Open application

Hello, I was planning to make an open application (O) to Oxford since I've heard it boosts your possibilities to get in, since the system reallocates you in the colleges with fewer applicants and therefore more vacancies. Is it true? Why?

No

Open applications are generally allocated to less over-subscribed colleges to even out (to an extent) the number of applicants per college. However, this doesn't affect your chances of getting in; if there are too many strong applicants to one college, they'll be given places at colleges that had fewer strong applicants.

Reply 3

sergalarrogaer

OP

Well, imagine I'm not a particulary strong applicant. Wouldn't it make me more likely to enter, even if it was in a college with a lower reputation, than directly applying to a very popular, requested one?

Reply 4

Plagioclase

21

Original post by sergalarrogaer

Well, imagine I'm not a particulary strong applicant. Wouldn't it make me more likely to enter, even if it was in a college with a lower reputation, than directly applying to a very popular, requested one?

No. Applications are cross-referenced between colleges so that there's a uniform entry standard. Colleges are not obliged to accept a certain number of people who are allocated to them - if a 'less popular' college hasn't got any applicants that it thinks are good enough but a 'more popular' college has a surplus, applicants will be reallocated from the latter to the former.

Reply 5

BJack

19

Original post by sergalarrogaer

Well, imagine I'm not a particulary strong applicant. Wouldn't it make me more likely to enter, even if it was in a college with a lower reputation, than directly applying to a very popular, requested one?

If you're not a particularly strong applicant, you probably won't get in. This isn't going to be affected by which college you apply to.

Reply 6

x__justmyluck

12

The college you apply to doesn't affect your chances of getting into the university, it just affects the likelihood of you getting into a particular college (obviously).

I'm glad I did an open application though, I would never have chosen Catz but it's a great college and my tutor is amazing. I'm so glad I ended up here. You're usually interviewed by more than one college anyway, I was allocated to Catz and interviewed at New as well. If my tutor didn't want to give me a place but the tutor at New did, then I'd have got a place at a more 'popular' college, despite being allocated to a 'less popular' one.

Basically don't overthink it or try to be tactical, it won't affect your chances of getting an offer.

Original post by x__justmyluck

The college you apply to doesn't affect your chances of getting into the university, it just affects the likelihood of you getting into a particular college (obviously).

I'm glad I did an open application though, I would never have chosen Catz but it's a great college and my tutor is amazing. I'm so glad I ended up here. You're usually interviewed by more than one college anyway, I was allocated to Catz and interviewed at New as well. If my tutor didn't want to give me a place but the tutor at New did, then I'd have got a place at a more 'popular' college, despite being allocated to a 'less popular' one.

Basically don't overthink it or try to be tactical, it won't affect your chances of getting an offer.

Its great you are enjoying Catz! Both Catz and New are pretty popular btw (!) - but they also have a lot of places, especially Catz.There are also other reasons why reallocation occurs - for example, to balance interview pools in terms of provisional rankings. The main aim is to make sure the highest ranked students all get places at the end of the admissions process.

We completely endorse your advice and that of others replying to this thread.

(edited 7 years ago)

Open application

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