Are Mature Students Welcome At Oxbridge?

I'm considering applying to either Oxford or Cambridge for either Economics & Management or straight Economics. I am predicted the required grades, but aren't sure how well I'd fit in as a mature undergraduate student - I'd be 22 when I started university.

I want the whole "university experience," and to make the most of Oxbridge, so am not sure if I should apply to a mature students' college like Harris Manchester or Lucy Cavendish or just go for one of the other ones I like most.

I'd prefer a big, rich college with a bit of a social/party culture and a lot of strong sports teams - the mature colleges seem nice enough, but I don't think I'd enjoy it there). However, I don't want to be the "weird" 22-year-old fresher among all the 18-19 year olds - I look a lot younger than I am, and am more than willing to booze it up and party with everyone else when necessary, but I don't want to have to hide my age from people either. Thoughts?

Any suggestions, or anyone want to share their experiences/advice? Thank you :smile:

Reply 1

kahlilsaad

I think that Oxford have a really diverse people, and you will by no means feel you are that weird girl. You'll find mature student in each college!

I am 24 and I am going to apply this year as well. Just curious to know. Are you going to apply for a second undergraduate degree ?

Reply 2

Craghyrax

Original post by Swirll

Its totally not an issue :smile:

I did my undergrad degree at Peterhouse, Cambridge (HSPS) starting at 21 years of age. You're only a few years older than standard, and unless people can actually see you're older they assume you're the same age. If you tell them they usually just forget because its so irrelevant. I went to my MA graduation this year (the one where your Oxford/Cambridge BA gets 'upgraded' and you have a reunion of your college year group), and several people in my year had completely forgotten that I was a 'mature' student. If anything I was bothered by it more than they were. Sometimes the maturity gap was noticeable. Particularly at the start where everyone was frantically flapping about in Fresher's week, stressing about finding friends and fitting in. As I had left home and moved to a foreign country at 18, I was just much more relaxed and confident about transitioning to an entirely new social environment, and I think that's something that just tends to improve with age and experience. But it really didn't factor into how well I got on with people at all. You're all experiencing the same environment and situation together, so inevitably you'll have loads of things in common.

In terms of mature student colleges, I was at an old college (the oldest), and it was lovely. However, in hindsight there would have been definite advantages to attending a mature student college. I think I would have really benefited from a more diverse social mix in college. For me accommodation was a concern too. In my case my parents lived in South Africa, and I was completely independent in the UK. There wasn't any 'home' to move back to over the holidays. My college did help by allowing me to stay in college over each vacation (where this is not an option for regular age undergraduates). However I wasn't allowed to keep the same accommodation throughout the year. So I had to move to a completely different house over the summer. I asked them to allow me to access their postgraduate accommodation (which is year round) but they wouldn't budge on that. So that was quite inconvenient and stressful, as I had everything I owned with me, rather than in storage with my parents like with most people. And constantly moving was frustrating. Also regular colleges tend not to be geared up for completely independent catering. Some houses only have small kitchens with microwaves. Others have hobs, but very few have ovens. Regular colleges rely on pushing undergrads into regularly eating in hall, and so there are often compulsory food vouchers you buy, or a minimum you have to spend on catered food. By contrast in a mature student college you will have accommodation for an entire year, and better cooking facilities.

I don't have experience of Oxford, but its worth mentioning that mature students are sometimes eligible for a higher hardship bursary than regular students. I was given about £5000 a year by Cambridge because they took into account that I had to support myself over the holidays rather than being dependent.

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 3

Sandtrooper

Volunteer Team

Original post by Craghyrax

I went to my MA graduation this year (the one where your Oxford/Cambridge BA gets 'upgraded' and you have a reunion of your college year group), and several people in my year had completely forgotten that I was a 'mature' student.

What is the 'upgrade' and when does it happen? Is it after seven years or something? And does it happen at Cambridge as well? Thanks!

Posted from TSR Mobile

(edited 9 years ago)

Reply 4

Craghyrax

Original post by Edminzodo

What is the 'upgrade' and when does it happen? Is it after seven years or something? And does it happen at Cambridge as well? Thanks!

Posted from TSR Mobile

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Master_of_Arts_(Oxbridge_and_Dublin)

Reply 5

Craghyrax