Question about St. Hugh's College

App2019

I am thinking of applying to St. Hugh's College.

According to https://www.topuniversities.com/blog/5-things-prospectus-wont-tell-you-about-oxford, St. Hugh's college struggles to get students.

Is it true? Is St. Hugh's college a good college to study? Does the selection of college at Oxford make any difference to career prospects?

Thanks in advance for any inputs.

Reply 1

alevelphysicist

Some colleges are just less popular than others tbh. All the colleges are good to study at, it’s just some have better/ more facilities, like a gym, than others that attract more students to apply. You have the same career prospects as anyone else on your degree with the same grades.

Reply 2

Hugh's Swan

It only struggles because its not a famous medieval one thats all. Many of the ex-women’s colleges suffer the same issue. The college is lovely, has nice gardens and accommodation for all years. If you just put Oxford University on your CV it won’t matter. Many people get reallocated to other colleges from the most popular, that’s the system to make things fairer at interview.

Reply 3

BrasenoseAdm

Official Rep

Original post by App2019

All the colleges offer an excellent educational and social experience, the same type of teaching, and you graduate with the same Oxford degree and have access to the same careers support services and advice.

St Hugh's is a very pleasant slightly out of town mixed undergraduate and graduate college, with attractive grounds. It guarantees UGs accommodation in all years of study. We wouldn't agree it struggles to recruit students and the same competition for places applies here as elsewhere.

Good luck if you decide to apply!

Reply 4

BioOx

I was rejected 2 years ago. Initially applied to St. Hugh's. If you are intending to apply there just for the sake of getting in, maybe you need to reconsider your decision of applying to Oxford. You are not applying to Oxford, just to get in it is much more than that! St. Hugh's is a beautiful place with more than excellent tutors/professors...a quiet place with decent facilities. At the end of the day if you deserve a place at Oxford, you will get into the college no matter which one it is. There is the relocation system.

Good luck!

Reply 5

Hugh's Swan

Original post by BioOx

I followed your posts during that time - where did you end up? How is it going?

Reply 6

App2019

Thanks all for your kind reply.

Reply 7

App2019

Original post by BioOx

Hi, could you please elaborate about "relocation system" - what is that?

Reply 8

BioOx

Original post by App2019

Hi, could you please elaborate about "relocation system" - what is that?

Hm, if a college thinks that you deserve a place at Oxford but are already full they will recommend you to other colleges even before the actual interview or during it. That is the reason you will find a lot of people attending interviews at different colleges relative to the chosen one. The point is that they want to make sure that they are making the right decision
I wrote this quickly...hope that it is clear now
Let me put it straight. You might receive a letter that practically tells "you have been rejected from St. Hughs but other colleges are considering you"

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 9

BioOx

Original post by Hugh's Swan

I followed your posts during that time - where did you end up? How is it going?

I still feel kind of salty from that rejection. I asked for interview feedback and they were like "fam, your interview was great, but no place for you in Oxford bruv". Definitely was a bummer for me.
Now i am at the other place, studying the subject that I really like: Medicine. I hope everything is going fine for you!

Reply 10

nexttime

Original post by App2019

Hi, could you please elaborate about "relocation system" - what is that?

More commonly called 'poling system'.So basically rather than leaving the colleges to their own devices and allowing less popular colleges to have worse students, the uni comes together than places that had more excellent applicants 'pool' some candidates to places who had fewer that year. Generally 25-40% of offers are to a college you did not apply to, so you can see this is no token effort - they make huge efforts to ensure applications are fair and that they get the best students.

St Hugh's does get less direct applicants yes, mainly because applicants rule it out for being too far from the city centre. In reality its only about a 20 mintue walk, or 10 minute cycle. And because its outside the centre, it gains hugely from more space nicer grounds etc. Its a nice college.