Merton College (Oxford) Students and Applicants

Do you just automatically get your room when you turn up, or do they send you stuff after you make you offer?

Reply 22

wilbur

burntgorilla

Do you just automatically get your room when you turn up, or do they send you stuff after you make you offer?

You'll be allocated a room before you come up, but usually you'll only find out which room when you arrive. They're all of roughly the same standard in 1st year though, so no need to worry. Most of the stuff college will send you beforehand will be administrative, e.g. university/'bod' card, medical details, university contract, privacy policy, etc.

Reply 23

kiry

angelsarmiento

Let's post a bit of small talk! Else, everyone else will think all Mertonians are at the libary, having showers and sleeping there and all.

What is it like to live in one of Merton's houses in second year?

Second year is in Holywell as decided by a ballot which just happened this last weekend for us (87/89 for me :frown:

). You can choose to go in a group or as an individual with most opting for a group of varying sizes. For 3rd year the ballot is reversed so if you come bottom second year (like me) you should hopefully get a palace in the third year in college to make up for it. As to the actual second year rooms I think they are relatively standard although they do have a fair variety. The major thing appears to be that two of the houses do not have kitchens and so if your unlucky you end up in one of those houses. Also, you will be the first year in which college has decided to mix male/female and subjects together.

Reply 24

henryt

17

Yay. I love Merton already!! I've got some old friends there, and they say it's totally cool, and it's soo pretty. :biggrin:

Reply 25

Megsy

Kiry, 87/89 is awesome! all the second year accommodation is roughly the same, but third year rooms have a huge difference. Anyone in 2nd year who has a tiny room has it because they wanted to live with specific friends. I was 27th or something, so I'm probably going to stay in Holywell next year as well.

So is it only in third year that you'd have a chance of getting a room actually in one of the quads?

Reply 26

asar

I have to admit my room in the interviews was spectacular. I really, really didn't want to leave! I was in Rose Lane and had a sitting room with a huge heater, two leather(y) minisofas, a desk and chair, a small table and a huge bookshelf with drawers. The room was huge, 5x5 approx. Then, I had a much smaller sleeping room. It was also en-suite with a gleaming new bathroom and it had a FANTASTIC view!

Gosh I miss it... I just watch the pictures I've got longingly.

Now, on the boring stuff....

wilbur

Most of the stuff college will send you beforehand will be administrative, e.g. university/'bod' card, medical details, university contract, privacy policy, etc.

If they send all this by snail mail I'm doomed. I recently ordered a set of PDA stylii from the UK by post and they took three months to arrive. Well, at least they did arrive... but my anger was heightened by finding by the abundant seals that it had spent one month SIX BLOCKS AWAY. It's always the same with anything that gets to the Mexican Postal Service.

Reply 27

tinypony

If they send all this by snail mail I'm doomed. I recently ordered a set of PDA stylii from the UK by post and they took three months to arrive. Well, at least they did arrive... but my anger was heightened by finding by the abundant seals that it had spent one month SIX BLOCKS AWAY. It's always the same with anything that gets to the Mexican Postal Service.

lol!

I had that problem when I was in Mexico. At least soon you'll be back in the UK :smile:

Reply 28

heliotrope

burntgorilla

And are the rooms in Merton Street nice? It seems all the male first years go there.

That seems a really inane question.

merton has single sex accomodation!? why?

Reply 29

WokSz

17

I really want to apply to Merton but the whole reputation of the University scares me. Is anybody doing PPE there?

Reply 30

tinypony

I lived in Merton Street 21, it was quite nice. It was an en-suite.

Reply 31

wilbur

heliotrope

merton has single sex accomodation!? why?

Not for much longer... The college recently decided to mix first year accommodation by subject and gender.

Reply 32

I know that term starts on the 7th october this year (why a sunday?), but when would most people come up? Do they arrive on that sunday, or is it the start of all the freshers' stuff? I know it's a while away but my parents are talking about booking stuff already (I need to get a ferry over).

Reply 33

kiry

burntgorilla

I know that term starts on the 7th october this year (why a sunday?), but when would most people come up? Do they arrive on that sunday, or is it the start of all the freshers' stuff? I know it's a while away but my parents are talking about booking stuff already (I need to get a ferry over).

Weeks start on a Sunday so its the beginning of 0th week. For us this year we started on Monday but a lot of people (unexpectedly) arrived the day before. Basically the colleges have to try and stagger arrivals so everyone from every college doesn't arrive the same day and make Merton street impossible to get into. Aside from that you won't do a great deal the first day but you are expected to be there for registration etc.

Reply 34

invicta

does ne1 have any pics of merton? the internet jsu seems 2 have pics of ChCh and all souls...

cheers

Reply 35

Use this:

http://www.chem.ox.ac.uk/oxfordtour/merton/

Reply 36

Elbow

Kiry: 87-89 is EXACTLY where you want to be in the 2nd year room ballot. I was 87th, lived in an attic in 3 Holywell in 2nd year (not too bad, has a shower and kitchen, just not with my friends - but friends are easily accessible) and had a four-room monster in St Albans Quad in 3rd year, with views over both Merton Street and Christchurch Meadow. I agonised between that and a three-room beastie in Mob Quad - when else does one get the chance to live in a 14th Century quad for 70 quid a week (or whatever it is now)? Tough decision, heehee... It comes to something when you have to decide between being woken up by chapel bells or birdsong. You very quickly forget any of the privations of 2nd year (which aren't much now anyway since Manor Place isn't undergrad accommodation any more) when you move into your suite with windowseats and armchairs and vast expanses of views....

[No, you won't know who I am, I'm a rather decrepit grad student now.]

Potential applicants: Do come to Merton. I picked it by utter random and am still amazed at my luck. The work - well, I don't honestly know how much other people doing my subject (medicine) at other colleges do, but you're more likely to be aware of what people doing other subjects at Merton are doing; this is likely to be a similar amount to yourself. Meanwhile, when it comes to exams you'll find yourself very grateful that you've had lots of tutorials and written lots of essays - eg for medicine, some colleges don't even have anatomy tutorials when a third of our first year mark is based on anatomy. You might be annoyed at the time but we do well at exams for a reason - and it's not because we're "geeky" or whatever, it's because we're well taught. Merton won't let you fail through lack of teaching, but it can't and won't make you work, it's just then up to you if you don't do as well as you'd hoped.

People with offers for next year - lucky you. Anyone thinking of applying, do it. I had no better reason than that it's pretty, though....

(Waxed a bit lyrical there, I apologise, I'm just prone to getting sentimental in my old age)

Reply 37

wilbur

Elbow

Kiry: 87-89 is EXACTLY where you want to be in the 2nd year room ballot. I was 87th, lived in an attic in 3 Holywell in 2nd year (not too bad, has a shower and kitchen, just not with my friends - but friends are easily accessible) and had a four-room monster in St Albans Quad in 3rd year, with views over both Merton Street and Christchurch Meadow.

Swish. Those St. Alban's sets are lush, but I did reasonably well in the room ballot (25th) so I guess I can forget it...

Reply 38

asar