Oxford College decision making

Wassup people!
I wanna get some quality advice on how to choose an Oxford College.
Physics and Philosophy aspirant here

Reply 1

Hi David!

I tend to advise that Oxford colleges should be thought of as the primary place of eating/sleeping/socialising. So, one way to narrow down college choices (other than eliminating those that don't offer your subject) is to think of what you want from the experience of living in Oxford. For example, do you want/would you prefer:

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a big or small college?

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an older/more 'traditional' Oxford college, or a younger college (which may have fewer formal halls, etc.)

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kitchen access? Ensuite room? Gym/sports facilities onsite? Big grassy spaces you can walk on, within the college?

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college accommodation for the duration of your course? (NB. Not all college accommodation is within the college's grounds - some annexes are a bit further out!)

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to be nearer to your departments, or do you not mind more of a walk/bike ride each day?

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colleges with extra, college-bursaries you may benefit from? (For example: my college, Worcester, used to have bursaries for children of Anglican clergy!)

Once you've thought about things like that, you can start to narrow colleges down. The SU website has a college-finder that you can use, to help with this! Then visit quite a few on the open days, if you can get to any in-person ones, to get a better feel for them and talk to current students and lecturers :smile:

Bear in mind: aroun 25% of Oxford students end up at a college they didn't originally apply to. So best not to get too wed to any one particular college :colondollar:

Reply 2

The_Lonely_Goatherd

I forgot to mention in my first post that proximity to certain libraries (e.g. the Bodleian, the Radcliffe Camera) may also be a consideration, if that's important to you! :h:

Reply 3

RichE

https://public.tableau.com/views/UniversityofOxford-CollegeSuccessRates2023/CollegeSuccessRates?:embed=y&:display_count=yes&:showTabs=y&:showVizHome=no

There aren't many colleges regularly admitting for this course. The above link might help.

Reply 4

thegeek888

Original post

by David Chukwuocha

Wassup people!
I wanna get some quality advice on how to choose an Oxford College.
Physics and Philosophy aspirant here

Only the following colleges accept applicants for Physics & Philosophy:

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St Catherine's College

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Most only take 1 applicant, and some 2 and only Balliol takes 3 applicants per year.

(edited 9 months ago)

Reply 5

RichE

Original post

by thegeek888

Only the following colleges accept applicants for Physics & Philosophy:
Balliol
Brasenose
Merton
Hertford
Magdalen
St. Edmund Hall
Most only take 1 applicant, and some 2 and only Balliol takes 3 applicants per year.

That list is incorrect. There are 13 colleges that admit for this course.

https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/colleges/which-oxford-colleges-offer-my-course

Reply 6

thegeek888

Original post

by RichE

That list is incorrect. There are 13 colleges that admit for this course.
https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/undergraduate/colleges/which-oxford-colleges-offer-my-course

Sorry, I was tired at 04:00 GMT lol 😛 But those were the colleges which took more than 1 applicant.

Reply 7

curious_wisdom

Original post

by David Chukwuocha

Wassup people!
I wanna get some quality advice on how to choose an Oxford College.
Physics and Philosophy aspirant here

Hi! I'm applying for PhysPhil as well!
The good thing is that we automatically have it narrowed down to only 13. What I did was a table with the colleges and certain things I was personally interested in (specific societies and facilities, 24/7 library and things like that). From there, you kind of tick off what colleges offer which things and you choose the one with the most ticks! I heard someone say that because most people end up in a different one, don't think about it too much and choose the first one that you like and has everything you need! I hope this helps a little bit haha