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University of Oxford, Pawel-Sytniewski
University of Oxford
Oxford

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https://ousu.org/advice/academic/faq/

"Moving college is known as 'migration' and is rare at Oxford"
University of Oxford, Pawel-Sytniewski
University of Oxford
Oxford
Reply 2
Original post by artful_lounger
https://ousu.org/advice/academic/faq/

"Moving college is known as 'migration' and is rare at Oxford"


thankyou for the link i thought it would be uncommon but didnt realize it would thought of as "rare"
Original post by eddiehills
thankyou for the link i thought it would be uncommon but didnt realize it would thought of as "rare"


My understanding is that people normally only move colleges due to exceptional extenuating circumstances or similar. This is while on a given undergraduate/postgraduate course though. If you finish your BA, then apply for a DPhil, I understand it's not uncommon to apply to another college, or end up at another college, different to your undergraduate one.

Also beyond escaping reminders of a traumatic incident or something, it seems a bit pointless. They're all equal academically, regardless of what some nonsense tables suggest, and I believe you may end up having some tutorials at other colleges anyway, depending on the course you're on and papers chosen. Oxford is also reasonably compact, so you don't have the "I don't want to cycle from Girton every day" issue that some raise at Cambridge (which is a non-issue on the whole anyway, but if a student had physical disabilities which made travelling that distance difficult that would probably be an acceptable reason for the colleges to consider a transfer).

Why exactly do you want to move college?
Reply 4
Original post by artful_lounger
My understanding is that people normally only move colleges due to exceptional extenuating circumstances or similar. This is while on a given undergraduate/postgraduate course though. If you finish your BA, then apply for a DPhil, I understand it's not uncommon to apply to another college, or end up at another college, different to your undergraduate one.

Also beyond escaping reminders of a traumatic incident or something, it seems a bit pointless. They're all equal academically, regardless of what some nonsense tables suggest, and I believe you may end up having some tutorials at other colleges anyway, depending on the course you're on and papers chosen. Oxford is also reasonably compact, so you don't have the "I don't want to cycle from Girton every day" issue that some raise at Cambridge (which is a non-issue on the whole anyway, but if a student had physical disabilities which made travelling that distance difficult that would probably be an acceptable reason for the colleges to consider a transfer).

Why exactly do you want to move college?


yeah I have heard that can be the case if one was to finish their BA

It is primarily for academic reasons which may be a none issue for some
you did state however league tables and stuff like that shouldnt be taken notice but from what ive seen on TSR in particular some colleges can be seen as being "better" academically
Original post by eddiehills
yeah I have heard that can be the case if one was to finish their BA

It is primarily for academic reasons which may be a none issue for some
you did state however league tables and stuff like that shouldnt be taken notice but from what ive seen on TSR in particular some colleges can be seen as being "better" academically


It's all false gossip by 6th form students. At Cambridge at least, your college isn't even mentioned on your degree. I imagine it's similar at Oxford, and no employer is going to not hire an Oxford graduate because they went to one college instead of another.
Original post by eddiehills
yeah I have heard that can be the case if one was to finish their BA

It is primarily for academic reasons which may be a none issue for some
you did state however league tables and stuff like that shouldnt be taken notice but from what ive seen on TSR in particular some colleges can be seen as being "better" academically


If those are your reasons it ain't gonna happen.
Reply 7
Original post by astutehirstute
If those are your reasons it ain't gonna happen.


Are you saying that moving colleges would never happen if it was down to "academic reasons" on wanting to move ?
Reply 8
Original post by artful_lounger
It's all false gossip by 6th form students. At Cambridge at least, your college isn't even mentioned on your degree. I imagine it's similar at Oxford, and no employer is going to not hire an Oxford graduate because they went to one college instead of another.


i have heard from many that different colleges offer a better learning and academic experience
Original post by eddiehills
Are you saying that moving colleges would never happen if it was down to "academic reasons" on wanting to move ?


Yes.

The college who had accepted you would rightly be very annoyed as you had cost someone else a place.

And why would another college want you? All their places would be filled.
Original post by eddiehills
i have heard from many that different colleges offer a better learning and academic experience


They are all equal, it's just meaningless pretension and posturing. The quality of research personnel across the colleges is going to be equal, as the university isn't going to accept a second rate researcher, and all will have training in providing tutorials and engaging in other teaching activities, and if their tutorial ability is lacking as evidenced by feedback forms etc, then they are likely to no longer be given tutorials for that subject, or at all.

I don't know where this ridiculous notion comes from, that at one of the best universities in the world on glorified hall of residence is better than another. The majority of core material will be arranged and taught by the department, and if a college is turning out failing students the university and department will quickly intervene, as well as the college officials themselves, to ensure the university and college reputations are not tarnished.

In any case, this is a bad reason to try and change college. Your college is perfectly excellent academically, as are all. Unless you have a serious issue which will prevent you from studying in the college you are due to attend, then I suggest dispelling such notions from your head. I imagine both the college you are due to attend and the prospective college you want to move to will not entertain such reasoning either.
Reply 11
Original post by astutehirstute
Yes.

The college who had accepted you would rightly be very annoyed as you had cost someone else a place.

And why would another college want you? All their places would be filled.


You say all places would be full but how is it that in extenuating circumstances they find room for those to change colleges ?

i think most likely i will just stay with my college as i didnt realise how hard it seems to change
it is either that or drop out of uni
Reply 12
Original post by artful_lounger
They are all equal, it's just meaningless pretension and posturing. The quality of research personnel across the colleges is going to be equal, as the university isn't going to accept a second rate researcher, and all will have training in providing tutorials and engaging in other teaching activities, and if their tutorial ability is lacking as evidenced by feedback forms etc, then they are likely to no longer be given tutorials for that subject, or at all.

I don't know where this ridiculous notion comes from, that at one of the best universities in the world on glorified hall of residence is better than another. The majority of core material will be arranged and taught by the department, and if a college is turning out failing students the university and department will quickly intervene, as well as the college officials themselves, to ensure the university and college reputations are not tarnished.

In any case, this is a bad reason to try and change college. Your college is perfectly excellent academically, as are all. Unless you have a serious issue which will prevent you from studying in the college you are due to attend, then I suggest dispelling such notions from your head. I imagine both the college you are due to attend and the prospective college you want to move to will not entertain such reasoning either.


Thank you for clearing this up initially upon creating this thread I didn't really realise how difficult it would be to change colleges and why would there be tables, of which college seem to better academically if all of them were the same in that respect ?
Reply 13
To my knowledge, the only "academic reason" they would allow is if you were changing courses, and your new course wasn't offered by your current college.
Original post by eddiehills
Is it possible to move colleges at oxford once already accepted or is it once your accepted you cant move colleges at all ? could one be considered by any other colleges
does anyone know of anyone who has changed colleges once accpeted to a one


It is possible - the main reason is people wanting to change subjects and having to move to somewhere that can accommodate them/will accept them. Rarely, it could happen in other circumstances.

You can't change simple because you want to.

Why do you ask?
Original post by eddiehills
Thank you for clearing this up initially upon creating this thread I didn't really realise how difficult it would be to change colleges and why would there be tables, of which college seem to better academically if all of them were the same in that respect ?


Because people are stupid and like to puff up their chests and say how they're clearly superior because one given cohort had an average of 2% higher in exams in that year at so and so college, or 3 more people got a first at one college than another in a given year. It's pointless and irrelevant. TSR, and you, need to get over the obsession with ranking things, or you're never going to be happy no matter where you go because there will always be somewhere "better".

In the words of Dali, "Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it". You're as close as you can hope to be, enjoy what you have achieved. Or don't, and live your life in misery, but stop spreading that to everyone else by trumping up these rankings as though they're remotely meaningful.
Reply 16
Original post by Beth_H
To my knowledge, the only "academic reason" they would allow is if you were changing courses, and your new course wasn't offered by your current college.


ohhh i see at first i thought it would be fairly easily to change colleges thats why i asked
Reply 17
Original post by nexttime
It is possible - the main reason is people wanting to change subjects and having to move to somewhere that can accommodate them/will accept them. Rarely, it could happen in other circumstances.

You can't change simple because you want to.

Why do you ask?


i thought it may have been fairly common and not seen as being rare and initally i thought it wouldve been fairly easy to change colleges thats why i asked
Reply 18
Original post by artful_lounger
Because people are stupid and like to puff up their chests and say how they're clearly superior because one given cohort had an average of 2% higher in exams in that year at so and so college, or 3 more people got a first at one college than another in a given year. It's pointless and irrelevant. TSR, and you, need to get over the obsession with ranking things, or you're never going to be happy no matter where you go because there will always be somewhere "better".

In the words of Dali, "Have no fear of perfection - you'll never reach it". You're as close as you can hope to be, enjoy what you have achieved. Or don't, and live your life in misery, but stop spreading that to everyone else by trumping up these rankings as though they're remotely meaningful.


ohh i understand where your coming from in terms of the tables and stuff like that many people just seem to compare the vast academic differences between the colleges not just on the TSR but others have also stated ir
however if i cant change i cant change it is what it is and yeah i do agree with you on that
Reply 19
Original post by eddiehills
ohhh i see at first i thought it would be fairly easily to change colleges thats why i asked

Fair enough. What college are you at/going to?

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