Our Programmes

We want everyone, regardless of experience, to be able to engage with EA ideas, so we’re offering a variety of programmes this term.

If you are new to Effective Altruism, please consider applying to the Arete Fellowship for a comprehensive introduction . This is selective only on the basis of how you interact with the materials in the application form, rather than your knowledge, experience or academic subject.

The others are selective on the basis of how you’ve previously engaged with Effective Altruism, such as which books you’ve read, (as well as how you reason).

If you’re unsure we encourage you to apply to multiple, which should be made relatively easy through the single application form.

Timeline:

  • Applications due midnight Sunday 26th January (end of 1st week)

  • Decisions will be sent out by Wednesday 29th January (2nd week)

  • Accepted applicants will be invited to a pre-programme social, likely on Saturday 25th January

  • Groups will start in 3rd week, and meet weekly until the end of term

  • The times that the groups meet up is dictated by the availability of participants (and the potential slots are on the application form).

Arete fellowship [Intro]

This 6 week seminar group introduces you to the core ideas in Effective Altruism, so you can think about how you can have a positive impact on the world.

Arete (usually pronounced AIR-uh-TAY) is a Greek word loosely meaning excellence or virtue, or living up to one’s potential. It is frequently associated with effectiveness and achieving results.

This program is designed to help you to form your own views on important questions that matter to you and help you have a high impact through your career and donations. 

The perfect first step for people who want to discover their role in making the world a better place. (Bella, 4th year biochemistry)

career accelerator programme

This is a semi-structured in-person co-working group where fellows get the accountability, space and structure to work on their career plans, one-on-one discussions to signpost them to resources and the freedom to explore their careers in a way that suits them. It includes:

  • Personalised Career Planning: One-on-one discussions to think through your options and signpost you to opportunities.

  • Co-working Sessions: Time and space to work collaboratively on your career goals, which involves dedicated time to plan and reflect on each session

  • Networking and Mentorship: Connections to professionals working on high-impact causes.

  • Community: We will run optional free dinners after each session to help you connect with more people in EA Oxford.

If you have any doubts or questions, please email Alex, or book a call with him here.

It was very helpful to have a dedicated time set out each week to think systematically about your career; I ended up applying to a lot more things than I would have if I didn't attend the programme. (Arjun, 1st year philosophy and computer science)

in-depth fellowship (IDEA)

This is a cause neutral discussion group designed to help you gain a more thorough understanding of a variety of cause areas and to help you think through how to prioritise between them.

It begins with 2 weeks of setting intentions and thinking about our own values and how we arrive at them, followed by 4 weeks where your fellowship group decides together which topics to cover. Read the options here!

red-teaming fellowship

Red-teaming is a methodology of generating critiques of a movement or organisation in order to improve it. Red-teaming Effective Altruism typically involves critiquing the beliefs that are mainstream within the movement in order to improve its social epistemics and cause prioritisation. The fellowship aims to teach you this methodology so you can develop criticisms of Effective Altruism yourself.

Check out the syllabus here.

Animal welfare discussion group

This will be a less structured reading group where we read and discuss/ podcast we find interesting, with a view to improving our understanding of the animal welfare landscape. Here I have some suggested readings/ videos/ podcasts, but would be excited to incorporate your ideas too!

Global poverty discussion group

A deeper dive into topics of global poverty such as growth development, randomista development, and our obligations towards the global poor, taken from One for the World/EA Cambridge.

The fellowship is a great opportunity to develop your understanding on a global issue through discussion with similarly passionate people. (Harrison)

online existential risk discussion group

This is our only exclusively online programme, aimed at making discussions  accessible, personal and up-to date. Coleman Snell, an AI governance and strategy researcher, will have discussions with individual group members to determine their interests and tailor the readings to them.

The members of the Michaelmas term cohort were keen to continue through the Christmas break and into Hilary term, so apply to join them here!

It is fun and you can learn a lot about potential existential risks and how we can cope, and it is also an intellectual exercise. You get to know a lot of interesting people here as well! (Leyi)

Applications close midnight, Sunday 26th January (1st week)