Thanks everyone for the opinions...some things i'd like to clarify '4. You don't obviously know many private school people. YOu clearly have a massive chip on your shoulder. Sort it out. Just remember - they are there on as much merit as you, you are neither any better or worse than they are. If you go around hating them for where they wne to school - you are pathetic.' Slight overreaction i think, i never said i hated privately schooled people, most of them are very nice and quite a few state school students are stuck up, maybe i could have worded my point better, was just commenting on the stereotype that there are more of these people at oxford? Also whoever suggested that 'people like me' would be 'detrimental to the environment' seems to be making even more unfair assumptions about character than me...and i'm not considing london just because my friends are there, i'm not choosing ucl because i know people there as i'd like some independence at uni, would just be nice and convenient to visit them occasionally...and my point about cooking, i'm aware that you can do whatever in second year, it's more that i like the idea of living in flats with a kitchen to socialise that i've seen at other unis which doesn't happen at oxford in first year.