Choosing an Oxford College

thomasjtl

merton is the trinity of oxford in the sense that it's the one with the strongest academic reputation.

Matt mi- why don't you tell us which college you've got an offer from and someone might be able to tell you about meal arrangements.

I dont want to go public about it since I haven't %100 decided yet..=))

Reply 643

Noémie

17

*bounce* MERTON MERTON MERTON *bounce*

but if you're applying for 2009 entry (as i am) i beg of thee not to apply to merton. keep off my application turf.
growl.
:yo-less:

Reply 644

matthew_mi

I dont want to go public about it since I haven't %100 decided yet..=))

Since I saw it before you edited it, as far as I know they tend to have canteen style evening meals with lots of choice. I don't know about lunches.

Reply 645

Noémie

17

QuantumParity

One warning though. At Merton, even if you get a first, the only remark to come from the head of the college is: "You could get a higher first".

hah!

Reply 646

cpchem

14

bloo12

Really the equivalent of Trinity is Christ Church. They are in fact 'twinned', and although ChCh is only second richest, whereas Trin is by far the richest at Cam, they are both seen as the most aristocratic, and famous for producing PMs ( each has produced more than any other college in its respective institution).

Yeah, but most of ChCh's PMs are virtually prehistoric - Douglas-Home being the most recent??
Anyway, as far as Tony Blair being at St. John's - it wasn't his first choice. Balliol turned him down. We did the same to Clinton. See - we're so awesome that we can turn down future PMs and presidents.

Anyway, that's not my main point, which is, quite simply - anywhere at Oxford is better than Cambridge...

Reply 647

F1 fanatic

Since I saw it before you edited it, as far as I know they tend to have canteen style evening meals with lots of choice. I don't know about lunches.

F1: You are unbelievable!!! I actually did it with the hope that someone will see it and answer it without it staying there..Thank you so now at least I know that if I go to Oxford, i won't starve to death...(By the way, my parents are crazy about it, they think that with British food I might just loose weight and die!!! =)) )

Reply 648

matthew_mi

F1: You are unbelievable!!! I actually did it with the hope that someone will see it and answer it without it staying there..Thank you so now at least I know that if I go to Oxford, i won't starve to death...(By the way, my parents are crazy about it, they think that with British food I might just loose weight and die!!! =)) )

tbh, you tend to cope with eating whatever simply because you have to. Its fair to say the list of what I'll eat is vastly bigger since I got here (which is really no bad thing). Im much less picky than I used to be.

Reply 649

Thats a good thing for rest of your life...Bigger expectations, bigger dissappointments...=)) By the way, what do you exactly mean by canteen-style? =)) (I suppose I will be like this for first couple of months: "What do you mean by .......Oh I see, we just call it ....." ) =)) Thanks..

Reply 650

Rosey2

Exeter's cute, and next to all the shops. Therefore, it is the best :p:

Reply 651

CarneLevare

4

thomasjtl

merton is the trinity of oxford in the sense that it's the one with the strongest academic reputation.

I'm pretty sure Emmanuel has the best academic reputation in Cambridge (as measured by the tompkins table anyway...).

Reply 652

matthew_mi

Thats a good thing for rest of your life...Bigger expectations, bigger dissappointments...=)) By the way, what do you exactly mean by canteen-style? =)) (I suppose I will be like this for first couple of months: "What do you mean by .......Oh I see, we just call it ....." ) =)) Thanks..

"canteen" more like school dinners I suppose, where you go round with a tray and pick up/get given what you want from a various selection of foods - salads/chips/pizzas/pastas/potatoes and the like. That as opposed to a sit down mean of meat and veg kind of thing where it is all more formal.

Reply 653

Oh cool..so it is the buffet style...=)) All you can eat from the selection of food...They just decrease the overall quality but increase the options...as a result you eat some funky food...lol...I am lovin' it...At least it is better than either eating or starving...(Thats what happens when you dont have choices...you either love it or hate it) Thanks at least I will be served "delicious" samples of British cuisine in small portions...(I might not be able to handle the whole thing..lol)

Reply 654

QuantumParity

matthew_mi

Oh cool..so it is the buffet style...=)) All you can eat from the selection of food...They just decrease the overall quality but increase the options...as a result you eat some funky food...lol...I am lovin' it...At least it is better than either eating or starving...(Thats what happens when you dont have choices...you either love it or hate it) Thanks at least I will be served "delicious" samples of British cuisine in small portions...(I might not be able to handle the whole thing..lol)

Be prepared for lots of huge and tasteless "chips" (French fries in American lingo.

Reply 655

matthew_mi

Oh cool..so it is the buffet style...=)) All you can eat from the selection of food...They just decrease the overall quality but increase the options...as a result you eat some funky food...lol...I am lovin' it...At least it is better than either eating or starving...(Thats what happens when you dont have choices...you either love it or hate it) Thanks at least I will be served "delicious" samples of British cuisine in small portions...(I might not be able to handle the whole thing..lol)

Its not all you can eat, well I suppose it is but the more you eat the more you pay.

Reply 656

Cirsium

19

matthew_mi

I would like to ask one question. How are the meals at Oxford colleges are ? I mean is it like one choice only jail-like food (no offence pls =)) ) Or is it like choose from 2-3 hot plates and a self-serve buffet for colds and snacks? (thats the way it is over here) Thanks..

It varies a whole lot by college. At Jesus we have 2nd hall every night - so should you ever choose to go formal you can - but general meals are normally a choice of about 4 or 5 hot (there's always pasties is everything else is rubbish) and then there'll be two kinds of veg, although one is usually some sort of potato based thing. There's also lots of salad (17p for 1/3 of a plate) and bread and things to fill up with, and they do prepacked sandwiches although it's a fairly limited selection. You pay for exactly what you eat.

Alternatives: many colleges have you get so many lunches or dinners or whatever which you prepay for and you can only have certain things (e.g. Teddy Hall)

At Christ Church even first hall is served - so you have to be there at whatever time it is that hall starts at if you wanna eat!

Reply 657

Teebs