Oxford colleges application

When applying to Oxford, I was told it was like a bunch of smaller universities. Will I be interviewed by the university and the college? Can I apply to multiple colleges(e.g. first choice second choice etc.)? Can I email interviewers pre-interview for questions in the interview?

Reply 1

melancollege

Universities Forum Helper

It's not so much a bunch of mini universities. There is some undergraduate teaching done by the colleges but lectures, exams, etc are all organised centrally.

You apply to one college and will be interviewed by them, if invited to interview. You may get interviewed at a second college as well during the interview period and you may get 'pooled' meaning your offer, should you get one, could be from a different college than the one you applied for. If you are a member of a college then you are a member of the university.

You used to be able to rank them but this isn't the case anymore and you only choose one.

You cannot get the questions in advance. I would strongly advise against emailing the interviewers for questions in advance as this could come across sycophantic at best and unscrupulous at worst. If you have questions about the interviews, I would recommend contacting the admissions office of the college you are applying for.

Just to caveat this, I am at Cambridge rather than Oxford, which, although very similar in regards to your queries, may have differences I am not aware of; always check the Oxford website and respective admissions departments for the most up-to-date information. I did look into the Oxford application process when applying so this information is correct to the best of my knowledge as of a few cycles ago.

Reply 2

xyz1234567

To add:

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You may be reallocated to a different college from the one you apply to. This is to ensure that applicants aren’t disadvantaged by some colleges being more oversubscribed than others.

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If you want to ask questions about the admissions process, there are two open days coming up at the end of June. You can go round colleges and Faculties and there will be lots of information and events - often they hold mock interviews so you can see what happens.

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Definitely do not ask for interview questions in advance and it is best not to make direct contact with interviewers. No problem to contact the admissions office with questions (but they will not tell you about the content of interviews)

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Check the university website for your subject which will have lots of info about the admissions process

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Colleges are the admitting bodies. If you are admitted to a college, you are admitted to the University.

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Everyone ends up thinking their own college is the best so don’t worry too much about college choice. Do some research about things that you care about and then go with your gut. If you can’t decide you can do an open offer and the college you are allocated to won’t know you didn’t choose it.

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Colleges are self-governing academic communities and a lot of your daily life and teaching takes place there. But all undergraduates follow the same course and take the same exams, which are set centrally. Teaching for some subjects tends to be more college based than others (science subjects tend to be more centralised)

Reply 3

Zhang Enhe

Original post by Hedgehog ED

When applying to Oxford, you can only choose your first (preference) college on your UCAS form. During the interview stage, the university will randomly give you a second college to have an extra interview. In total you will have at least 3 interviews, including 2 interviews at your first college and 1 interview at the second college. And pre-interview is not allowed.

Reply 4

xyz1234567

Original post by Zhang Enhe

This depends on the subject. Not all subjects automatically interview at a second college.

Reply 5

Stiffy Byng

I add that there is no way to game the system, despite much speculation about that here and elsewhere. Pick a college, any college, and pick a subject which is taught at that college. You'll either obtain an offer on academic merit, or you won't. Approximately one quarter of those who obtain offers receive the offer from a college other than the one applied to.