Chelsea Clinton Adjusts to Oxford

O X F O R D, England, Feb. 6 -- She may be the former first daughter, but Chelsea Clinton is still getting some impromptu lessons on foreign policy — this time, on her own at Oxford University.

Clinton started pursuing a master's degree in international relations at Oxford's University College this fall, following in the footsteps of her dad, former President Bill Clinton, who also did postgraduate studies at Oxford, where he was a Rhodes scholar.

Chelsea Clinton quickly immersed herself in campus life, but the 21-year-old student initially found it tough being abroad after Sept. 11. In an article she wrote for Talk magazine, the Stanford University graduate said she felt isolated by an anti-American presence at Oxford, where there have been peace protests against the war on terrorism.

"Every day at some point I encounter some sort of anti-American feeling," she wrote in the December/January issue of Talk.

The Chelsea Campaign

Clinton's public comments prompted rumors that she would leave the school and instead enroll at the London School of Economics.

But Oxford didn't want to see her go. Fusion FM, a local radio station, launched a "Cheer Up Chelsea Day," playing American music and flooding the airwaves with words of encouragement.

"We're going to find Chelsea and tell her what's really hot about living in Oxford, and why it's great, and why she should stay here," DJ Rob Knight said in a radio announcement.

It is not known whether the campaign persuaded her, but she's still there, and Knight, a recent Oxford grad, said Clinton is now doing just fine.

"She thought that it was quite cliquey here in just Oxford, and that people keep to themselves, which maybe they don't do in America," Knight said. "But hopefully she's got over that now. She's got quite a few friends that she's seen out and about with regularly, so hopefully she feels more at home now."

New Beau and a New 'Do

Apparently, the DJ is right. Clinton recently acknowledged that she has a new boyfriend, Ian Klaus, a California native who, like her father, is a Rhodes scholar.