[Poppyxx]

Hate threads like this.

Pick the damn course first.

You'll be studying it for at least 3 years and you need to have passion/the aptitude for it to get in anyway.

As similar as those courses are (as in I can see why a certain type of student would have narrowed it down to those) they are SO different. You MUST be able to work out a preference as to where your interests truly lie.

[Oorlog]

(Original post by Lac.)
Well actually I do know a bit about the offer, and the main gist of it is that they really want this person, so gave them an offer that they know they can acheive (relatively) easily.

Which was exactly what I was trying to point out , this person has something they wanted.

For less blessed souls like me it comes down to graduating summa cum laude and vigorously keeping my fingers crossed.

[Faisalobeidat]

(Original post by dogmatichurricane)
A large proportion of the people applying for the same course as you have also done everything you've mentioned.....you sound like you would cancel your application if you were pooled out of ChCh/Trinity.

Well I have to say that it isn't true. The way I see it is, if I'm going to apply to institutions such as Cambridge or Oxford, I might as well try my luck with the most prestigious ones like Trinity or Christ Church. If I get pooled, then I would still have a shot at Cambridge or Oxford, and I would consider myself lucky, as I am (as an 11th grade student) in no position whatsoever to cheapen any level of education these two fantastic institutions can offer.

[Faisalobeidat]

(Original post by Poppyxx)
Hate threads like this.

Pick the damn course first.

You'll be studying it for at least 3 years and you need to have passion/the aptitude for it to get in anyway.

As similar as those courses are (as in I can see why a certain type of student would have narrowed it down to those) they are SO different. You MUST be able to work out a preference as to where your interests truly lie.

Ok, no need for hatred or any other kind of overly enthusiastic emotion. I will do some more soul searching, my ultimate goal being not to get people unreasonably mad at a thread like this.

On a less aggressive note, thank you for your opinion. I think it will help in the life-altering decision I must make in the next few months.

[qwertyuiop1993]

(Original post by Faisalobeidat)
Well I have to say that it isn't true. The way I see it is, if I'm going to apply to institutions such as Cambridge or Oxford, I might as well try my luck with the most prestigious ones like Trinity or Christ Church. If I get pooled, then I would still have a shot at Cambridge or Oxford, and I would consider myself lucky, as I am (as an 11th grade student) in no position whatsoever to cheapen any level of education these two fantastic institutions can offer.

I must reiterate that factors like the atmosphere of the colleges, the size, the cost of accommodation, the location, the look (the course you want to study) - they are all more important than a vague notion of prestige, which won't actually bring you much comfort if it turns out you hate the college and have to spend three years of your life there, or even when applying for jobs, I'd imagine most people would see Oxford or Cambridge as much more important than the bit that goes in front.

That said, if you do decide on either one for a better reason than prestige, for Christ Church at least, you probably won't have to fight off as many applicants as you think (compared to other colleges). The acceptance rate to Christ Church for direct applicants is 19% (averaged over 4 years - someone posted the spreadsheet earlier in the thread) which is actually one of the higher percentages.

[la-dauphine]

(Original post by Faisalobeidat)
Well I have to say that it isn't true. The way I see it is, if I'm going to apply to institutions such as Cambridge or Oxford, I might as well try my luck with the most prestigious ones like Trinity or Christ Church. If I get pooled, then I would still have a shot at Cambridge or Oxford, and I would consider myself lucky, as I am (as an 11th grade student) in no position whatsoever to cheapen any level of education these two fantastic institutions can offer.

Like the above poster said, don't just pick based on prestige. ALL Oxford/Cambridge colleges are prestigious and it's really not worth applying somewhere based on that when you could be happier at another college. Basically stay open minded! Have you looked at any other colleges, out of interest?

[Faisalobeidat]

(Original post by la-dauphine)
Like the above poster said, don't just pick based on prestige. ALL Oxford/Cambridge colleges are prestigious and it's really not worth applying somewhere based on that when you could be happier at another college. Basically stay open minded! Have you looked at any other colleges, out of interest?

Actually, I have looked at several different Cambridge colleges such as King's, St John's, Emmanuel and Trinity Hall. But I have to say I really fell in love with the Trinity architecture and its Great Court when I visited last summer.
Still, thank you all for helping me realize that my choices were completely superficial and lacking in depth; I should have explored the other colleges from different perspectives.

[TheUbermensche]

(Original post by la-dauphine)
Bear in mind that for Oxford, anyway, the prestige and fame of the college you're applying to doesn't really affect your chances of getting into the university, because of the pooling system. If a college is oversubscribed but still feels that a candidate is university standard, it places them into the pool and another college may fish them out.

It also may sound difficult to believe but ChCh is one of the LEAST oversubscribed colleges in Oxford:

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheet/...hl=en_GB#gid=4

(Go to the last column)

Hm, I can't help but view this spreadsheet with heavy scepticism. Oxford has stopped publishing college stats, where did you find this?

[Poppyxx]

(Original post by TheUbermensche)
Hm, I can't help but view this spreadsheet with heavy scepticism. Oxford has stopped publishing college stats, where did you find this?

A poster called FluteFlute got them under the freedom of information act, I think.

[TheUbermensche]

(Original post by Poppyxx)
A poster called FluteFlute got them under the freedom of information act, I think.

Yes I realised soon after that Oxford is obliged to release any requested data. I got my hadns on some specifics helpful to me ^ ^