What are the Best and Worst colleges to study Engineering at Oxford?

Engineering is so centralised that college choice really doesn't make any difference. The admissions process is one of the most centralised out of any subject at Oxford (so much so that many other subjects are going to be using it as the model to follow in the next few years), so if you're worth a place at Oxford to do Engineering they'll do their darndest to get you one somewhere.

Having said that, the only college that I know of as traditionally being known as an 'engineering college' is Keble, mainly because it's next door to the department (as in, you couldn't get any closer if you wanted to) and takes around 10 students each year. As far as I'm aware, no colleges have reputations for being bad at engineering (or any other subject, come to that). Choose your college based on other, more important things, such as location, accommodation provision, atmosphere etc.

I mean some colleges are better known for history courses etc.
So i was just wondering what they were for engineering?

Having said that, the only college that I know of as traditionally being known as an 'engineering college' is Keble, mainly because it's next door to the department (as in, you couldn't get any closer if you wanted to)

A college is more likely to be 'better known' because it has a lot of places, rather than it being good at all. I certainly have no idea what you are talking about.

Its really up to you to look up tutors etc i guess if you are bothered about that kind of stuff. I mean, its quite important i guess but without speaking to someone from that course at that college its really hard to get a true idea.



Its pretty close to a lot of departments!

Alright then.

Do you know which colleges have more people applying for engineering?
I mean, which colleges have more competition for each place of engineering?

I meant relatively really about the best/worst thing. I was just curious
I assume you go to Oxford?

Engineering is so centralised that college choice really doesn't make any difference. The admissions process is one of the most centralised out of any subject at Oxford (so much so that many other subjects are going to be using it as the model to follow in the next few years), so if you're worth a place at Oxford to do Engineering they'll do their darndest to get you one somewhere.

Alright then.

Do you know which colleges have more people applying for engineering?
I mean, which colleges have more competition for each place of engineering?

How is it different, out of interest?

This is all remembered from a rather drunken conversation with one of my tutors at Engineering dinner last year...

Basically, when the college receives an engineering application, the tutors rank it on a scale of 1 - 5 (with 5 being the best) based on personal statement, reference and predicted grades. Its ranking determines which college it then gets allocated to for the second interview. For instance, if Person A's application scores a 5, it will be allocated to another college with a lower overall score averaged across its applicants, to give A a better chance of shining at interview. After the interviews, all the interviewing tutors get together in LR1 in the engineering dept and put each candidate up on the projection screen to discuss all the elements of each application in turn. All the tutors then decide upon which students the department would like to admit, and they then get allocated to the colleges (with candidates' first choice being the first port of call, obviously). As a result, there's a fair amount of reshuffling, with more than the average number of people being reallocated, and quite a few open offers.
In short, my tutor reckons that engineering is one of the few subjects where if you're good enough for Oxford you will almost certainly get in, and college choice has as little bearing as possible.

Thanks - good explanation. Unfortunately, having nothing to compare it to it doesn't really mean much to me! Good to see another subject does mandatory two interviews though. Do other sciences, i forget? oh well.

Ooh, this is the thread I've been looking for! I'm applying for Engineering this year and was interested in applying to Balliol. I like the general vibe that I got from it reading through the prospectus and alternative prospectus.

Also how close is Balliol to the main engineering building? Unfortunately I didn't get to visit Oxford...

Finally, how important are GCSEs? Are they used to rank applicants from 1-5, or are they only important in deciding who gets interviewed?

Thanks