Choosing an Oxford College

abennett958

I am thinking of applying to Magdalen with a Choral Scholarship for 2009. Can anyone from there tell me what it is like please??

I've only been there for interview, but I liked it a lot! The buildings and grounds are really pretty, and if you're a potential choral scholar, I imagine you'd get to sing from the tower on May morning, which must be amazing!

Reply 681

Audrey Hepburn

12

*Climbs onto rooftop and shouts:* CORPUS!!

*Then gets lynched upon coming down as juniors aren't allowed on the roof*

Reply 682

aglaya

hey, i am thinking of applying to cambridge to study architecture but i dont know which colledge to choose :frown:

which one is better? :confused:

i know they have an "open application" but what if one college is better than other... help, please, if you can :biggrin:

thanks a lot

Reply 683

Frater

1

This would have been better off in the Cambridge forum.... the colleges aren't really better than eachother.... but if you want to go to the top ranked ones you wanna go to emmanuel or christs.

Reply 684

jcb914

11

I'm not suggesting you choose your college in this way, but as a guide, these were the top 10 performing colleges last year in terms of exam results.

1 Emmanuel College
2 Christ’s College
3 Downing College
4 Selwyn College
5 St Catharine’s College
6 Trinity College
7 Pembroke College
8 Corpus Christi College
9 Jesus College
10 Gonville & Caius College

Reply 685

epitome

11

The college choice matters less than it might seem. Every single college has it's advantages and disadvantages -- and you can fly or fail at every single one of them. ALL are crammed full of bright and interesting people, and all courses are controlled centrally (particularly with a subject like Architecture, actually). Take academic rankings with a bit of a pinch of salt -- there is little real difference from top to middle and middle to bottom, mostly (though Emmanuel & Christ's are right at the top). Also, consider carefully -- it's great to be in a competitive environment, but bear in mind that it might also put you under extreme (unnecessary?) pressure, and might make you feel miserable. I'm not trying to sway you either way, just pointing out that it's not quite as simple as "the best" and "the worst".

The BEST way to choose is to come and visit. However, if you're based in Cyprus that might not be posible. Looking through the college websites is a good idea, and have a good look at some of the pictures! :wink:

There's absolutely nothing wrong with an Open Application. :smile:

Reply 686

Good bloke

19

You would be far better, rather than trying to detect some tiny and spurious difference in quality, to focus on the characteristics of the colleges. Do you want a large or a small college; do you want to be central or would you prefer not to be disturbed by tourists; is being guaranteed a place in hall throughout the course important; do you want to have easier access to certain facilities like a gym or squash courts; is a particular sport important to you?

Reply 687

epitome

11

Just an observation...I find it very strange that people who are anxious about whether or not they'll get in (/are good enough) still think it matters which college they apply to, academically. For most of us, it makes the not a bit of difference!

Okay, an example close to my heart ( :wink:

): Newnham is in the bottom half of the academic list (though was 13th a couple of years ago). So, you might think it would hold you back academically...hmm...but then, our Medics' results are 2nd out of the whole university, and our Classics people are absolutely amazing (3 or 4 university prizes last year, and the majority got 1sts). What the table doesn't tell you is which *subjects* are good at which college; and that, ultimately, is the more important thing. As you can't find it out, though...go with wherever you feel is right for you. :smile:

Reply 688

epitome

11

Good bloke

You would be far better, rather than trying to detect some tiny and spurious difference in quality, to focus on the characteristics of the colleges. Do you want a large or a small college; do you want to be central or would you prefer not to be disturbed by tourists; is being guaranteed a place in hall throughout the course important; do you want to have easier access to certain facilities like a gym or squash courts; is a particular sport important to you?

This.

Reply 689

Mr. Ed

10

Take a look at the map, and see which college is closest to the Architecture faculty :wink:

In my interview, when they said 'why did you pick Clare', I said I liked the pictures :cool:

The interviewer seemed perfectly happy with that as a reply, but then again I was rejected...

Reply 690

Glutamic Acid

17

I'm having a similar problem. I've found it hard to them down because I don't really have many criteria. I've chosen a few which appeal to me because they offer accommodation for all 3 years, but that's about it.

Reply 691

mavoury

aglaya

hey, i am thinking of applying to cambridge to study architecture but i dont know which colledge to choose :frown:

which one is better? :confused:

i know they have an "open application" but what if one college is better than other... help, please, if you can :biggrin:

thanks a lot

I live abroad and I had the same problem choosing a college as you. First of all order the University of Cambridge prospectus. Its free to order and I found it lot easier to compare colleges on paper. Plus there is a map at the back, and I would suggest , if you want to be close to your subject faculty, shortlist the colleges near your faculty. Then look at their facilities, academic achievement, societies, accomadation, the specialites of the collgege fellows in your subject etc. Once you have a shortlist of 5-7 ORDER those colleges prospectuses off the internet (not all of them have them). Then choose one based on what YOU feel you want in a place you're going to live in for 3 or more years! In the end it might come down to gut instinct, or something very trivial: I came to a sudden death between Selwyn college and Trinity Hall. I picked Selwyn because it was 1 minute from the English faculty, and the scarf colours were the Harry Potter Gryffindor colours!!! Trivial, I know, but it helped make the final decision. I didnt have the oppurtunity to visit any colleges before choosing, but when I went for interview at Selwyn, I KNEW I had made the right decision. Trust your instincts. Or make an open application, but be aware you may end up miles away from town, or your subject faculty.... If you are going for acheitecture, you might want to choose the building you like best, or the college withe fellows who have special subjects that interest you...

open application?

hsn

open application?

Perhaps. But even if you like the look of all the colleges except 1, if you make an open application there's still the chance you could be matched to that college.

Reply 694

trance addict

18

cambridge is cambridge though :biggrin:

Reply 695

Good bloke

19

Just to add: you should avoid an open application if there is some factor that you would really not be happy with, because you may be allocated to a college that does the opposite of what you want. And don't forget that a lot of people think they are being clever by applying to the college nearest to their department.

Reply 696

Glutamic Acid

17

Yeah but, unless I'm misinformed, your college will have a large role in your time there.

Reply 697

Donald Duck

15

Gut feeling after visiting a few and looking on internet.

Reply 698

FadedJade

15

And remember that its possible you may end up being pooled to one of the colleges that would not be your preference, so its not always worth thinking about it too much. Realistically, no matter which college you apply to, you are still going to be pretty close to it! Really close in comparison to most other unis too.

Reply 699

Helenia

20

Good bloke

Just to add: you should avoid an open application if there is some factor that you would really not be happy with, because you may be allocated to a college that does the opposite of what you want. And don't forget that a lot of people think they are being clever by applying to the college nearest to their department.

Exactly. Bear in mind that if you make an open application there is a high probability of you being placed at:

New Hall/Newnham if you're a girl
Girton, Robinson or Homerton.

Obviously this list is not exhaustive (I know of people who made an open app and were given Clare!) and there are hundreds of people at each of those colleges who are really happy there. But if you don't want to go to any of them for any reason, try to pick a college, as they seem to be the ones receiving the most open applicants. For me, I really didn't want an all-girls college, so knew avoiding open application was a good idea. But other people are either ambivalent or enthusiastic (cf epitome!) about the girls' colleges, so it's right for them. It just wasn't for me 6 years ago.

Choosing an Oxford College

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