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Choosing an Oxford College

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beli16

hi!
im currently deciding which college to choose at camb for medicine...my options are g+c, queen's, or robinson,...i like robinson since its new (but it is far away) g+c i think is too competitive tho, right? any tip is appreciated!
cheers

at this point you just have to simply ask yourself "where would I honestly rather be?"......if you got in to robinson, would you be thinking "that's great, what if I had applied to Caius.....?". If you applied to Queens', what would you be thinking? There's usually one which you know deep down you'd be happiest getting an offer from, and that's where you should apply.

Reply 581

Huw Davies

if you got in to robinson, would you be thinking "that's great, what if I had applied to Caius.....?

With the important caveat that six months or so in, you'd probably love it and have forgotten completely about where you didn't apply.

Reply 582

doc_E

thx guys!
im currently indecided between robinson n caius!!
i really like that robinson is modern with ensuite facilities and sport facilities..but its kinda far..i really like the "new thing"
caius on the other hand is prestigious for medicine... but im not too fond about the "old style"...but id be happier if i got accept here as it is more prestigious...
:frown:

Reply 583

hobnob

beli16

thx guys!
im currently indecided between robinson n caius!!
i really like that robinson is modern with ensuite facilities and sport facilities..but its kinda far..
caius on the other hand is prestigious for medicine... but im not too fond about the "old style"...
:frown:

To me it sounds like you really prefer Robinson and you're only a bit put off by the fact that it's not very central - but surely it isn't so far out you wouldn't be able to cycle everywhere within a few minutes? I can't really imagine that someone who partly bases his choice of college on the available sports facilities won't be getting a bike... :wink:

Reply 584

made_of_fail

should i apply to magdalen, oxford, if i dont consider myself as a very strong candidate?

Reply 585

Huw Davies

If you honestly don't consider yourself a very strong candidate, don't apply to Oxford at all.

The difference in competitiveness between colleges is almost certainly smaller than that between Oxford and most other universities, and second interviews\pooling\open offers make it even smaller.

Reply 586

Pikey

Mine is just a quick question. Last year I applied to Oxford open application and got put in University College. The only problem was that it was right on the main road, and my room was right by the bus stop, made it very difficult to sleep or concentrate on work as you can imagine.

So I won't be applying to university college this year. Are they any other colleges in similar positions? I don't want to be to far out from the city centre, but somewhere that isn't situated in such a busy area would be a plus.

Reply 587

Huw Davies

The high street is the only very busy road in Oxford (perhaps St. Giles, though I've never heard anyone from John's complaining about noise). The colleges on the High Street are Magdalen, Teddy Hall, Queen's and Univ. Not all of these will necessarily accommodate you anywhere near the high street or have noise problems though.

No college is really that far out from the city centre, either - the furthest are 15 minutes' brink walk.

Reply 588

Pikey

Cheers Huw. It may seem petty, but the location of my room really was pretty bad, obviously bad luck though.

I've narrowed it down a few that i'm interested in:
Balliol
Exeter
Hertford
Lincoln
New College
Worcester

I know, quite a few. But if anyone has info regarding these places, it'd be very helpful. I've looked at the college websites to get a better feel, and OUSU prospectus to get a feel for them (Balliol's write-up has almost won me over!). I'm applying for History by the way, if its of any relevance.

Reply 589

Huw Davies

The TSR wiki on choosing a college is worth checking out.

Reply 590

*pitseleh*

Rather than starting a new thread over this...

I've submitted my UCAS application, and I've applied to St. Peter's college. The thing is (and it may well just be application stress and whatnot) - I'm no longer sure I did the best thing by applying to St. Peter's.

Is there any way whatsoever I could change my mind about the college I've applied to, or is it too late? Obviously I do understand that it's my own problem if there's nothing that I can do.. I'm just curious as to what my options are - and wondering if anyone else has been in the same boat? I've emailed UG Admissions, but they haven't got back to me yet.

I'd be really grateful for any help. :smile:

Reply 591

spatula01

after making an open application last year i can't get across how much of a bad idea i think it is. e.g. being pooled to St Hildas in Oxford which i just didn't like maybe in the end gave me less motivation in the interview itself and serious doubts that i would accept a place there if offered. If nothing else you might as well pick one from the prospectus at random that at least you know isn't 40 minutes from anywhere or single sex, and then if there are too many applicants you may go to an interview somewhere less popular, rather than automatically dismiss a potential choice because it might be competitive to get in to
here endeth the rant :wink:

Reply 592

hobnob

thethinkingmansphone

Hilda's is "40 minutes from anywhere"? Sorry, but that's just rubbish. You can easily get to the centre of town within ten minutes (unless you walk very slowly indeed) and most places can be reached on foot within 15-20 minutes. And if that still bothers you, you can get a bike, like plenty of other people in Oxford do - including people at the more central colleges. :rolleyes:

Reply 593

Huw Davies

St. Hilda's is about 40 minutes from... St. Hugh's? The railway station?

Reply 594

spatula01

apologies- it isn't- its actually quite close to the main centre of town. i didn't make myself very clear at all- sorry i just meant that those are features of some of the colleges you may get pooled to that you could make an attempt to avoid if you chose a college. and i really didn't have anything against hilda's i just didn't feel comfortable there

Reply 595

gruffyddd

Hilda's isn't really that far out, and if you consider the useful places such as the huge Tesco in Cowley or the exam schools then it's position is quite reasonable. You would need a bike if you were a science student though, as it's even further from the science area than St Hugh's is.

I think the only substantial negative thing you could pin to Hilda's is its single sex status, as whilst some students there still prefer it, I think it's fair to say a large number who were placed there don't. That'll all be changing soon when Hilda's begins admitted males, putting it on the same footing as all the other colleges.

Reply 596

themoat

It's actually a complex issue and not that frivolous. One of the things which is more apparent at Oxford than Cambridge is the different levels of basic teaching provision at the various Colleges. This applies pretty much across all of the main subject areas.

Most of the main Oxford Colleges employ full-time academics to cover their subjects. You should note, however, that there is, in practice, a considerable difference in exactly what is offered to students. In some cases, extra tutorials are arranged as a matter of course. Alternatively, tutors may offer ‘at homes’, essentially times when students know they can visit them with specific problems. All of this really depends upon the attitudes and commitment of the tutors concerned.

A word of warning specifically for Oxford. The PPH’s, in general, have significantly less teaching resource than the main Colleges. This is readily acknowledged in the University’s review of the PPH’s. Individually, they differ in provision but they are all short of the main Colleges in areas other than their ‘core’ (usually Theology, sometimes Law). Few students apply direct to the PPH’s. Those who are ‘pooled’ rarely realise that they are walking into an institution with generally lower teaching provision.

Understand, therefore, that teaching at Oxford is not the same for everybody. The Faculty for your subject will arrange the same lectures for all. Essentially, the Colleges (PPH’s) take it from there. It is here that the significant differences emerge. This is becoming more of an issue for students at Oxford who realise the extent to which teaching levels differ. It is therefore an issue of sufficient importance that you really should factor that into the equation when applying. The problem is, of course, that it’s very difficult to find this out prior to submitting your applications. Never be afraid to ask potentially awkward questions, however. After all, you will only get one shot at the degree.

Reply 597

pinkpenguin

OK im seriously confused... (Oxford Question)

I was having a bit of a looksie around which colleges to apply too, and the one that stands out for me is Magdalen.

HOWEVER, when looking at the college site, I came across this for the medicine entry. Can someone decipher this for me : is it the straight A100 medical degree or different? I really dont understand it! :confused:

http://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/admissions_undergraduate/subjects_medicine.shtml

Reply 598

Huw Davies

This is the same medicine course.

Reply 599

Elles

pinkpenguin

HOWEVER, when looking at the college site, I came across this for the medicine entry. Can someone decipher this for me : is it the straight A100 medical degree or different? I really dont understand it! :confused:

http://www.magd.ox.ac.uk/admissions_undergraduate/subjects_medicine.shtml

The website describes both undergraduate Medicine & Physiology courses - they're separate.

In terms of the preclinical years for medicine the content is very similar to physiology, just that medics have some add ons (sociology/psychology/doctor-patient) & physiologists do more FHS options - if a college offers both courses the teaching provisions are likely to be quite similar (& the places might come from a joint quota), so they've dealt with them together.