Not sure whether to apply to Oxford (deciding whether to register for BMAT tomorrow)

Do they not use Alevels?

Hi, you don't happen to know of any stats or anything about successes of interviewees in the different colleges at Oxford?

None...this is the impression I get from their emails and off their website!

Hi, I also cannot seem to decide on a college at all, stuck between around 4, which all seem to cater for what I looking for in my college, but I need to choose one for tomorrow. I do not wish to choose the open choice option, as I believe I could end up a college where I don't want to go.

Some possible criteria:

- Size of college
- Size of your subject in that college
- Location - city centre? quiet/touristy? Near other facilities important to you?
- Accommodation - 3 years? price? Quality? location? (can be very different to college location)
- Food price/method of payment/quality
- Surroundings - gardens? Can you use the gardens? old/pretty buildings? Good views?
- Subject specific stuff - how you organise tutes/how many will there be/will they have your tutor or will you have to go elsewhere.
- Facilities - games room stuff, sports facilities, JCR quality, gym?
- College funds for sports/travel/anything else. Big variation and worth considering if you plan to play a sport to a high level.
- College bursaries for low-income students
- Any particularly active societies/particularly well catered-for sports teams.
- Activity of the 'entz' teams - people who organise college social events.
- Any weird and wacky traditions they have you might want to get involved in.
- 'atmosphere' - Generally people also attach huge weight to atmosphere based on a few minutes at a college on the open day, although this would hardly be representative of the whole college really.

A few to get you going there .

This is a response i gave to someone else the other day, if it helps:

The college is where tutorials are held (which forms a large proportion of your work if you are an arts student!) and is also where you live and socialize so it will play a big part in your oxford life!

This is a list quoted from a reply i gave the other day. I was sort of exaggerating the number of factors to consider so there is a lot but they are all true. Clearly some are more important than others - that is for you to decide! :



College sizes, for reference:


The number of places for each subject would depend on the subject and college.

This website is also good for an overview of the colleges - its not much detail but can give an idea of colleges to look into:

This site is awesome for views of colleges - all the little blue pointers are panoramic photographs - you can spin around and everything is so cool! For some colleges here is better.

If you really can't decide the old pick out of the hat does the trick nicely.

best of luck,

Which has the highest offers/places:applicants ratio, or if not known, is known to be fairly easier (I know that is a ridiculous word to use when applying to Oxford, but I am sure you will know what I am getting at here) college to get into?

I'd also add to that that a college choice isn't as important as you might think. No matter where you'll end up, you're bound to end up thinking it's the best!

Don't take that into account at all, when information is available the number yo-yo like crazy anyway as people apply to the lowest. And also if you're good enough for Oxford, you will get a place somewhere. There's a lot of different entry routes than the one college you apply to.

Okay, thank's for your help, it's just that I heard St Peter's has never been exceedingly popular...

Ah for all my efforts thinking about aspects of colleges that are important, i forgot that crucial detail. I shall edit.