Regents Park - HELP!!!

OP

why else would people choose Christ Church or New. They're beautiful

Reply 21

OP

Also, i'd appreciate it if you didn't tell me to "grow up". You don't know me so don't try and judge my character.

Reply 22

You're right, I don't know you. All I have available to me is the posts you've put in this thread...I don't think I'm going to change my mind either.

I have friends at both Ch Ch and New, but you seem to forget the formidable reputations these Colleges have for some subjects, and that is why my friends chose them, not to boost their own egos with the name, or to say they live in pretty buildings, nothing that superficial.

What confuses me even more is that you don't want to read Theology at a PPH. Are you honestly so prejudiced against religious people that you'd rather not study with an elite group so passionate about the same field? You know what, Durham's pretty. Why don't you just go there, if you get an offer from them. Maybe we should all pray that you do get an offer from them.

Reply 23

OP

Oh come now. Look, i dont want to start an argument but once again you have your facts mixed up. I have nothing against religious people, in fact i am a devout Christian. I just dont like the idea of being in such a closely knit enviroment for another 3 years; I have that at school at the moment and I was simply looking forward to being in a place with a slightly larger amount of people to get to know.

Im sorry If i have come across a bit of an arse, its just that I dont want to rush into anything. Apologies for the comments on New and ChCh, they are my fave colleges and its a shame that they don't do my course or I would have applied to them. Im sure they're incredible in other ways, but its the architecture that really appeals to me; both my parents being architects.

Im probably going to accept Regents as its Oxford and the more i hear about it the better it sounds.

Thanks

Reply 24

theidlecool

Oh come now. Look, i dont want to start an argument but once again you have your facts mixed up. I have nothing against religious people, in fact i am a devout Christian. I just dont like the idea of being in such a closely knit enviroment for another 3 years; I have that at school at the moment and I was simply looking forward to being in a place with a slightly larger amount of people to get to know.

Im sorry If i have come across a bit of an arse, its just that I dont want to rush into anything. Apologies for the comments on New and ChCh, they are my fave colleges and its a shame that they don't do my course or I would have applied to them. Im sure they're incredible in other ways, but its the architecture that really appeals to me; both my parents being architects.

Im probably going to accept Regents as its Oxford and the more i hear about it the better it sounds.

Thanks

If it helps, I've heard lovely things about Regent's. It seems to be one of the most relaxed Colleges. Anyway, I think all of the PPHrs will get together and form a nice little group and have a party in Fresher's Week and stuff. I think I'm prob a little over-sensitive about the colleges anyway. I was at an all girls' College in Cambridge and am now going to an Oxford PPH, so I am currently defending single sex institutions and PPHs, and I can get on my soap box whilst doing that, I admit it.

Anyway, if you do accept your offer, there's a chance we could bump into each other at some stage, so let's go for quits, ok? I feel too tired after defending St Hilda's, lol! :biggrin:

Reply 25

madsaz

I've been pooled to Regent's too from Worcester (English)...from what I've heard they're quite forward thinking and are actually pioneering PPHs taking more undergraduates...could be an advantage as a student to be part of a college where tradition is still being shaped :wink:

Reply 26

Athena

6

It's good to respect that an atmosphere you're happy studying in might not provoke the same feelings in someone else - I don't think anyone on TSR would be criticised for choosing a small college because they want a close-knit, family atmosphere, or for choosing a PPH because they want a quieter place to live and work, so it's not fair to get on at someone for NOT liking those things.

sat41

If it helps, I've heard lovely things about Regent's. It seems to be one of the most relaxed Colleges. Anyway, I think all of the PPHrs will get together and form a nice little group and have a party in Fresher's Week and stuff.

As the quote I put in earlier in the thread says, RPC does have a good atmosphere, but RPC is probably one of the less religious PPH. It would be hard to be at one of the PPH's with only 2 undergraduates if you hadn't expressely chosen that for yourself.

Reply 27

OP

Whats freshers week like at Regents? Is it like the other colleges. Also what about after Matriculation, what actually happens in general?

Reply 28

freshers week, you'll have several meetings- one where the college administation welcome you and tell you who to speak to if you have a problem, one with your tutor where you'll arrange your tutorials, an introductory lecture in your department, and probably a formal dinner as well. The JCR will organise activities, too; the exec will introduce themselves, there'll be trips out to places, probably paid for by the jcr- clubnights (but not if you're at lincoln :sigh:

), ice skating, pubbage etc. There'll be opportunities to join college societies and sports teams, and then there's the university wide freshers fair.

Matriculation is a boring affair, but most people head to the pub afterwards. It was probably my worst day in oxford, but that was my fault for getting so stupidly drunk the night before. I was ill for at least three days afterwards, but hey, lessons learnt.

Reply 29

Oxonian2006

I went to Regent's Park.

I'd say you should go there. To be honest, it's not ideal, but it's your best option. It was the same for me. I applied to what some people would call "a proper college" but was offered Regent's so I took it. I'm currently stranded in London and yearning to go back to Oxford to do a DPhil (I already have a University of London MA with distinction, but I'm told that Oxford will consider that roughly equivalent to an Oxford BA!) and I would be hoping to do that at somewhere other than Regent's - Christ Church and Merton are favourites.

What you'll find at Regent's is quite a lot of public school people (the posher the school, the more riotous the behaviour, Winchester and Eton being the worst/best depending on your perspective) who couldn't care less about religion, get drunk, smash things up, and sleep in the quad (the one thing the principal doesn't like - running round to quad naked is fine, as long as it's done quietly). Then there will be the more nicely mannered public school people (often girls, or boys from lesser public schools), who are ardent evangelical Christians and drink moderately. The college Christian Union is quite big and active and its outlook is very conservative - praying for the college fellows because their interpretation of Scripture is unfaithful, praying for friends not to convert to the Catholic Church - I've witnessed the first myself and heard the second rumoured to have happened. There are some people who are too pentecostal for the CU (speaking in tongues, prophecies, etc) - they tend to go to Oxford Community Church, they have cell groups, and they usually don't drink.

However, you'll find that a good 50% or more are just ordinary students, and if you take a look at the weird behaviour that goes on at some other places (sex in lavatories during guest night dinner at ChCh was reported in one of the student newspapers) you'll be pleased to have the sober influence of a Baptist ethos. Actually, I should point out that among the regular students (not the part time ones who visit to do Baptist studies) there are very few Baptists - about one per year at most in my time.

The last thing I'd say is that if I had to choose by list of ideal colleges Regent's Park would be somewhere in the middle. Merton would be at the top, followed by ChCh, Balliol, Magdalen, New Coll., Trinity, Univ, Exeter, Lincoln, Jesus, BNC, Corpus, Hertford, Worcester, Teddy Hall, St John's Oriel, Wadham, Queen's, Keble, Mansfield, and St Peter's, but I'd choose Regent's Park over LMH, St Anne's, St Catz, St Hilda's (now that it's taking men), St Hugh's, Somerville, and all the other PPHs.

Greyfriars and St Benet's have the best food I ever had in Oxford. Indeed, St Benet's would be my favourite college if it had women.

Reply 30

Why merton, may i ask? It doesn't exactly have a repuatation for being a fun place to be?

Reply 31

hobnob

14

Why not? As far as I know it has a pretty good reputation as a college for graduates - and why would a DPhil student care whether undergraduates have to sit fortnightly collections anyway? (Or whatever it was that earned Merton its odd reputation as the no-fun college).

Reply 32

sorry- i didn't mean to sound critical of it- it's just wondered what it was you liked so much about it- i just genuinely haven't heard people speak of it in a positive light before.

Reply 33

Oxonian2006

Why Merton... well, one reason is that it was one of the colleges I went inside most - first, because I have a very good friend who was there for four years, secondly, because there was a series of medieval history seminars there. Other than that, it has a reputation for being very academically successful (although I did know another Mertonian who almost got a 2.2 (shock!). Erm, then Merton is pretty, it's near Christ Church/ChCh Meadow, fairly central, supposedly has lots of money and lots of accomodation for everyone, including graduates. Whenever I went there people seemed nice and interesting. That's about it. Otherwise, my preference for a college would be a mixture of prior experience (e.g. St John's - a friend from school went there and whenever I went to see him at St John's it didn't leave a good impression, which may be unfair), reputation, architecture, location, accomodation, known religious or political atmosphere; having spent 3 years at a PPH, a preference for somewhere more conventional.

An afterthought - I imagine Regent's Park (and other PPHs) today is probably more like a traditional college pre-WW2 than the traditional colleges are, or to put it another way, ordinary college in 1935/ordinary college in 2007 - big difference; ordinary college in 1935/PPH in 2007 - more similarities (size for one thing, plus traditions such as waiter service and grace at all meals).

Reply 34

lincoln still has waiter service and grace at meals, although the scouts don't make breakfast for people in their rooms anymore.

Reply 35

NeverMindThat

1

I have a lot of friends at regents. As with all colleges, the gregarious ones shine.

Given Regents (pretty great) positioning, its a REALLY good plan to make lots of friends at Worcester college etc and then go to all of their bops as well as your own.

Think of Regents as your family (and btw ignore all the christianity stuff... in practice its not a religious college), and try and expand to get friends in nearby colleges.

I can think of 5+ regents people in any yeargroup who I consider mates.

Reply 36

I know a Regent's offer holder and she's lovely. Assuming she's representative of the place, it's a great college :biggrin:

Hopefully, Greyfriars is the same. A good reputation for food certainly helps! :wink:

Reply 37

ellelerler

sat41

Was that your only reason? If so, don't you think things such as atmosphere and a sense of community matter more? I think if one chooses a College for its buildings (and, let's face it, there are several in Oxford), then it's as bad as judging a book by its cover.

As I think you've said yourself going to Oxford you know you'll get a world class education - so why not chose a college cos you like the way it looks. There are so many to choose between and loads of prospective undergraduates are a bit bewildered, you don't have to research each in depth before making your descision. I think you're getting a bit defensive and making an issue of stuff.

Reply 38

ellelerler

As I think you've said yourself going to Oxford you know you'll get a world class education - so why not chose a college cos you like the way it looks. There are so many to choose between and loads of prospective undergraduates are a bit bewildered, you don't have to research each in depth before making your descision. I think you're getting a bit defensive and making an issue of stuff.

If you want to live in pretty buildings, then fine, it's up to you. But don't you think that Colleges like St Anne's, Catz, St Hugh's etc deserve to be defended? Don't you think atmosphere matters much more than buildings? I have also studied at Cambridge. I was in a modern College, and an all girls' College (would you consider that a double blow?!), yet we have a reputation for being one of the friendliest of the University. In fact, girls at more traditional Colleges said they wished that they were at ours instead. They went for buildings. They missed out. Besides, can you name me one College which doesn't have some modern accommodation???

Reply 39