Oxford college system- can someone explain?
10
I’m a year 12 student hoping to apply for Oxford Uni in year 13, but I don’t really understand how the college system works. I know that there are different colleges where students live and study, but I don’t understand a few things:
- does the college you apply to matter? I’ve heard people saying that you have a “better chance” of getting into a certain course if you apply to certain colleges, but how would you know which ones to apply to?
- do you study at your college or somewhere else? And are tutorials held in colleges?
- how are some colleges better for certain subjects than others? And do certain colleges only offer certain subjects - how does this work?
Any help would be appreciated!
- does the college you apply to matter? I’ve heard people saying that you have a “better chance” of getting into a certain course if you apply to certain colleges, but how would you know which ones to apply to?
- do you study at your college or somewhere else? And are tutorials held in colleges?
- how are some colleges better for certain subjects than others? And do certain colleges only offer certain subjects - how does this work?
Any help would be appreciated!
Reply 1
hi! so i just got an offer for biology at oxford, so I've not actually studied there yet but here's my understanding:
-the college you apply to only matters in that it'll affect where you live, eat, and have tutorials. oxford is oxford at the end of the day and in my opinion there's a lot more similarities than differences. in terms of having a 'better chance' of getting in depending on where you apply like you said, I don't think this is true. the tutors work together to make sure that the best people for the course get into the university, this is why people are moved around colleges and some people don't end up where they applied initially. apply to a college that you like depending on your priorities, eg distance from faculty buildings, room costs, en suite availability or facilities that the college has
-this might depend on many things but tutorials are held within colleges since your tutors will belong to the college too, other things like lectures etc might be held in other buildings since these are for people from lots of different colleges
-not sure about some colleges being better for different subjects, this is probably down to personal preference tbh . to my understanding colleges only offer subjects that they have the tutors for, so if, for example there were no biology tutors at a certain college they wouldn't offer biology
again I haven't actually studied there yet so if ive said anything wrong pls someone correct me!!
-the college you apply to only matters in that it'll affect where you live, eat, and have tutorials. oxford is oxford at the end of the day and in my opinion there's a lot more similarities than differences. in terms of having a 'better chance' of getting in depending on where you apply like you said, I don't think this is true. the tutors work together to make sure that the best people for the course get into the university, this is why people are moved around colleges and some people don't end up where they applied initially. apply to a college that you like depending on your priorities, eg distance from faculty buildings, room costs, en suite availability or facilities that the college has
-this might depend on many things but tutorials are held within colleges since your tutors will belong to the college too, other things like lectures etc might be held in other buildings since these are for people from lots of different colleges
-not sure about some colleges being better for different subjects, this is probably down to personal preference tbh . to my understanding colleges only offer subjects that they have the tutors for, so if, for example there were no biology tutors at a certain college they wouldn't offer biology
again I haven't actually studied there yet so if ive said anything wrong pls someone correct me!!
Reply 2
Original post
by phoebeeeeeehi! so i just got an offer for biology at oxford, so I've not actually studied there yet but here's my understanding:
-the college you apply to only matters in that it'll affect where you live, eat, and have tutorials. oxford is oxford at the end of the day and in my opinion there's a lot more similarities than differences. in terms of having a 'better chance' of getting in depending on where you apply like you said, I don't think this is true. the tutors work together to make sure that the best people for the course get into the university, this is why people are moved around colleges and some people don't end up where they applied initially. apply to a college that you like depending on your priorities, eg distance from faculty buildings, room costs, en suite availability or facilities that the college has
-this might depend on many things but tutorials are held within colleges since your tutors will belong to the college too, other things like lectures etc might be held in other buildings since these are for people from lots of different colleges
-not sure about some colleges being better for different subjects, this is probably down to personal preference tbh . to my understanding colleges only offer subjects that they have the tutors for, so if, for example there were no biology tutors at a certain college they wouldn't offer biology
again I haven't actually studied there yet so if ive said anything wrong pls someone correct me!!
-the college you apply to only matters in that it'll affect where you live, eat, and have tutorials. oxford is oxford at the end of the day and in my opinion there's a lot more similarities than differences. in terms of having a 'better chance' of getting in depending on where you apply like you said, I don't think this is true. the tutors work together to make sure that the best people for the course get into the university, this is why people are moved around colleges and some people don't end up where they applied initially. apply to a college that you like depending on your priorities, eg distance from faculty buildings, room costs, en suite availability or facilities that the college has
-this might depend on many things but tutorials are held within colleges since your tutors will belong to the college too, other things like lectures etc might be held in other buildings since these are for people from lots of different colleges
-not sure about some colleges being better for different subjects, this is probably down to personal preference tbh . to my understanding colleges only offer subjects that they have the tutors for, so if, for example there were no biology tutors at a certain college they wouldn't offer biology
again I haven't actually studied there yet so if ive said anything wrong pls someone correct me!!
As a current student at Oxford, I'd say your understanding is pretty good. The colleges are more similar than they are different, but I would still advise picking a college as there are some differences that are very important imo (such as some colleges offering guaranteed single accommodation throughout the degree with others not doing likewise).
There are some arrangements where if a college doesn't have a tutor for a particular discipline of a given subject, students studying said subject may have tutorials for said discipline at another college or may be taught by a DPhil student rather than a full-fledged professor.
Reply 3
Original post
by ejhhhI’m a year 12 student hoping to apply for Oxford Uni in year 13, but I don’t really understand how the college system works. I know that there are different colleges where students live and study, but I don’t understand a few things:
- does the college you apply to matter? I’ve heard people saying that you have a “better chance” of getting into a certain course if you apply to certain colleges, but how would you know which ones to apply to?
- do you study at your college or somewhere else? And are tutorials held in colleges?
- how are some colleges better for certain subjects than others? And do certain colleges only offer certain subjects - how does this work?
Any help would be appreciated!
- does the college you apply to matter? I’ve heard people saying that you have a “better chance” of getting into a certain course if you apply to certain colleges, but how would you know which ones to apply to?
- do you study at your college or somewhere else? And are tutorials held in colleges?
- how are some colleges better for certain subjects than others? And do certain colleges only offer certain subjects - how does this work?
Any help would be appreciated!
An Oxford college is a self-governing academic community. It is the hub of an undergraduate's academic experience and usually of the social experience too. Each college has its own funding, buildings, academic and non-academic staff. Colleges tend to have traditions that develop over time. The oldest colleges have existed since the thirteenth century, and the youngest undergraduate college dates from 1962.
Every undergraduate is a member of a college and of the university (and can remain a member of each for life, if wished). Most people who study at Oxford develop a strong affiliation with their college.
A college promotes collegiate life amongst its members. It offers communal meals in its Hall, which may be formal or informal, and various other collective activities.
Most colleges are now secular in ethos but most have a chapel, where Anglican services are held, and colleges may have other rooms available for use by faith groups. A few small colleges (Permanent Private Halls) are associated with religious orders.
The colleges provide tutorials, academic supervision, libraries, and pastoral care. They provide food, rooms, and social facilities.
The university organises lectures and labs etc, provides libraries, and sets and marks exams.
Most academics at Oxford have a job with a college and also with the university.
Each college is governed by an elected head (who goes by various titles, varying from college to college) and a group of elected Fellows of the college. There are other academic staff who are not Fellows of the college. These may be people at the start of an academic career or people at the end of such a career who have stepped down from a full time position. Retired Fellows usually become what are known as Emeritus/Emerita Fellows and may carry on teaching and researching.
Only a few of the Fellows are Professors, although people have started using the Americanism of referring to all academics as Professors. They used to be known as Dons. Fellows take on various college offices such as Dean, Senior Tutor, and so on.
There are professional management staff who deal with finances and run the accommodation, catering, the gardens, welfare services and so on.
Each college has a porters' lodge. The porters deal with security, tourists, and day to day comings and goings, and are usually a valuable resource for students, helping them with non-academic aspects of student life.
Not every college offers every course. Most tutorials are conducted by your college, but you will be sent to tutors in other colleges for parts of your course, as different academics cover different areas of each course.
Most of the colleges have a sports ground of their own or shared with one or more other colleges, and a boat house on the Isis (the Oxford name for the River Thames). The other river in Oxford is the Cherwell, pronounced Charwell.
The university also has good sports facilities. Colleges compete against one another in many sports, and the university competes against other universities. The annual rowing, rugby, and cricket events against Cambridge are a big deal for those who like those sports.
Most of the colleges have a bar, and some have music rooms, performance spaces, and so on. Sports, pastimes, and clubs etc operate within colleges and across the university. There are a zillion clubs and societies to join, and several concert and theatrical venues available for student performances. The sports, music, drama, journalism, and politics scenes are very active.
(edited 12 months ago)
Reply 4
ejhhh
OP
10
Is there a better chance that you would get into Oxford to study your desired course if you apply to a college with a bigger number of places for that course then? Or does it not really make a difference?
Reply 5
Original post
by ejhhhIs there a better chance that you would get into Oxford to study your desired course if you apply to a college with a bigger number of places for that course then? Or does it not really make a difference?
That should not make a difference, because the admissions system tries to distribute the ablest applicants within colleges. Roughly one in four offers of places are made by a college to which the applicant did not apply.
Visit Oxford, look around (say) three to five colleges, and, if you like Oxford in general and fancy your chances, apply to the college from which you get the best vibes. The very best college in all of Oxford is any college which offers you a place. All of the other colleges are obviously dire.
Joking apart, even if you ended up at a college that you didn't enjoy, you could go and befriend people at other colleges. I liked my college, but had lots of fun at other colleges too. It appears that, when people dislike being at Oxford (and some do), it's more because they dislike being at Oxford than because they are at college X instead of college Y.
Reply 6
PS: Maybe have a shufty at Cambridge as well. The Cambridge college system is the same as that at Oxford, but the Cambridge admissions system is a bit less centralised than the system at Oxford, and different Cambridge colleges may apply different entrance standards. You will never get people to agree which of Oxford and Cambridge is prettier, more brainy, more fun, or whatever.
There are other universities which have colleges, such as Durham, York, and Lancaster, but the colleges there are not, as far as I know, teaching organisations. Those colleges are residential, social, and maybe pastoral organisations. The University of London was a collegiate university to begin with, but its colleges became more or less universities in their own right (UCL, KCL, and so on), and these days London is a federal university.
There are other universities which have colleges, such as Durham, York, and Lancaster, but the colleges there are not, as far as I know, teaching organisations. Those colleges are residential, social, and maybe pastoral organisations. The University of London was a collegiate university to begin with, but its colleges became more or less universities in their own right (UCL, KCL, and so on), and these days London is a federal university.
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