeting to elect a new Committee! We're seeking candidates to fill the fourteen roles up for grabs in the brand new incarnation of the Committee. Those positions are: * President * Vice President * Secretary * Treasurer * Social Secretary * Talks Officer * Learn to Code Officer * IT Officer * Competitive Programming Officer * Cybersecurity (CTF) Officer * SWAG Officer * Publicity Officer * Branding Officer * Legal Counsel If you'd like to learn more, including what each position entails, check out the guide written by two of our former Presidents (and edited by yours truly!) here<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rvJy3CJcY9n-vwpFHdiV0Duyelh2YBdi>. If you're interested in standing for election, please fill out this form<https://forms.gle/LrhUHwFL5rrRAwEd7>. Still not a member? How?! Membership only costs £1 for LIFE, with tons of benefits - discounts on merch and tickets, free food at all socials, our exclusive Discord server and more - so it's definitely worth signing up! [Be a member]<https://ox.compsoc.net/product/lifetime-membership/> or, go to https://ox.compsoc.net/product/lifetime-membership/<https://ox.compsoc.net/product/lifetime-membership/?fbclid=IwAR1Oe_vwCudNvU…> [Events] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/9pf/3bl/6x7/HT26%20Termcar…] [Events] Competitive Programming: Seventh Week Advanced Bootcamp [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/rgd/kok/nud/PNG%20Competit…] It's our penultimate Monday of the term — what better way to mark it than with our final competitive programming advanced bootcamp this term? Join us this Monday from 7:30-9:30pm as usual, when we'll be down in the Undergraduate Social Area for some crucial tuition on competitive programming, aided and abetted by pizza. What's not to love? When: 7:30-9:30pm, Monday 2nd March Where: Undergraduate Social Area, Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/79o7iTf06 Capture-the-Flag Night: Seventh Week [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/gfd/cqd/oh6/PNG%20CTF%20Ni…] This Saturday, we're back one last time for a good old CTF contest! This week, we'll be in the Undergraduate Social Area from 5-7pm for some in-person participation on a cybersecurity contest. As usual, more details will be announced in our Discord server on the day! When: 5-7pm, Saturday 7th March Where: Undergraduate Social Area, Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/3vEM0rkz8 CompSoc Annual General Meeting [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/29q/sqo/1e8/PNG%20HT26%20A…] This Saturday, it's time for a scarcely-seen event — CompSoc's Annual General Meeting! We'll convene at 7pm in the Undergraduate Social Area to discuss your suggestions and vote on your motions to improve the governance of the society. Most importantly, we'll also be electing a brand new Committee to take the society through to 2027! Afterwards, we'll relax with a classic Saturday Social. If you're a CompSoc member and you're interested in running for a role on Committee, take a look at our election guide<https://drive.google.com/file/d/1rvJy3CJcY9n-vwpFHdiV0Duyelh2YBdi>! After having a read, you can register to stand for election by filling out our (very basic) form here<https://forms.gle/LrhUHwFL5rrRAwEd7>. There's plenty of positions up for grabs, and experience on a society committee is both a great way to pad out your CV and also very fun! We'll hear speeches from the candidates for each role and then hold a secret vote to determine the victors. Voting on motions and CompSoc's next Committee is restricted to members of the society. If you're not a member yet, hop on over here<https://buy.stripe.com/bJe5kE4os0FzgbF79J48001> to sign up — membership is only £1 for life! Registered members may propose motions in our Discord server<https://discord.com/invite/cUZFPG5WZ6>'s motions channel. Please note that you must be present at the AGM to propose a motion. When: 7pm, Saturday 7th March Where: Undergraduate Social Area, Department of Computer Science 7 Parks Rd, Oxford OX1 3QG Click 'Going' here: https://fb.me/e/9TBhI5xnh [And More...] Sponsor Opportunity: Europe Terminal Correlation One, in partnership with Citadel and Citadel Securities, are inviting students across Europe to compete in this Spring season’s Europe Terminal<https://t.yesware.com/tt/0bda146ffcb58e98b0f749f421532787adb1dc6a/7b8f50461…>, where participants will virtually compete for $15,000USD in our competition! Terminal Live is an online game where software engineers and computer scientists (or anyone else interested in coding!) build an algorithm to play a tower defense game in a team-based setting. Watch this video<https://t.yesware.com/tt/0bda146ffcb58e98b0f749f421532787adb1dc6a/7b8f50461…> to see Terminal in action! When: April 21 - 28 Where: Virtual Who: Undergraduate students Prizes: $15,000USD + exclusive recruiting opportunities with Citadel and Citadel Securities Sign up here: https://www.citadel.com/careers/programs-and-events/terminal/apply-for-the-… Check Out OxWoCS! Make sure to join OxWoCS (Oxford Women in CS), a society we're working closely with, if you identify as a woman or woman-adjacent person in CS! They have a host of wonderful events on, including talks, panels and socials. Computer Science is unfortunately a subject with one of the biggest gender gaps in Oxford and worldwide, and addressing this is at the core of OxWoCS. Perplexity Pro A message from our sponsors at Perplexity: Students get free Perplexity Pro and exclusive student features like flashcards and quizzes when you verify your student status. Sign up at perplexity.ai/students [Follow Us] [Web Site]<https://ox.compsoc.net/> [Facebook] <https://www.facebook.com/oxcompsoc/> [Instagram] <https://www.instagram.com/ox.compsoc/> [Discord] <https://discord.com/invite/cUZFPG5WZ6> [YouTube] <https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCwdzpxzUZ2i84x5WyVR36Cg> [TikTok] <https://www.tiktok.com/@ox.compsoc.net> or, contact us at committee(a)ox.compsoc.net [Our Sponsors] [Jane Street] [Citadel] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/sbs/qah/tta/Jump%20Trading…] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/11s/ilc/mex/Quantco_1.png] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/zmq/log/hdy/HRT%20Logo.png] [https://3f02beb114.imgdist.com/pub/bfra/jofz1jq9/utn/wzf/o3c/Incident.io%20…] [TPP] [TPP] [TPP] [TPP] Manage your email preferences here<https://lists.ox.compsoc.net/mailman/listinfo>. Unsubscribe by sending an email to the address below this email. 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