[janjanmmm]

(Original post by *Corinna*)
Is it true that it rains less at Cambridge? I swear, I almost went crazy this year with the weather. I will be much happier if it rains less! I hate the rain.

According to the data, it does indeed rain less in Cambridge - 559 mm annual vs. Oxford's 643. Not a big difference, but still

[janjanmmm]

(Original post by *Corinna*)
I second that! Coming from a warm, sunny country I felt I was living in the most miserable place on earth for about the duration of my course. It was beautiful in October and since then it's been cloudy, cold, rainy, gloomy. Very depressing. I thought that's how England is in general but apparently not as much, which is good to know.

Oh, come on, though. I lived in Vancouver, Canada for 3 years, average precipitation? 1588 mm, two and a half times that of Oxford! (It rains practically non stop all winter, maybe one non-rainy day a week at best). After that, Oxford seem like a sunny capital of the world

[*Corinna*]

(Original post by janjanmmm)
Oh, come on, though. I lived in Vancouver, Canada for 3 years, average precipitation? 1588 mm, two and a half times that of Oxford! (It rains practically non stop all winter, maybe one non-rainy day a week at best). After that, Oxford seem like a sunny capital of the world

well it depends on where you come from, right? I come from a Mediterranean country where the sun is ALWAYS out, even when it's cold outside (cold being the average hot temperature in the UK) and it hardly ever rains (probably on average 3-4 weeks per year). So spending a year non-stop at Oxford was kinda hellish for me. I promised myself that for the three years of my PhD I will always go back at Christmas+Easter and a month at summer cause if I don't I will go crazy. Anyway that's out of topic

[ucla_jk]

(Original post by rafale)
Anyone applying for Engineering MPhil and/or PhD Programmes at Oxford?

How are they? Is it worth looking into MPhil/PhD for engineering?

thanks.

It depends what you want to do. In keeping with the recent posts, it's very much about finding an advisor who's involved in research you find compelling, and with whom you get on. I'll be starting DPhil in Eng next fall, this is one of only two places in the world where they're doing the work I'm after.

[rafale]

(Original post by ucla_jk)
It depends what you want to do. In keeping with the recent posts, it's very much about finding an advisor who's involved in research you find compelling, and with whom you get on. I'll be starting DPhil in Eng next fall, this is one of only two places in the world where they're doing the work I'm after.

Hi,

Are you going to start at Oxford?

[Noldorin]

(Original post by HoVis)
The sciences/humanities dichotomy is, I'm pretty convinced, a complete myth. Both universities are very good at both, though each may have particular strengths in different subjects. Moreover, 'the humanities' (or indeed, the sciences) are not a hegemonic unity, and a student will not only have a very different experience from faculty to faculty, they will also have a very different experience within a single faculty depending upon their research interests. For example, I'm interested in intellectual history; for somewhat bizarre reasons, the really strong intellectual historians for my period are mostly in the English faculty at Oxford. At Cambridge the opposite is true - the English faculty is, I have heard, quite old-fashioned in its interests, whilst the History faculty has some very hard-hitting intellectual historians. At research level it's so individual that you can never say that one university is 'invariably' better than another -- if the person who specialises in your subject is there, then you'll probably want to go there, regardless of the perception that one is better at the humanities than the other.

This is also linked to the funding issue that Corinna mentioned. In an ideal world, funding would go to the objectively best candidates, but I think that especially in humanities it can certainly help if your proposed research closely reflects the research interests of someone in the department you're applying to. I was never even remotely considered for funding at Oxford, whilst Cambridge gave me funding after being on the reserve list, and a couple of other universities considered me for funding. Though of course there may have been a different pool at Oxford, I'm sure that a contributing factor was the lack of synthesis between what I wanted to work on and the overall interests of the faculty here, whereas my selected supervisor at Cambridge wrote a book on a very similar topic.

Finally, the quality of the two towns as places to live is very subjective! I love Oxford very much but it has some downsides that Cambridge doesn't seem to have. For example, Cambridge feels a lot safer. Having lived out this year in Oxford I've come to really dread the muttering (or yelling) drunks on the bridge and in Cowley in the evening, whereas Cambridge at night just feels like a deserted village to me. Also Cambridge is in East Anglia, the dryest place in the UK, whilst Oxford has a micro-climate permanently set to 'soggy'.

Not to put off anyone who is coming to Oxford, as it is lovely! -- but I think the Oxford vs Cambridge decision is one that comes down to personal preference rather than any objective fact of one being better than the other, either academically or as a place to live.

Oh, I know. I hope you know I was winding you up, or at least using stereotypical views facetiously heh. The popular view that Oxford is superior for the humanities and Cambridge for the physical sciences and engineering persists in the popular mind as far back as 1800... though it seems to have had quite little basis ever since. There is certainly not a lot between them in any subject, as you say.

My being a big-city boy, the deserted atmosphere of Cambridge is probably what gets to me most! Oxford is more lively, but also perhaps a little more dangerous, as you say... Saying that, the number of people I know who have had their bikes stolen in Cambridge is ludicrous! And both towns have very low crime rates compared to most parts of London, I'm quite sure.

It is indeed a personal and subjective choice though, I agree.

[Noldorin]

(Original post by *Corinna*)
haha you are my secretary



I'm picky cause I can't pay £60.000 for a degree?
As for what's a nicer place, each to their own, I much prefer Cambridge. Maybe visiting is not as easy as Oxford is closer to London etc, but for someone living there this is not as important. And in any case, as I said, the decisive factor was funding. If I had funding from both (in a dream world ) then I would choose Cambridge but since only Cambridge offered me funding then there is no choice.
Yeah, humanities do have a better reputation at Oxford. However when it comes to PhD what matters is the supervisor and of course the resources. I was lucky enough to be offered excellent supervisors in both places so it came down to funding.

Fair enough, if those are your personal views. Personally, I much prefer the city, environment, and nature of Oxford... and to some degree the proximity to London too! But I have friends who very much like Cambridge, and I can see some appeal, even if I don't agree... so fair game.

I'm curious why Oxford is 60,000 for you though!? Would Cambridge be the same if you were not so fortunate to have your funding/scholarship/bursary there? (I would guess it would be.) Fortunately for me, it is a good deal cheaper... but then I suppose you are an international student eh? Also, let's all be happy we're not at Ivy League unis, were that sum is dwarfed by what some students pay! :/

[*Corinna*]

(Original post by Noldorin)
Fair enough, if those are your personal views. Personally, I much prefer the city, environment, and nature of Oxford... and to some degree the proximity to London too! But I have friends who very much like Cambridge, and I can see some appeal, even if I don't agree... so fair game.

I'm curious why Oxford is 60,000 for you though!? Would Cambridge be the same if you were not so fortunate to have your funding/scholarship/bursary there? (I would guess it would be.) Fortunately for me, it is a good deal cheaper... but then I suppose you are an international student eh? Also, let's all be happy we're not at Ivy League unis, were that sum is dwarfed by what some students pay! :/

I am not an international, I am an EU student but I will be doing a PhD so this is the sum for 3 years. And no, Cambridge is a bit cheaper. Tuition fees are £1000 less and estimated living cost is about £1500 cheaper. The proximity to London is indeed a good thing.

[Dubie]

I had about 12 people ask me today whether I knew what college I was going to yet - fun day
I'm not generally patient by nature, but this extreme wait is killing me - I got the offer more than 2 months ago now (I know they say it can take this long, I just didn't think it would).

On another note, is health insurance necessary for international students? - I know we get enrolled in the NHS or whatever, but is it advisable to get private insurance, or is it an unnecessary expense?

Also, is the shopping in Oxford decent enough that I can bank on buying everything (blankets, sheets, winter clothing etc) without too much trouble once I arrive, or would it be better to do it in London? My impression is that Oxford is a city, and so shopping should be plentiful, but some of the descriptions in various fresher's guides etc make it seem quite limited. I don't mean anything super fashionable or fancy, just a reasonable amount of choice.

Everyone I know from home who has moved to England has lived in London for work, and so they're no help with anything student/Oxford specific, unfortunately.

Many thanks for any input

[Little Jules]

(Original post by Dubie)
I had about 12 people ask me today whether I knew what college I was going to yet - fun day
I'm not generally patient by nature, but this extreme wait is killing me - I got the offer more than 2 months ago now (I know they say it can take this long, I just didn't think it would).

On another note, is health insurance necessary for international students? - I know we get enrolled in the NHS or whatever, but is it advisable to get private insurance, or is it an unnecessary expense?

Also, is the shopping in Oxford decent enough that I can bank on buying everything (blankets, sheets, winter clothing etc) without too much trouble once I arrive, or would it be better to do it in London? My impression is that Oxford is a city, and so shopping should be plentiful, but some of the descriptions in various fresher's guides etc make it seem quite limited. I don't mean anything super fashionable or fancy, just a reasonable amount of choice.

Everyone I know from home who has moved to England has lived in London for work, and so they're no help with anything student/Oxford specific, unfortunately.

Many thanks for any input

Yes you should be able to buy all of those things there. Oxford has pretty decent shops - obviously not as many as London - but you can get pretty much everything you need. And of course anything you're struggling with you can order online. Don't forget some of things (bedding, rather than clothes!) will be provided by your college.

[Spairos]

(Original post by *Corinna*)
haha you are my secretary

Secretary of education

[HoVis]

(Original post by Little Jules)
Yes you should be able to buy all of those things there. Oxford has pretty decent shops - obviously not as many as London - but you can get pretty much everything you need. And of course anything you're struggling with you can order online. Don't forget some of things (bedding, rather than clothes!) will be provided by your college.

May be provided by college. Not all do -- so don't bank on it unless they say so in a college guide!

[Little Jules]

(Original post by HoVis)
May be provided by college. Not all do -- so don't bank on it unless they say so in a college guide!

True, but in college accommodation, you are likely (but not guaranteed) to get a pillow and a duvet. Some will give you sheets, and of course some will give you none of that.

But you can buy all of these things in Oxford without any difficulty!

[Noldorin]

(Original post by *Corinna*)
I am not an international, I am an EU student but I will be doing a PhD so this is the sum for 3 years. And no, Cambridge is a bit cheaper. Tuition fees are £1000 less and estimated living cost is about £1500 cheaper. The proximity to London is indeed a good thing.

I see. That would make sense. Fortunately, the costs are virtually identical (even slightly less for my course at Oxford I think) -- this is thanks to state funding of UK citizens and residents of course.

By the way, you *are* an international under the English definition of the word. You're not British, that is. Sure, EU makes it a little cheaper than being a Chinese or American would have it be, but still much dearer than a native Brit.

[Rams]

(Original post by janjanmmm)
Oh, come on, though. I lived in Vancouver, Canada for 3 years, average precipitation? 1588 mm, two and a half times that of Oxford! (It rains practically non stop all winter, maybe one non-rainy day a week at best). After that, Oxford seem like a sunny capital of the world

I live in a HOT country. Where temperatures are currently soaring to 43C. If I step outdoors, I feel like I stepped into a giant over where I'll slowly roast to death. If I don't kill myself already. Even the evenings/nights don't get pleasant. I live in air-conditioned comfort all day and have completely stopped any and all outdoor activity except if absolutely essential - I can't even imagine the condition of of those who don't have that luxury.

All this to say, rain, wind, snow, cold, bring it on Oxford! I desperately need a break from this heat. (Of course, I might be singing a very different tune next year).

[Dubie]

(Original post by Little Jules)
Yes you should be able to buy all of those things there. Oxford has pretty decent shops - obviously not as many as London - but you can get pretty much everything you need. And of course anything you're struggling with you can order online. Don't forget some of things (bedding, rather than clothes!) will be provided by your college.

Thanks for this - I'd hoped/assumed the shopping would be decent - not that my standards are particularly high - where I'm from it's not great, but my city has about 10 times the population of Oxford, and our country towns have barely anything, so I wanted to check

[sj27]

(Original post by Noldorin)

By the way, you *are* an international under the English definition of the word. You're not British, that is. Sure, EU makes it a little cheaper than being a Chinese or American would have it be, but still much dearer than a native Brit.

I assume Corinna was basing her statement on the way the universities define it, i.e. they classify students as either UK/EU or international.

[*Corinna*]

(Original post by Noldorin)
I see. That would make sense. Fortunately, the costs are virtually identical (even slightly less for my course at Oxford I think) -- this is thanks to state funding of UK citizens and residents of course.

By the way, you *are* an international under the English definition of the word. You're not British, that is. Sure, EU makes it a little cheaper than being a Chinese or American would have it be, but still much dearer than a native Brit.

No, EU students pay exactly the same with British students. There is no difference in tuition fees, the only difference is an extra £350 for the entire year that they calculate for tickets etc. We were talking about tuition fees so I gathered you meant international as in those who pay international fees.

[*Corinna*]

(Original post by Rams)
I live in a HOT country. Where temperatures are currently soaring to 43C. If I step outdoors, I feel like I stepped into a giant over where I'll slowly roast to death. If I don't kill myself already. Even the evenings/nights don't get pleasant. I live in air-conditioned comfort all day and have completely stopped any and all outdoor activity except if absolutely essential - I can't even imagine the condition of of those who don't have that luxury.

All this to say, rain, wind, snow, cold, bring it on Oxford! I desperately need a break from this heat. (Of course, I might be singing a very different tune next year).

yeah I understand what you mean. Excessive heat is also very annoying. However, the same way you can't leave your house when its 43 (admittedly this rarely happens in Greece but the average is 39-40 which is still very very hot) you can't also leave it when it's -5.

[GabrielleT]

(Original post by *Corinna*)
yeah I understand what you mean. Excessive heat is also very annoying. However, the same way you can't leave your house when its 43 (admittedly this rarely happens in Greece but the average is 39-40 which is still very very hot) you can't also leave it when it's -5.

Mmm try going to school in a snowstorm or when it's -35! (It happens all the time in Canada, especially in January or February, and we have snow until at least April.) Having dug in Greece at 40-45 degrees and experienced Canadian weather, I am looking forward the mild winter and the beautiful spring that the UK gets!!! It seems like a good middle-ground to me. But hey, maybe I am just too positive and I idealize Oxford too much!