The most prestigious college at Oxford University?

In response to vnayak, King's College Cambridge is the college that laypeople think should be particularly prestigious (it was specifically for Eton students at its founding) but it has quite a high state school acceptance rate these days (arguably not a sign that it will necessarily have the most classically educated people) for one of the older colleges and is known for being cartoonishly left wing.

I reiterate that fixating on one college or another, and worrying about the perceived prestige of a college, may not be the best uses of a student's time. Oxford tries to fill every available place with meritorious candidates. It allocates students to colleges to which they have not applied, and makes open offers. Applying to college X and getting in to college Y is not a failure.

I very much doubt that anyone says "I am not going to give this person a cool job earning megabucks because he or she went to Oxford but was at a naff college". Oxonians rib each other about their colleges, but it's just banter. Cambridge ditto. Cue the Girton jokes.

St. John's has never received any Law applicants from British-Pakistani's (a heavily under-represented group at Oxford University) in many years. Also, they have only had one Muslim student every so often. So there is a strong chance of being offered a place.

Also, I am using Arbitio online LNAT Preparation Online | Practice Tests and Essays | Arbitio for LNAT preparation and will get a minimum of 28 score. 🙂

I am a mature student too, and will be in my mid 30s by the time I start university.

I know you get 2 colleges interviewing you at Oxford University, but I know St. John's College, Oxford University will be keen to offer me a place. I have already been in touch with the admissions tutor Sarah, and she has been upbeat. 😉

About 40% of applicants for Law at St. John's College, Oxford University are allocated a different college. Last year they received 77 applicants for 8 places. 😧 So there are roughly 10 applicants per place.

Also, I don't want to practice a as barrister for long once qualified. I am much more interested in doing International Business in China and USA as well as the Middle East.

I mean this in a helpful way: you may wish to tidy up your punctuation and grammar before applying to university or considering a legal career. The plural term "Pakistanis" does not include an apostrophe. The verb "practise" is spelled with an s. The noun "practice" is spelled with a c. Even if Oxford is not as particular as it used to be about such things, practising lawyers tend to be sticklers for correctness in written expression.

Confidence is a good thing, but overconfidence is not. I wish you every success, but you cannot know in advance how well you will do in the LNAT, or whether or not St John's, or any other Oxford college, will consider you a good candidate. Admissions Tutors like to encourage people if they can, but your application will be considered on the basis of A level grades real or predicted, LNAT score, personal statement, reference, and interview (if you are called for interview). Previous correspondence with the Admissions Tutor will not influence the decision.

A candidate may be interviewed by just one college, or by two or more colleges.

Oxford seeks to be inclusive and to improve diversity, but nationality, ethnicity, or religion are not in themselves bases for admission. You have to compete on merit, and the competition is tough. As you have already noted, across the university about one in ten of those who applies to read law is admitted.

Many bright candidates are not admitted - the university does not have unlimited places. Many of those who do not obtain places go on to have successful and happy times at other highly rated universities, and good careers. Some later do postgrad at Oxford or Cambridge.

Good luck with your studies and your applications to universities.


PS: As a mature student, it may be worth looking at Harris Manchester College, which specialises in mature students. It's located behind Wadham and near to New College, quite close to the Law Faculty. I think that the equivalent college in Cambridge might be Hughes Hall.

I will be asking to shadow unpaid a barrister at Matrix Chambers, Pump Court Tax Chambers and Doughty Chambers. 😉

You obviously don't know much about Arbitio? However, Arbitio is known to get scores of 28 on average, which is good enough for all universities requiring the LNAT. Furthermore, the admissions process at Oxford University Law faculty uses the LNAT scores to filter out applicants and invite for interview.

Arbitio also helps you with the UCAS Personal Statement, so it is well worth £275 and has 20 exemplar essays and about 20 mock LNAT tests as well.

Also, I am going to be paying for the "Oxford Intro to Law" Online course. As well as shadow at least 1 barrister at a chambers near Chancery Lane. Also, Virtual Work Experience with Slaughter & May, White & Case and Allen & Overy. 🙂

I'm not too concerned about Oxford University, as I could get accepted by one or two of my other choices of LSE, UCL, KCL or SOAS. 😉

Lastly, the Annual Oxford Admissions Statistics 2023 Report on PAGE 24: University of Oxford Admissions Report
Shows that only 88 students admitted were either British Pakistani or British Bangladeshi, so all in all there might be between 30 to 50 or so British Pakistanis out of 3,500 Oxford University students at Undergraduate level. So there is a high chance of being accepted, also many colleges have no British-Pakistanis at their college or have not had a single British-Pakistani applicant in more than decade or two decades or more. So, as long as my LNAT is high, UCAS A-Level grades are A*A*A or more as well as a 'stellar' UCAS Personal Statement with work experience at a barristers chambers and solicitors, I have a great chance of being accepted when I apply in October 2027. 😉

One more thing I have to say: I saw a vivid dream from God Allah almighty last year in December 2023: "I was accepted by Oxford University for Law, and my Head of Centre was delighted."

The most prestigious college at Oxford University?

Merton? Magdalen? Christchurch?

LNAT

Here is some LNAT info for 2024.

Note that an LNAT score of 28 does not guarantee a place on the Oxford law course. One candidate this year scored 37 but was not shortlisted for interview and did not receive an offer.

On average, those who received offers scored 31.

Oxford looks at the full picture: LNAT, essay, personal statement. predicted or actual grades, reference and (if shortlisted) interview. Oxford academics mark the essay.

The average score with Abritio was 28, but a lot of Abrito subscribers achieved 30 or more and gained offers too. 🙂

Yes, but I know St. John's College, Oxford University only attracts the 'odd' ethnic minority applicant from 80 or so applicants, all competing for 8 places and especially from an under-represented group i.e. British Pakistani. Also, there are hardly any British Pakistanis at Oxford University. From the Admissions Statistics Report, there were 30 or so accepted and that is about 1 per college. Also, I am a handsome chap, who will appear on the front and back covers of the prospectus and increase applications from all over the world. 😉 lol I also, don't mind St. Hilda's but I have fallen in love with the fact St. John's has on-site accommodation for all 3 years and a separate Law library open 24/7, a cafe, 2 gyms and a new study centre open 24/7 too.

How was Wadham in the 1970s? They were much smaller in size and had hardly any BAME applicants or students? 😧

PS: I am applying to Oxford and really don't want to stay in London and live at home. I am also applying to LSE, UCL, KCL and SOAS. I am suprised Oxford's offer is AAA and so is SOAS and KCL rejected applicants with less than 30 marks in the LNAT and UCL are strict with the essay whilst SOAS and LSE are okay.

Yes, but I know St. John's College, Oxford University only attracts the 'odd' ethnic minority applicant from 80 or so applicants, all competing for 8 places and especially from an under-represented group i.e. British Pakistani. Also, there are hardly any British Pakistanis at Oxford University. From the Admissions Statistics Report, there were 30 or so accepted and that is about 1 per college. Also, I am a handsome chap, who will appear on the front and back covers of the prospectus and increase applications from all over the world. 😉 lol I also, don't mind St. Hilda's but I have fallen in love with the fact St. John's has on-site accommodation for all 3 years and a separate Law library open 24/7, a cafe, 2 gyms and a new study centre open 24/7 too.

How was Wadham in the 1970s? They were much smaller in size and had hardly any BAME applicants or students? 😧

PS: I am applying to Oxford and really don't want to stay in London and live at home. I am also applying to LSE, UCL, KCL and SOAS. I am suprised Oxford's offer is AAA and so is SOAS and KCL rejected applicants with less than 30 marks in the LNAT and UCL are strict with the essay whilst SOAS and LSE are okay.

I assume that you are joking about looks being a factor. I studied history at Wadham College in the 1980s. I very much enjoyed the academic life and the social life. I was taught mainly at Wadham but also by tutors at Pembroke, Magdalen, All Souls, St John's, and St Hugh's.

It's important, I think, to approach university with an open and curious mind - ready to learn.

The University of Oxford has become more ethnically diverse since the 1980s. In my college back then, there were about one hundred undergraduates in my year, of whom, from memory, two were of South Asian ethnicity, two were of East Asian ethnicity, and one was of African-Caribbean ethnicity. There were a few American postgraduate students. There was in my year one person from each of France, Germany, and what was then Yugoslavia (now Serbia).

I dined with the Warden and some of the Fellows of my college last week, and I was glad to see a diverse looking group of students chatting away in the college hall as dinner was served. I spent the night in college, and the next morning I saw young people of many ethnicities walking and cycling around Oxford, and going in and out of the colleges and university buildings. When I visited my daughter's college last summer for its open day (my daughter has an unconditional offer to read Jurisprudence and will matriculate in October 2024), the students whom we met were from diverse backgrounds.

But, as noted above, everyone gets in on merit, and the competition for places is tough. Oxford encourages diversity, but does not recruit on the grounds of nationality or ethnicity.

I think that it's a pity that the UK has only two Oxbridge-model collegiate universities (by which I mean universities where teaching and social life are combined in self-governing academic communities - at Durham, York, and Lancaster the colleges don't teach, AFAIK). I think that the model makes for a good undergraduate experience.

If I had not got into Oxford (in those days admission was via Oxford's own entrance exams, and if you were accepted the offer was two EEs at A level), I would have studied history at either UCL or Warwick, both of which I liked when I visited them, and which made me offers.


Not everyone enjoys Oxford, but I think that most people who study there do, and most people develop a love of their college, whichever college that is. My Sixth Form College in the Midlands took a group of lower sixth formers on a day trip to Wadham, and I fell in love with the college on the spot, and so was delighted when I was accepted there later that year. I still love my college.

Yes, but I know St. John's College, Oxford University only attracts the 'odd' ethnic minority applicant from 80 or so applicants, all competing for 8 places and especially from an under-represented group i.e. British Pakistani. Also, there are hardly any British Pakistanis at Oxford University. From the Admissions Statistics Report, there were 30 or so accepted and that is about 1 per college. Also, I am a handsome chap, who will appear on the front and back covers of the prospectus and increase applications from all over the world. 😉 lol I also, don't mind St. Hilda's but I have fallen in love with the fact St. John's has on-site accommodation for all 3 years and a separate Law library open 24/7, a cafe, 2 gyms and a new study centre open 24/7 too.

How was Wadham in the 1970s? They were much smaller in size and had hardly any BAME applicants or students? 😧

PS: I am applying to Oxford and really don't want to stay in London and live at home. I am also applying to LSE, UCL, KCL and SOAS. I am suprised Oxford's offer is AAA and so is SOAS and KCL rejected applicants with less than 30 marks in the LNAT and UCL are strict with the essay whilst SOAS and LSE are okay.