Choosing an Oxford College

So as the title suggests, I'm struggling to decide between these four colleges.

They all fit my basic requirements in a college which are:
Lots of green space, good accommodation, pretty buildings, old.

I would love to have an ensuite but I'm not that bothered, kitchen wise I don't mind because id probably eat in hall - I would love to be allowed a kettle, fridge etc in my room.

Also, I'm applying for law and am quite a sporty person - if that makes any difference!

So if anyone has any insights or suggestions which way I should go - I would be incredibly grateful

Well worcester has the advantage of sports grounds in college but the accomodation is a bit crummy.... Magdelen is very expensive accomodation and food wise I here.... I'm going to advocate my own college now Queen's, old buildings and you are allowed your own fridge, kettle and toaster and from 2nd year up most rooms are en suite and it's a pretty college haha. Brasenose is supposedly good for law and I'm surprised you haven't looked at John's?

Johns was lacking in big large grassy areas unless I missed them! :P

Well worcester has the advantage of sports grounds in college but the accomodation is a bit crummy....

I think that depends on which building you're talking about, there's a rather large variance in the quality of first year accommodation as reflected by the prices

So as the title suggests, I'm struggling to decide between these four colleges.

They all fit my basic requirements in a college which are:
Lots of green space, good accommodation, pretty buildings, old.

I would love to have an ensuite but I'm not that bothered, kitchen wise I don't mind because id probably eat in hall - I would love to be allowed a kettle, fridge etc in my room.

Also, I'm applying for law and am quite a sporty person - if that makes any difference!

So if anyone has any insights or suggestions which way I should go - I would be incredibly grateful

Johns was lacking in big large grassy areas unless I missed them! :P

I'll give you that... though it has some grassy areas... besides - colleges don't tend to let you walk on the grass

John's definitely has big gardens / grassy areas Whether or not we fit the 'pretty buildings' criteria though is a matter of personal opinion. Still it's a great place to be - we have possibly the best accommodation in oxford, a good college hall, fridges in all rooms, among the best sports facilities (and definitely the best gym) and a new (2010) law library.

But of your original suggestions, the one I'd be a little careful about is Magdalen - their hall isn't very popular.

I'll fly the Christ Church flag As a lawyer I would say we have excellent law tutors, our head law tutor in particular - John Cartwright - is brilliant. I've only been taught outside of college for two subjects: one was tort and the other was criminal law which was with a guy called Jonathan Herring. Any Oxford lawyer will rave about Herring and at Christ Church you're guaranteed to be taught by him in your first year. We also have a 24 hour law library which is a big plus considering the main library is only 9am-12am. Also, there's a nice, friendly atmosphere in the law library as it's a bit more relaxed and you get the chance to chat if you need to. Another plus is that Christ Church gives you a £240 book grant for over the course of your degree. This works out to around two law books a year out of the usual 5/6 you will buy.

Nearly all first-years are given en-suite rooms in which you have a fridge and are allowed a kettle. There are also tea points in every Blue Boar (main first-year accomm) staircase which have a microwave and toaster in them. Having said this, hall is incredibly cheap at around £2.20 each night for a three-course dinner. I think this is the cheapest food out of all the colleges and makes a big difference if you're concerned about budgeting. Accommodation is one flat-rate meaning you're not made to choose accommodation based on what you can afford which I think is nice Also, if you qualify for the Oxford Opportunity Bursary (i.e. your household income is less than £50,000) then you receive a 10% discount on your accommodation. Because of this, mine worked out around £1000 a term this year.

Finally, Christ Church has an excellent reputation for sports (we have our own sports ground down on Iffley Road) as well as being renowned for rowing if that was something you wanted to try.

Everyone will be biased towards their own college but there are LOADS of reasons why law at Christ Church is awesome Feel free to PM me if you want to ask any more questions.

You see I sort of feel like Christ Church is the dream college, but because of how many applicants it gets I'm a little bit daunted by it!
So that's why I'm thinking maybe Worcester, I liked Magdalen a lot...

Both Worcester and Magdelen get substantially more applicants than Christchurch. Worcester is the most popular college, in fact, attracting almost twice as many applicants as Christchurch.

If you like Christchurch, i'd strongly encourage you to apply there!

I hear that you tell prospective applicants that you are the only college with it's own gym? Or so I've been told... if you do then I can tell you that we have one too at Queen's and it isn't bad at all (or so I hear from people who use it...)

Worcester

Hi, I'm sure this has already been raised, but I just wanted to know which colleges have access to actual kitchens in first year. I know eating in hall is a big part of the whole experience, just I want to cook my own food too sometimes!

So far I've heard that St John's and Somerville are good in this respect? Thank you in advance

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Hi, I'm sure this has already been raised, but I just wanted to know which colleges have access to actual kitchens in first year. I know eating in hall is a big part of the whole experience, just I want to cook my own food too sometimes!

So far I've heard that St John's and Somerville are good in this respect? Thank you in advance

I hope we don't tell people that! But I think we're pretty unusual (perhaps unique) in having three gyms, in particular one has all the top end equipment

Oh wasn't gyms sorry, a friend of mine was told that you were the only college with your own squash courts we have some (but they are quite a trek...) I think we only have one gym... and it's mostly the rowers that monopolize it...

I liked Magdalen a lot when I saw it but the majority of people working and helping were very rude :/ and as I was on my own it was not very pleasant.