Worcester College

Hi people, I just wanted to ask a few things about Worcester college, as I am considering applying there this year:

1. How pretty is it compared to the other colleges?
2. Is it viewed as a prestigious college or not?
3. What is the typical stereotypes about Worcester and their students?
4. Any other details on the college in general.

Thanks.

Reply 1

davey_boy

9

slinec

Hi people, I just wanted to ask a few things about Worcester college, as I am considering applying there this year:

1. How pretty is it compared to the other colleges?
2. Is it viewed as a prestigious college or not?
3. What is the typical stereotypes about Worcester and their students?
4. Any other details on the college in general.

Thanks.

Hi - I'm a postgrad at Worcester so I've just finished my 5th year there.

1) Worcester's one of the prettiest colleges around. It doesn't look much from the outside but once you get inside it's beautiful. It has a lake and its sports pitches on site which no other college has and all accomodation is within the college walls or just on the other side of the road - there's no annexes etc. Despite its prettiness it doesn't suffer from tourists in the same way as other pretty colleges (e.g. Magdalen, Christ Church, St. John's) do, probably because it's not that famous and doesn't look like much from the outside.

2) Worcester's viewed as pretty average with respect to other Oxford colleges. Academically it's always about halfway up the league tables and I think its reputation outside and inside the university reflects that.

3) Stereotypes. Hmmmm. Not exactly sure. Students are predominantly from the South East, although there are plenty of other people from the rest of the country (I'm from Manchester for example), not many international students at least at undergraduate level. I guess the origins of people are fairly similar to the university as a whole. Worcester tends to take more arts students than science students (a lot of lawyers, history and languages students) and it doesn't offer some science subjects (biochemistry, human sciences, physiology and probably some others). Arts students tend to have less structured days with fewer lectures etc. so they always appear to do less work than scientists (until the day before an essay has to be in then they spend all day and half the night desperately trying to write it). As a result arts students tend to be able to do more things e.g. sport and getting wasted on a Thursday night. This gives Worcester a bit of a reputation as being very laid back. I'd go along with that.

4) Anything else. Erm. College guarentees accomodation for 1st and 2nd years, along with anyone returning from a year abroad and about 25% of 3rd and 4th years. This is slightly unusual in that most other colleges that guarentee accomodation for 2 years give it to 1st and 3rd years. This has the advantage that you're not looking to sort out where you're living in 2nd year having been at university for just over a term. It also means that you're generally in a house rather than college accomodation during your finals which some people think is a good thing, others think its a bad thing. There was a ballot a couple of years back to see if people wanted 1st & 2nd year guarenteed accomodation or 1st & 3rd year and I think it was about 75% in favour of the current system. Sport - having the pitches on site means its dead easy to play sport and the college tends to do pretty well in most of the university leagues. Food - Worcester has, in my opinion, a well deserved reputation for serving very good food.

Think that's about it. Hope this has helped, if you need any more advice let me know.

Reply 2

Jamie Frost

6

Having spent 2 days there as part of the interview process (and hopefully going there in October grades permitting) I would certainly have to agree with the 'good-looking' comment.

If it's of any relevance (it certainly is to me), Worcester supposedly has a very good musical reputation.
The college also has it's own room for table tennis (damn the physician who beat me) aswell as squash.

Don't know how good the food is (heard it's good from many people) but I know it's very cheap, cheaper than most colleges I think. A dinner including pudding costs a meer £1.80 according to my info sheet.

In conclusion, APPLY THERE! :smile:

Reply 3

teamvillage

Jamie Frost

Having spent 2 days there as part of the interview process (and hopefully going there in October grades permitting) I would certainly have to agree with the 'good-looking' comment.

If it's of any relevance (it certainly is to me), Worcester supposedly has a very good musical reputation.
The college also has it's own room for table tennis (damn the physician who beat me) aswell as squash.

Don't know how good the food is (heard it's good from many people) but I know it's very cheap, cheaper than most colleges I think. A dinner including pudding costs a meer £1.80 according to my info sheet.

In conclusion, APPLY THERE! :smile:

As a musician myself, a good friend currently at Oxford told me to avoid Worcester like the plague, because they'd had all sorts of problems with choral scholars/organ scholars and funding. Or something like that... Not that it mattered in the end, because the pool system has sent me to the only college without a chapel despite winning a choral scholarship in September... :smile:

Reply 4

SsEe

13

I'm also thinking of applying there. Somebody I know who plays trumpet got in to do maths and has just finished his 1st year. I play ye olde trompette and I'm hoping that 8 year commitment to getting to a fairly high standard will look good when I apply :biggrin:

(also to do maths).

I was wondering. Is it real hike to the maths lectures or what as it looks quite far on the map.

Reply 5

davey_boy

9

SsEe

I'm also thinking of applying there. Somebody I know who plays trumpet got in to do maths and has just finished his 1st year. I play ye olde trompette and I'm hoping that 8 year commitment to getting to a fairly high standard will look good when I apply :biggrin:

(also to do maths).

I was wondering. Is it real hike to the maths lectures or what as it looks quite far on the map.

Oxford's a fairly small city - well at least the central bit is. Not exactly sure where lectures are held but if it's in the mathematical insitute somewhere then it's about a 10 minute walk (slow pace) from the front of college or about 5 minutes if you get to the front of college at 8:55....

Not sure if music will have much affect on your application - most tutors will look at your ability in your chosen subject as the over-riding consideration but I guess if all other things are equal they may well go for the more rounded individual (i.e. the person with other outside interests i.e. music).

Jamie Frost

Having spent 2 days there as part of the interview process (and hopefully going there in October grades permitting) I would certainly have to agree with the 'good-looking' comment.

If it's of any relevance (it certainly is to me), Worcester supposedly has a very good musical reputation.
The college also has it's own room for table tennis (damn the physician who beat me) aswell as squash.

Don't know how good the food is (heard it's good from many people) but I know it's very cheap, cheaper than most colleges I think. A dinner including pudding costs a meer £1.80 according to my info sheet.

If you're talking about the Morely Fletcher roomm for table tennis then yes it does exist but it isn't used at all - that room is usually used by people rehersing plays or practicing bands. Squash certainly exists, there's 2 courts and they aren't used that much so you can play to your heart's content.

Food - yes it is very good. The £1.80 you've quoted doesn't include the 'set catering charge' of about 70p. Basically everyone who lives 'in' has to pay 70p a day whether or not they eat dinner in Hall. If you do then you pay the balance (£1.80). 1st Hall's ok -but the real class is in formal Hall - 3 course silver service meal that costs about £7 to make for £1.80 - absolutely brilliant.

Reply 6

elpaw

15

stereotypes - its a commie college.

Reply 7

Jamie Frost

6

I'm confused. If we pay the 70p, is the £1.80 inclusive of that or do we end up paying £2.50 in total?

While you're there, could you please tell me if Worcester has a 'wireless' network.

Reply 8

davey_boy

9

Jamie Frost

I'm confused. If we pay the 70p, is the £1.80 inclusive of that or do we end up paying £2.50 in total?

While you're there, could you please tell me if Worcester has a 'wireless' network.

It's like this. You pay £1.80 for every dinner you have in college. However you also pay something like a £40 'catering charge' each term (68p x 7 (days) x 8 (weeks)) on battles every term you live in college. If you live out of college, you don't pay the catering charge but you get charged £2.48 for every dinner you have in college (£1.80+68p).

There's currently no wireless network in the college that I'm aware of and no plans to set one up that I'm aware of either. All rooms have ethernet ports for your wired network though.

elpaw

stereotypes - its a commie college.

Never heard of that one, comrade, I think you're mistaken. I'll inform the authorities to send some people round to give you some re-education on that point.

Reply 9

elpaw

15

davey_boy

Never heard of that one, comrade, I think you're mistaken. I'll inform the authorities to send some people round to give you some re-education on that point.

really? i thought it had a reputation for being quite leftie and liberal

Reply 10

davey_boy

9

elpaw

really? i thought it had a reputation for being quite leftie and liberal

Not that I'm aware of. The impression I have of the place is its very, very politically apathetic and if anything slightly right wing. Could be wrong though.

Reply 11

BazTheMoney

It's certainly not as extreme as Oriel or Wadham. I always thought it was fairly central, and I don't think Worcester get's heavily involved in university politics. It's a nice college on the whole, I wouldn't have any problem studying there.

Reply 12

Jamie Frost

6

Do Oxford colleges really have a strong overall political stance? I keep on hearing Balliol is strongly left wing and so on, but I would have thought the overall political stance of colleges is roughly the same.

Reply 13

BazTheMoney

Jamie Frost

Do Oxford colleges really have a strong overall political stance? I keep on hearing Balliol is strongly left wing and so on, but I would have thought the overall political stance of colleges is roughly the same.

Some have a strong stance, but most are fairly middle of the road non offensive centralists. The radicals do get attracted to certain college, though.

Reply 14

teamvillage

BazTheMoney

Some have a strong stance, but most are fairly middle of the road non offensive centralists. The radicals do get attracted to certain college, though.

Oriel is very right wing, and Wadham is the people's republic n'est pas?

Reply 15

BazTheMoney

teamvillage

Oriel is very right wing, and Wadham is the people's republic n'est pas?

Those are the normal examples. Balliol is too the left as well, as are Sommerville, though I haven't seen any evidence to back up the claims of the latter.

Worcester College

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