Which College should I pick? (For a postgraduate who wont set foot in a church...)

I may have secured a place at Oxford for my DPhil in Astronomical Instrumentation and I had no idea about this being asigned to a college business.

I've heard the postgraduates ones are good but I'd really like to know more about the ones where I am as little involved with tradition and churches as possible. I just feel exceedingly uncomfortable in formal situations.

If anyone has more information on this, it'd be appreciated!

Reply 1

MonteCristo

Why so concerned about churches? I don't imagine any college is going to make you hang out in a church if you'd prefer not to. Presumably Oxford students are now composed of all faiths, denominations, and neither. Even Richard Dawkins made himself at home in New College...

Presumably the newer colleges will have fewer stuffy traditions? St Cross, Wolfson, Kellogg, and Harris Manchester for postgraduates / mature students... Green Templeton is also a bit atypical. Mansfield is also very informal/friendly when I was last there 10+ years ago...

I've never been an Oxford student so quite why I've replied to this thread I can't imagine!

University of Oxford

Oxford

Reply 2

nexttime

There are some 'formal' occasions that you have to go to - matriculation, exams etc. Beyond that its up to you whichever college it is.

No college will make you attend any kind of religious service obviously (!).

Reply 3

flywithemma

St Cross shares a site with Pusey House so if you're uncomfortable with seeing clergy wander around the lodge in robes/smelling incense when you go to check your post then you might want to give it a miss - although the amount of time you actually spend in the areas of the college owned by Pusey House are very very limited, and as posters above have said there is no obligation whatsoever to attend services/engage with the chapel at all, despite the 'religious' name of the college (it is in fact named after a street)

Reply 4

Derek_the_Sheep

You might consider Wadham, which has a long history of a sort of "alternative culture" outlook. But as other posters have said, provided you steer clear of the obviously religously based (the PPHs, essentially), you can pick whatever way of living you want in any of the colleges, especially as a graduate.
DtS

Reply 5

Pars12