Anyone know Oxford well?

[roaringwater]

DD is applying to Oxford. We have the opportunity to spend a day in the city next month and I'd like her to get a sense of her bearings a bit, especially as she hasn't made a firm decision as to which college she will apply. She is on a university access programme through her sixth form and they were supposed to have a week in Oxford this summer but it all moved online because of the current circumstances.

If you know the city well, can you give me some suggestions for an itinerary? We can arrive early and stay late. I know it's not usually possible to visit colleges but other suggestions of places to see / routes to take would be welcome.

Thank you for your advice.

Hello, a lot of the university is very central and easy to walk or cycle around - in fact that will be easier and faster than car for Jericho/St Giles/Broad Street and around University Parks. I’d recommend the Ashmolean, Natural History and Pitt Rivers museums. Bodleian Library including the new bit with the gift shop and public exhibitions as well if they are doing tours and Blackwell’s bookshop. There’s an open top tour bus that is a good way to see everything and get your bearings. It’s a small city so you can get between places that are university related quickly.

Sorry I meant to add that this book is good, worth having if she’s really keen on studying at Oxford

The Fun Guide to Oxford: DELUXE COLOUR EDITION: Volume 1 (The Fun Guides) www.amazon.co.uk/dp/1511557842/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_glt_fabc_S9MC2ZW1FRQJHJ54D4MG?tag=mumsnetforu03-21

I'd use the park and ride and just spend the day pottering. You'll be able to pick up a tourist map and follow the routes on that. If they are running the red open-top busses that's a great thing to start with as you'll see things you want to walk to for a closer look.

Christ Church is open, so definitely go there. There is the cathedral to see and the hall doubles up as the dining hall at Hogwarts. The Bodleian is also a must.

Thank you, this is all very useful information.

I would cheerfully spend much of the day in Blackwell's myself!

Which colleges is she considering? What subject?

It's probably worth walking past her department and looking at some of the more modern colleges, as well as the grander old colleges like Christ Church. Maybe St Catherine's (1960s) and one of the old women's colleges (usually Victorian). Then the Bodleian and Radcliffe Camera, Ashmolean Museum, Radcliffe Science library and the Natural History Museum and Christ Church meadow. You might also want to visit Cowley Road and Jericho, both popular places for students to live out and a different feel to the city centre.

I'd agree, just potter around. Especially the lanes with no shops, eg New College Lane, Merton Street. If she has a short list of colleges, it could be worth contacting one in advance and asking very nicely if they'd let you have a quick look round. No promises etc, but I've done that in pre covid days.

Find the Turf Tavern for lunch. It’s not far from Blackwell’s and is an institution in Oxford.

Thank you for these ideas too.

@chesirecat99 - she's applying for law but the jury's still out (apologies for appalling, inadvertent pun) on colleges. She likes the idea of one of the previously women's colleges; the college's record for taking state school pupils is also a massive factor. She's not against the idea of one of the 'newer' colleges.

In the dim and distant past I did a day to look around Oxford. I thought I wanted to apply to st Hugh's until I actually walked out there! It's worth trying to think about which colleges she's interested in and fitting them into a walk so that she can figure out if they work logistically. E.g. if you're a rower you don't have to get up as early if you're in Christ church than you do if you're in st Hugh's. If you're doing a science degree you'll have mandatory 9am lectures in the science block so somewhere near there is handy. It's not a deal breaker (bikes!) but I'm very very lazy.

I'd make a short list of any preferred colleges before you go and wander past those as a priority. Most undergraduate colleges are pretty central, so a day should be fine.

If she has no real preference, I'd go see a large college, a small one and a new one for a feel. (Christ Church / Mansfield / St Hildas perhaps as you say she likes the idea of a former girls college). Those options are well spaced out across the city too so you can maximise the areas you see. Add in something like Exeter or a visit to the Rad Cam and you're well covered.

I was looking online the other day to see what colleges are open and it looks like all of them are except university college (it shows contact details and you have to pre book some of them)

Slightly off the original question but one factor in favour of the older colleges is that in general they are massively richer than the newer ones. This tends to mean more college accommodation, more random grants etc.
Maybe ask & have a look at where the first year accommodation is for the colleges she's interested in. It isn't always on the main site.

Oh and I'd consider whether she'd actually be living onsite college or in halls elsewhere and whether that would be an issue. For example, Mansfield accomodation is 100% on the college site. Whereas, the larger colleges often house students in large accommodation blocks around the city as well as a minority onsite.

If you have a short list of colleges, then it's worth going into the porter's lodge and say "I'm thinking of applying to this college, is it possible to have a quick look round." Some will let you have a quick look round.

Or if you want to be more confident that you'll get in, write to the admissions tutor and ask if they can arrange for her to be shown round (best to go just her not you with her) which was exactly how I chose the one I applied to-the admissions tutor spent about 90 minutes showing me all round.

And find G&Ds ice cream parlour. There's one on Little Clarendon Street, and another down by St Aldates now I think.

Worcester College has a large and beautiful campus and is in a great location, halfway to Jericho and halfway to the centre of town.

All of this is incredibly useful - greatly appreciated!

I absolutely would not write off the big, old colleges because they have a 'posh' reputation. As PP said, they have much bigger coffers to support undergraduates. At ChCh you can have 3 years of accommodation which is cheaper than living out. You can put 3 meals a day on battles (and beer) and pay it off after you leave (although you can't graduate until you are paid up). They also have hardship funds you can go and apply for if you run out of money. DH got £100 to tide him over 'til the end of term a couple of times.

There were all sorts of kids there, definitely not just hooray henrys.

When I came and did a day like this I walked past lots of colleges, went into two I quite liked and worked out where the faculty was where I'd have lectures. Didn't take long! The rest of the day was mooching around the cool cafes/bookshops/back lanes and sitting in the Head of the River pub. It sold it to me.

The law faculty is (I think) as a place called St Cross which is just to the east of the city centre - it's on Google Maps etc of course. Not very beautiful!

The real thing to know about Oxford as a visitor is that it is an old medieval walled city built round a crossroads - known as Carfax. It makes it really easy to navigate once you realise there's a middle IYSWIM.

Hope you both have fun!

Can I also recommend The Old Parsonage hotel afternoon tea - sorry you’re itinerary is going to be full of too many nice eating establishments!

As pp have said, don't assume you won't be able to visit colleges. Pre Covid, if you said you were a prospective applicant they would let you have a look in even when they were officially closed to visitors. I assume they will be trying to get back to that asap, or to have some arrangements in place. If you want to look at st hughs and st Margaret hall, consider getting park and ride from the north of the city, get the bus down through Summertown, get off part way down to see them and then walk into the centre.

And, yes, the older colleges often have more money for students. Accomodation for three years, cheaper meals, book grants, travel grants. These can all make a financial difference.

Check out the covered market for lunch, there are a few cafes/coffee shops, ice cream shop, and cookie shop.

It's possibly worth signing up for a walking tour to see some of the colleges. If you can't go in, you can get a good view of St Hilda's from the river, Mansfield is open to the street and near the law faculty, as is St Catherine's. The University Parks are nearby and worth a wander too.

Agree - bin off the museums and just explore. G&Ds and Blackwells are both good content for a student experience. The hop on off bus is great as it can take you quicker to some of the sites around the edges of the town centre, while giving an overall feel for the city.

Worth checking out the law faculty too. Lectures would be there, together with the law library - so its a big part of the working week. Some people prefer a college close to their faculty - others see some distance as an opportunity to get in some exercise - but it’s worth thinking about when short listing colleges.

@Badgertadger

In the dim and distant past I did a day to look around Oxford. I thought I wanted to apply to st Hugh's until I actually walked out there! It's worth trying to think about which colleges she's interested in and fitting them into a walk so that she can figure out if they work logistically. E.g. if you're a rower you don't have to get up as early if you're in Christ church than you do if you're in st Hugh's. If you're doing a science degree you'll have mandatory 9am lectures in the science block so somewhere near there is handy. It's not a deal breaker (bikes!) but I'm very very lazy.

That’s one of the more compelling reasons I’ve ever seen to apply to ChCh.

Seriously, I’m WC and went to ChCh, having decided that choosing somewhere well-endowed and with a bottomless hardship fund, book funds, a good library in my subject, and lots of accommodation. And it was killer beautiful. Definitely don’t write off it and other traditional grand colleges.

St Catz is a great college - was originally the St Catherine’s society for less well off students. Funky architecture and a nice atmosphere. I taught there....
recommend supper at the Cherwell boat house and perhaps a picnic lunch in Christchurch meadow

Genuine question for Oxford alumni who came from state school / working class backgrounds (please be assured I'm using this term for want of a better one, I hate class-ism in all its forms) - how easy was it to fit in socially?

It's one of the (many) worries I have about this entire venture.

In the interests of full disclosure, I was an 18 year old over-achiever who had never experienced failure until I was rejected by Oxford in the early 90s. I admit to a teeny bit of a chip on my shoulder and some deep-rooted teen self-esteem issues, all of which I'm trying very hard not to project on to DD, who is not me.