Year 12s: what, if anything, would discourage you from attending a uni open day? >>

Which college?

I am a mature applicant for Theology and Religion trying to narrow down my college choice. I don’t want to live in party central but I am quiet and keep myself to myself- I don’t mind living with younger undergrads.

It’s important my college is central because I am disabled and cannot walk far. I would like a college close to the centre and a supermarket and the Bodleian. Accommodation on the central site for 2+ years would be a very significant bonus.

I have narrowed it down to 6 and the relative pros of each- can anyone help me narrow it down any further?

Christ church- I visited and didn’t love it to be honest. But it is very central and has good accommodation.

Harris Manchester- again, visited and didn’t love it but I would rather be with more mature people day to day.

Oriel- visited and didn’t love it but so much about Oriel makes sense given it’s location- I feel like the location is perfect.

Pembroke- visited and liked it okay. Very central, good accommodation.

St Johns- visited and really really liked it. Central, pretty close to faculty too, good accommodation.

Trinity- I loved it the second I stepped onto site - it’s my number one favourite Oxford college I have visited.

Thanks in advance

Reply 1

mckmac

It sounds to me like you already have your answer: Trinity! But if you're going for something more fact-based, I suggest checking out the Norrington table (John's leads your group) and college annual reports for the last few years and seeing how the Theology students fared. My logic is that a college that generates a lot of firsts must have inspiring, effective tutors (unless Theology is one of those degrees where your teaching is spread around a lot, rather than being based at your college). That said, I know that Trinity doesn't specify their degree classifications (sorry, I'm not British and don't know the right word, but I mean firsts, 2.1, 2.2, etc) by course. Most other colleges do.

Reply 2

Oxfordbound

Thanks that is really useful advice I hadn’t considered the Norrington table at all

Reply 3

mckmac

Since Theology is a small department, it could be that the Norrington table is entirely unreflective of the quality of the Theology tutors. Instead (or in addition), don't miss the college annual records, which are a treasure trove of information. Most tell you, by course, what degree classifications were achieved. In my research (not into Theology), the differences have been large. Good luck!

Thank you xx

Original post by Oxfordbound

Thanks that is really useful advice I hadn’t considered the Norrington table at all

It sounds like you prefer Trinity the most, in which case go for it! It's a beautiful college and the lawns are stunning.

I personally wouldn't put too much stock into the Norrington table (out of 30 colleges, my college has been anywhere between 26th and 2nd, to give you some idea of how volatile the rankings can be). To me, things like accommodation, location, cohort size (some people want to have lots of subject mates), food and "gut feel" are much more important, but YMMV.