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Oxford College Application Change?

Hi! I recently applied to Wadham College but I’m still torn between that and Univ… my UCAS has already been sent off, but I think there is a one week period where you can request to change your college preference.

Univ is quite popular and gets like ~800 applications (so more competitive), whereas Wadham is less at ~500…. Would it be silly for me to change to Univ and hope that I get pooled into a college I like or somehow Wadham, or just stick with Wadham? It sounds silly but I’m just genuinely so torn and I wish there was a way to indicate 2nd preferences

Reply 1

Keep in mind: I am a very silly goose and did not visit either college on the Open Day 👎👎 I’ve looked at some virtual tours and videos and I can’t decide I’m going to COMBUST

Reply 2

It is only a college preference. The application process can shuffle you around between colleges at several stages. If you are fortunate to be made an offer it could come from a different college.
I've not heard of the one week period for changing college preference, although it may still be possible to do so. Best advice is to stay with Wadham and begin interview prepping. Oxford undergrads always develop a close loyalty to their college whichever it might be.

Reply 3

Original post
by BetaVersion2.9
It is only a college preference. The application process can shuffle you around between colleges at several stages. If you are fortunate to be made an offer it could come from a different college.
I've not heard of the one week period for changing college preference, although it may still be possible to do so. Best advice is to stay with Wadham and begin interview prepping. Oxford undergrads always develop a close loyalty to their college whichever it might be.


thank you oh wise TSR user 🙏🙏 hopefully I get an offer at all haha!!

Reply 4

Chill! You may end up at one of those colleges, or neither. Hope you get in somewhere! Me, I like Univ more than Wadham, but that's cos my uncle went to Univ way back, and also cos having blue hair and pretending to be Northern (Wadham) seems kinda over. I'm not at either of those colleges. I'm at a super unfash college (no tourists!) which suits me just fine.

Reply 5

Original post
by Mr Tangle
Chill! You may end up at one of those colleges, or neither. Hope you get in somewhere! Me, I like Univ more than Wadham, but that's cos my uncle went to Univ way back, and also cos having blue hair and pretending to be Northern (Wadham) seems kinda over. I'm not at either of those colleges. I'm at a super unfash college (no tourists!) which suits me just fine.


Thanks for your reply ^_^ I know Wadham has a reputation for being “woke” for better or for worse, but I do like the environment and the bursaries are quite generous (although apparently Univ’s is too!)
Would you happen to know anything about Univ that could help sway my decision? I mean, still not a chance I’ll get into either, but my brain is unbelievably indecisive!

Reply 6

Univ have a spooky monument to Shelley - that's got to be a clincher. Wadham's a weird cult, full of poseurs and fakes. Relax - you'll either get in or you won't, and as everyone says most people end up thinking their college is the coolest college and we all like to rubbish all the other colleges. Don't get me started on Teddy Hall!
(edited 3 months ago)

Reply 8

Original post
by chloeisok
Hi! I recently applied to Wadham College but I’m still torn between that and Univ… my UCAS has already been sent off, but I think there is a one week period where you can request to change your college preference.
Univ is quite popular and gets like ~800 applications (so more competitive), whereas Wadham is less at ~500…. Would it be silly for me to change to Univ and hope that I get pooled into a college I like or somehow Wadham, or just stick with Wadham? It sounds silly but I’m just genuinely so torn and I wish there was a way to indicate 2nd preferences


I think 25% (not sure but it’s a crazy percentage) end up at a different college than the one they applied to! And I’ve never met anyone who doesn’t love their college. I applied to Magdalen but ended up at Wadham and it’s the best thing that’s happened to me because I LOVE wadham!!!! So I wouldn’t stress too much about college choice!

Reply 9

For Law, it's about 40% offers at other colleges. I got into my target college, but it's not one of the most trendy ones.

Reply 10

Original post
by Mr Tangle
For Law, it's about 40% offers at other colleges. I got into my target college, but it's not one of the most trendy ones.

Please explain this more for me.

I’ve just applied to study law at Oxford but the college that I’ve applied to hasn’t send me a welcome email or a confirmation email. Rather, I just got an email from the law faculty which said “we have received your application; your college is X” (confirming the college I applied to.

Is this odd?

I know the Oxford law admissions process is initially centralised so the faculty shortlists so it may be different to other colleges where your application is sent straight to the college like for history or some other subject; but I’m not sure if my college ought to have communicated with me at this stage. Do you know whether Magdalen directly sent you a welcome email when you applied for law?

Also, please explain why for law the chance of getting an offer from a different college is so high?

Reply 11

I didn't apply to Magdalen. As you know, at the early stage, each law application is handled by the Faculty, not by any of the colleges. The apps go to colleges later if not rejected in the first sift. I'm just a second year law student, and I don't know how the system works in detail, but it seems that about four out of ten people who get in for law get in at a college they didn't apply to. I suppose this may perhaps result from law being a popular subject to apply for, so people get moved around to fill up the places at all the colleges, but I don't know.

I got in at my choice of college, and was only interviewed by that college, but other people get interviews at two (or more?) colleges. I think that the idea is to make sure that the people judged to be the top ten percent or so of the applicants get places at one college or another.

I repeat the point that everyone makes: once you're in, you tend to like your college, whichever college it is. I think that people who don't like their college might be people who don't much like Oxford in general. Some people get here and don't like it. Some drop out. Some stay but don't enjoy it. I like it here and so do my mates here. I like the (hard) work, I like the active social life, the sports and hobbies, and I like being in this amazing city surrounded by history. The tourists can be a drag, but you can mostly ignore them, especially if your college isn't on the tourist track.

Good luck!

Reply 12

Original post
by Mr Tangle
I didn't apply to Magdalen. As you know, at the early stage, each law application is handled by the Faculty, not by any of the colleges. The apps go to colleges later if not rejected in the first sift. I'm just a second year law student, and I don't know how the system works in detail, but it seems that about four out of ten people who get in for law get in at a college they didn't apply to. I suppose this may perhaps result from law being a popular subject to apply for, so people get moved around to fill up the places at all the colleges, but I don't know.
I got in at my choice of college, and was only interviewed by that college, but other people get interviews at two (or more?) colleges. I think that the idea is to make sure that the people judged to be the top ten percent or so of the applicants get places at one college or another.
I repeat the point that everyone makes: once you're in, you tend to like your college, whichever college it is. I think that people who don't like their college might be people who don't much like Oxford in general. Some people get here and don't like it. Some drop out. Some stay but don't enjoy it. I like it here and so do my mates here. I like the (hard) work, I like the active social life, the sports and hobbies, and I like being in this amazing city surrounded by history. The tourists can be a drag, but you can mostly ignore them, especially if your college isn't on the tourist track.
Good luck!

I meant did you get an email from the college you applied to in October as a welcome email or only drink the faculty?

Reply 13

As the deadline was only this week, there is absolutely no reason to worry about not having got a welcome email from anyone yet.

Reply 14

Original post
by Anonymous
I meant did you get an email from the college you applied to in October as a welcome email or only drink the faculty?

I didn't "drink the Faculty", whatever that means. I got a welcome email not long before I joined my college last autumn. I'm not sure that colleges send "welcomes" to people who have applied but might be rejected. I don't remember what emails I received two years ago, or who sent them.

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