The Student Room Group

St Catz: honest opinions please

Hey, I applied to Merton for Music but got into St Catz -where I also had an interview. I thought the tutors were great but didn't have a chance to look around the college or meet any current/prospective students? I know (almost) everyone would agree the architecture isn't really "Oxford" but what about the people? What's the St Catz sterotype etc?

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Reply 1
St Catz is a lovely, friendly college - would far sooner be there than at one of the larger, up themselves Colls. Also great for Am Dram and music stuff.
Reply 2
It's pretty ugly.
On the other hand, I've met quite a few people from Catz and liked all of them. Not Oxford-y stereotypes at all. I don't know of a specific Catz stereotype though (though having said that, only a few colleges have them).
I'd recommend it.
Reply 3
It's so strange to have the same college names at both Oxbridge - confuses me :confused: :frown:
Reply 4
They seem to be well respected in sporting terms as well :smile:
Reply 5
Honestly don't worry about which college you ended up at - everyone falls in love with the place they go to!!! I originally applied to New College and loved it at my interviews, but now I'm at Lincoln (similar in many respects but v.v.v.much smaller) and now realise I love the closeness - I walk through the quads and always meet someone I know! (great form of procrastination :rolleyes:).

I know St Catz isn't typically Oxford in its architecture but I hear it's a nice friendly college. Speak to Teamvillage on here - he goes there and loves the place!
Reply 6
Great bar as well (very cheap - 74p for a pint I think).

Also many people think it's far away from centre of town (when I say I'm going there I often get saying "oh that's miles away") but it takes less than 10 mins for me to walk there from Lincoln - it's really not far! (definitely less than 15 min walk to music faculty).

They've also got a cool octagonal music room (think it's an octagon anyway!) which I'm sure will come in handy for you!

As Hoofbeat says though, ask teamvillage - he loves it (I don't normally recommend people talk to him though, after all he did manage to break his wrist within a few days of freshers' week!)
:biggrin: :biggrin:
i'm sure it's a perfectly fine college, though having never been there myself i'm in no position to comment. but my god, from the outside it's darn ugly.
Reply 8
Hey all, it seems my reputation proceeds me...

Friendliest place on earth!
Totally no stereotype at all. Whether that is because it's so diverse or just so big I don't really know!
You'll be lucky enough to have had all the building work on your rooms finished BEFORE you live in them!
Music is very strong and the music room is indeed polygonic! However if you play brass or percussion you are forced to practice in a horrible little room next to the JCR. :mad: (wow that made it look like I practise :eek:
Cheapest bar and latest closing college bar in Oxford.
Sport very strong. Good at rowing, top division for football (WHY did I break my wrist :mad: ) and rugby.
Erm... anything else PM me or reply :biggrin:
Reply 9
irisng
It's so strange to have the same college names at both Oxbridge - confuses me :confused: :frown:


Actually we're St CathErine's, the little hovel near Ely is St CathArine's. A far superior breed :biggrin:
Reply 10
teamvillage
Cheapest bar and latest closing college bar in Oxford.


Total crap I'm afraid! From the former MRC president of another Oxford Coll who has been to every Oxford bar! It might be the latest opening of the undergrad Colleges, but the grad colleges bars close when the key holders can no longer stand/need sleep! We didn't close for 76 hours over May morn 2003!
Fluffy
Total crap I'm afraid! From the former MRC president of another Oxford Coll who has been to every Oxford bar! It might be the latest opening of the undergrad Colleges, but the grad colleges bars close when the key holders can no longer stand/need sleep! We didn't close for 76 hours over May morn 2003!


OK... they lie to us in the alternative prospectus :eek:
Reply 12
Make that every Oxford College bar (inc Templeton! :wink: ) Every Oxford bar would make me a lush, and a work shy lush at that!
Reply 13
Isn't it huge (numbers-wise)?

That just occurred to me.
teamvillage
OK... they lie to us in the alternative prospectus :eek:

making the assumption that your alternative prospectus is directed towards undergrads, who naturally can't attend graduate colleges, i think you could just get away with such a claim. :wink:
Reply 15
Hello... Undergrads can go to post-grad bops!!!!
but with respect, if an 18 year old catz freshers was to go to a bop outside their college, they're more likely to go to magdalen or new than they are kellogg or green.
Reply 17
Kellogg? Green?? Feck them and their very small bars! You want to head to Linacre or Wolfson!
Reply 18
oxymoron
Great bar as well (very cheap - 74p for a pint I think).


Now that IS a reason to go there.
Reply 19
Hello, A levels permitting, I'm going to Catz next year. Personally, based on the time I spent there at interviews, I'd say it was great. The arcitecture may not be to everyone's taste (fools! Personally I think it's great, but I'm just odd :smile: ) but the atmosphere seems welcoming, the JCR facilities good (although they shut the bar for interviews :frown: ), and the rooms pretty nice. They are a reasonable size, well heated, and although they aren't en suite, they're as near as dammit, 'cos the showers are right next to them. Although I haven't really been to any other colleges I'm really glad I applied there, it seems a nice place to spend three years of my life, and I just hope I make the bloody offer :rolleyes: , Hmmm, need to go and revise.

Oh yeah, and the only stereotype I've heard, from a number of sources, is that Catz is full of drunkards. Any truth to that?