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Picking colleges is easy,but how do people decide between Oxford and Cambridge?

Could anyone come up with useful criteria for picking one of the universities over the other? I'm applying for English and have found two colleges I really like; Keble, which typifies many of the things I like about Oxford, and St John's which has amazing tutors and seems like it would provide me with the best possible time if I got an offer from Cambridge.
The only problem is that I can't decide which of the universities to choose. I've visited both, Oxford slightly more, and both were nice. Oxford didn't quite live up to my expectations, which were entirely unrealistic to be fair, and Cambridge exceeded them but i had really low expectations. This just puts them at about level pegging for me. I would wait till later to decide but I'm getting pressure from my school to make a decision as two other people want to apply for English at Keble and St john's, and while my head of English quite likes me he can't hold two colleges for me indefinitely.
How did most people choose one over the other? Did anyone pick one and wish they hadn't? Any specific advice about the diffecrence in the English course would also be helpful.

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Reply 1

El Stevo

whats you're gut feeling? a one word answer will do.

Reply 2

ProzacNation

Well, I think most people 'just know'. Having said that (and the Tabs will hate me for what am about to write) out of all the people I knew applying for Oxbridge (quite a lot since it was most of North London) those who were more book-wormy and a bit square went for Cambridge whilst those who were a bit more outgoing went for Oxford.

Oh, and if it'll swing the vote at all, Oxford have a Cheerleading Squad (go team).

PS - Mr Gardner is a 'careers advisor/councellor' - dont this he teaches languages. As sweet as he is, he advised me to avoid Oxbridge totally, and most of the Russel groups and kept offering me polytechnics to go to. Also, in a career talk ages ago on which my parent sat in I mentioned journalism and he told me a degree wont help: if I want to work at the BBC I should start off as a coffee-girl or something and work my way up. As it happened one of my parents has worked at the BBC most of their life as a news reporter and sat through the entire thing utterly bemused...

Reply 3

ProzacNation

Erm, i can't edit my post, and the PS at the end was in the wrong thread! :s-smilie:

Reply 4

Elles

ProzacNation

Well, I think most people 'just know'.

hmm, i'd agree. although i solved the problem by only ever considering the one. & that was on geographic reasons. Cam is too far Up North. :redface:

Oh, and if it'll swing the vote at all, Oxford have a Cheerleading Squad (go team).

ooh, are you a member? i'm considering it this year.. my neighbour was fairly involved.

Reply 5

Jilly P

ProzacNation

out of all the people I knew applying for Oxbridge (quite a lot since it was most of North London) those who were more book-wormy and a bit square went for Cambridge whilst those who were a bit more outgoing went for Oxford.

whereas for me it was precisely the opposite! it all varies, I'd say go with your gut!

Reply 6

Johnny 5

I used the Boat Race.

Reply 7

H&E

In the interests of fairness, I should point out the similarity between our cheerleaders ('The Oxford Sirens') and the girls from Bring it On is limited at best. I guess jumping around and shouting on the desolate concrete of the Putney boathouses while gruff men with an average height of 6 foot 3 wander about grumbling about the "fooking Tabs/dark side [delete as appropriate]" wearing lots and lots of layers, and possibly jackets and ties, just isn't the same as doing the same thing in sun drenched California.

Though admittedly several of them are very good looking.

Reply 8

Willa

Elles

hmm, i'd agree. although i solved the problem by only ever considering the one. & that was on geographic reasons. Cam is too far Up North. :redface:

cam is great, apparently according to rainfall charts it is the driest place in england! It does get nippy in the winter though with the icy winds though.

Reply 9

Elles

2 + 2 = 5, this year?
you could have just chosen arbitrary countries to represent the unis at any major rowing event then. :wink:

<disclaimer - please do not flame me rowing observers out there. suggesting there happened to have been a high density of olympic/international oarsmen in this year's boatrace is fairly factual. & the above was intended as humour. it does not represent my official views on the rights & wrongs of such international standard rowers competing in the boatrace. especially if they're only there on rigorous one year courses such as 'water management'.>

Willa - doesn't negate the fact it's definitely Up North for me. & the one & only time i've been there the weather was absolutely foul.. on the best day for it to (!)

H&E - so cheerleading doesn't warrant coverage in your sports pages? although big photos might..? :p:

Reply 10

homoterror

OOP NERTH? ALL BE AVIN NONE OF THIS LIEK. Real northerners think Cambridge is a borough of London.

Reply 11

Johnny 5

Elles

2 + 2 = 5, this year?
you could have just chosen arbitrary countries to represent the unis at any major rowing event then. :wink:

Yes.

And Cambridge would be Germany, right? If I remember rightly. :p:

Reply 12

Elles

Homoterror - well i did reference Cam's Up North-ness, it's all relative to the centre of the universe.. i.e. "for me". :cool:

Reply 13

El Stevo

Elles

Homoterror - well i did reference Cam's Up North-ness, it's all relative to the centre of the universe.. i.e. "for me". :cool:

cambridge is up north? how underpriviledged you are...

Reply 14

Elles

in the interests of fairness - Oxford is Northern too.
there are people who live on the south coast you know! pff.. :p:

2 + 2 = 5, well as long as Oxford win in whatever guise then it's fine!

H&E - i'm obviously getting wise to you.. :wink:

Reply 15

ProzacNation

Willa

cam is great, apparently according to rainfall charts it is the driest place in england! It does get nippy in the winter though with the icy winds though.

This is actually a very good idea for helping pick which uni - in Oxford it is FREEZING and just drizzles all the time, which for those of us with afro-man tendancies, is not a good thing after an evening with the straightening irons!!

And yars...am a cheerleader, hehe. Elles - definitely join! Its really good fun and (seemingly) made up of the most down to earth people Ive met at Oxford.

Reply 16

Narcissus

Stephen Fry went to Cambridge (for English), and he says Hull is better than Oxford, and Hull as a city has just been declared the worst in the known multiverse so I think the choice is clear.

Reply 17

homoterror

anyway it's only 40 mins from cambridge to london whereas you have that smelly bus pretending to be a tube.

Reply 18

El Stevo

Elles

in the interests of fairness - Oxford is Northern too.
there are people who live on the south coast you know! pff.. :p:

2 + 2 = 5, well as long as Oxford win in whatever guise then it's fine!

H&E - i'm obviously getting wise to you.. :wink:

from where i'm standing, their both unequivocally south - which makes them as bad as one another... :rolleyes:

Reply 19

vellerindombur

I love Stephen Fry but am not sure it's a good idea to make a university choice based upon where he went.

Picking colleges is easy,but how do people decide between Oxford and Cambridge?

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