Wadham vs Worcester vs St Johns

Hey all,

My application deadline for my school is before the end of today and I need help deciding which college! I come from a poor state school and am the only one in my year applying to Oxford, however I still want to have a really good social life while I'm at uni as you only get to go once.

I've narrowed it down to these 3 and they are very different so i need opinions.

- Wadham, the social life looks great both at night and on the (rare) occasions i'll be sober. I don't mind living out either as it only accommodates you for years 1 and 3. It being near the center yet still having really nice gardens to sit on in addition to nice buildings is a draw. The relaxed liberal atmosphere is also a draw because I go to a town state school in a left wing area. However, some doubts I have include that it is a bit 'political' for me, I lean towards liberalism but, to be perfectly honest I don't really care about arguing politics, etc. Also, I don't mean this in a bad or homophobic way at all, but it seems extremeley focused on LGBT stuff, with Queer week etc, this is gonna sound really bad, but is there a substantial hetero scene for men?

- Worcester, the grounds look really nice and all the accommodation looks good and interesting. However, it has a reputation of being a bit rah and conservative, which I definitely wouldn't fit in with. Also, it looks like it could be a bit dull and dozy compared to a college nearer the city and the buildings aren't quite as old and grand. The physical jcr doesnt look great either, although thats not a huge factor

-St Johns, richest college so everything is cheap, I'm not from the richest family in the world. The actual college looks nice and busy (aside from the concrete horror accomodation) and the gardens look nice. However, the bar and jcr aren't in the best shape and it has a reputation for being antisocial, so I'm worried the social side will be much worse than, say, Wadham.

If anyone could give me any pointers or debunk my worries it would be great. Any suggestions at all would also be welcome. Cheers :smile:

Reply 1

The_Lonely_Goatherd

Original post by sepulcher64

- Worcester, the grounds look really nice and all the accommodation looks good and interesting. However, it has a reputation of being a bit rah and conservative, which I definitely wouldn't fit in with. Also, it looks like it could be a bit dull and dozy compared to a college nearer the city and the buildings aren't quite as old and grand. The physical jcr doesnt look great either, although thats not a huge factor

Woostarite here :hi:

We're not particularly rah or conservative, so not sure where that impression has come from! :eek:

There's a diverse student body and people from all nationalities and walks of life. It's far from dull and dozy - there's always stuff going on. We have a rep of "work a bit hard, party VERY hard" and almost everyone does one college extra-curricular (if not several!).

Which buildings did you see when you went to Woosta? I'd argue our main quad is pretty damn grand (albeit eclectic), with its 13th century cottages on one side and Pemberley-esque buildings on the other :love:

Granted, our physical JCR is a bit **** in comparison to other colleges and the bar is a bit smaller, but it's a fab college and you would be happy there! If you have any Woosta-specific questions (I came from a poor state school too, so understand the concerns and would like to assure you!), do PM me or quote me here :yep:

Reply 2

OxFossil

The 'reputations' of any/all of the colleges with regards to 'rah', left or right wing, friendly or otherwise are largely fictions. That's not to say that in any given undergraduate cohort, the atmosphere might acquire a particular tang. However, if you think about it, most colleges have a 30% undergraduate turnover every year, so it would take quite an effort to entrench - say - 'friendliness' or 'rampant heterosexuality' in one college above another.

There are some longer lasting 'structural biases' such as Wadham's Queerfest, or the nature of the JCR space, but again, I suspect your actual experience will be determined by the quotidian (posh vocab hem hem). Long ago, I chose St Peter's for its supposed prole-y basis and good JCR. But my experience was overwhelmingly negative; my peers had never heard of The Sex Pistols and the liveliest social event was the weekly Bread and Cheese Supper run by the Theology students. Whereas my daughter went to Christ Church - I used to spit on the pavement as I passed Tom Gate - and found it friendly and liberal.

I would tend to go with the things that you know are going to be there. Worcester's grounds are guaranteed to sooth the troubled heart, for instance, and guaranteed accommodation over all 3 years is a good safety net. Beyond that, it's mostly luck.

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 3

queenofmirkwood

Original post by sepulcher64

Worcester fresher here. I don't think Worcester has a 'rah' stereotype and if it does, I've found that not to be the case - even those who went to prestigious boarding schools are genuinely lovely people. You might find the odd pretentious person but these people are few and far between - I doubt you'd find a college without them. I was worried about not fitting in, being smart enough, posh enough etc. but really the majority of people are feeling the same. All in all, I've met some of the friendliest people here.

Even though the JCR isn't great, the bar's not bad and there are lots of other places to socialise around college e.g. kitchens. Also, Worcester's buildings might not be as grand as other colleges but they are still beautiful. Plus there's a lake with ducks!

I have a friend from St John's too and she loves it. A lot grander than Worcester from what I've seen visiting.

If you have any more questions, please don't hesitate to ask.

Hope this helps :smile:

Wadham vs Worcester vs St Johns

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