Original post by mishieru07Your fundamental premise seems to be that Oxford = work far harder than any other university = lose out on having a "fun" time (eg extra curriculars, socializing) = not worth the trade off because at any rate you won't earn enough after graduation to justify the amount of work.
Personally, I think that's incorrect.
First, you're correct that the workload is intense, and unless one is extremely gifted, most people don't breeze through the work with little effort. The courses are designed to be challenging, and the tutors do expect you to work hard, but they aren't unreasonable. My tutors expected us to consistently achieve at a 2i standard, which is completely doable with a decent but not insane amount of work.
Second, people generally have a "work hard, play harder" mentality. I don't actually know very many Oxonians who literally did nothing but study. Almost everyone gets involved in extra-curricular activities; if anything, it's important to take breaks from studying.
Third, I think you might actually be overestimating how much work you would be doing. Yes, it is a lot of work, but there's definitely ample time left over to socialize and participate in all sorts of activities. You will not, and are not expected to work investment banker hours. As a student, I was involved in plenty of stuff, from chapel choir to dancesport beginners team to volunteering to drama. I also like to think I had a decent social life (met my long-term SO at Oxford), and I graduated with a first class degree. It really isn't as difficult or rare as you might think.
What I tell people is that there is a "minimum amount of work" required to get a 2i (and get the tutors off your back). For Arts students, my guess is that it would probably take you around 30-40 hours each week, depending on how efficient you are. That's more or less like a 9-5 job if you want to take weekends off. If you ask me, I think the opportunity to study at Oxford is worth that trade-off, but perhaps your mileage may vary.
Aside from that, Oxford is as intense as you want it to be work-wise. You can study 60 hours a week and aim to finish every item on your reading list, or you can be like me and work a decent amount but accept that you'll never read everything, and consequently would know less than some of your more hardworking peers. It's just a trade-off.
Fourth, what sort of profession one goes on to after Oxford really depends on the individual. As far as I'm aware though, Oxford is very well represented (over-represented?) in most of the high earning industries (eg law, banking). That being said, there is no free lunch in this world, and the work-life balance for most of these jobs are way, way more atrocious (currently a trainee solicitor, would love to have my student hours back).
However, I can understand where you're coming from. If you honestly do believe that Oxford isn't for you, that's fine. It really isn't for everyone. If you think that the intensity isn't worth it, then go where you think you'd be happiest.