Queen's College Oxford

[Aurea]

Has anyone got any positive or negative thoughts on this College, particularly for Law.?

Thanks

My DD applied to Queens this year but was actually pooled elsewhere. She was told that the college were looking at bringing the first years on site whilst the Florey building was being refurbished. She loved the college for all the reasons mentioned so was a little disappointed to be pooled but was happy with her other college offer. Although you can’t be sure why she was pooled, she definitely felt that they were looking for state school pupils who met the mark. She was the only private school pupil interviewed at the college for her subject and the tutors made a big point about their state school backgrounds.

There are six colleges in Oxford where privately-educated students are in the majority. Queen's College is one of these.

Yes that's exactly the issue Dancingdreamer. The plans aren't yet settled but bringing the first years on site (as they did during a similar project at Corpus), means booting out the second/ third years. So if OP's DC were to get an offer it might well affect him in his second year. Still, these replacement or repair projects have to take place, so to an extent one has to take pot luck. My DC have also been affected by major building projects at Wadham and Magdalen (both of which are beautiful now - and both excellent for Law). If DD4 chooses to apply next year I'd certainly suggest she thinks about colleges known to be embarking on huge refits, simply because it's pleasanter if they're not.

There are loads of privately educated girls at Queen's from a particularly high achieving school, so I very much doubt your DD was pooled purely because of that. She simply won't have been in the top cut for the college, based on merit.

Or rather I should say perceived merit - sorry.

Cross post.

Please please ensure he gets proper coaching to apply to Oxford from Scotland. I am hoping things have changed a bit but I applied to LMH with its reputation for inclusivity and for 'taking Scottish students' as if they are somehow inferior and had a humiliating and intimidating interview experience. Now, I would give the sneering man who made me explain my 'little qualifications' (same as your DS's as it goes) a run for his money but , at 17, I just crumbled. Your DS needs to be prepared to patiently explain how wonderful his grades are. Lots of English academics make no effort to understand other qualifications and think Highers are like GCSEs... still bitter I ended up with 3 As at CSYS (as they were then) and the top amrk in Scotland for English (still got my letter...) so their loss
There is a lot of chat about Oxbridge and state school representation (quite rightly) and BEM (quite rightly) but anyone Scottish needs to reserch whic colleges have a good track record on this... woefully few. It will ahve changed since my application days so I won't offer my insights into which colleges those are.

Huge thanks all!

I really appreciate you taking the time out of your day to help my son.

The accommodation renovation at Queens could be a real negative for him and us if we have to pay for private accommodation.

His next favourite was Trinity and funnily enough I have just looked and they have the highest acceptance rate for Scottish students out of all the colleges at 4.3%.

They have a great music scene (he's Grade 8 piano and violin) and a debating club for which he has had great success in Scotland in national competitions.

Does anyone here have any comments on Trinity's pros and cons, especially for Law. They admit 6 students and they have three Law tutors, as I understand.

Thank you all

Just one other thing... is he sure he won't ever want to return to Scotland? The route I took closed off a return home to me. I didn't think it would matter to me, but I still get homesick !

I am not trying to dissuade , just trying to provide food for thought.

Your choice entirely but why pay for an English education when you could have a Scottish one for free😂

Tropicalfish

In part I agree, however his aim is to work for a Magic Circle Law firm in London and this will prove more difficult to achieve with a Scots Law degree** (different legal system). The Scots Law degree is 4 years, so although the tuition frees are free, the living costs are increased for the extra year. Also, Scots Law would limit him to working in Scotland.

Apart from Oxford, all his other uni choices are Scottish to benefit from the free tuition. Edinburgh, Glasgow, Aberdeen and Dundee.

DH and I are English and all our son's extended family live in the south east. We have been living in Scotland for over twenty years though.

I watch stalk my friend's movements on FB with his Scots Law degree from Edinburgh. limited is not a word I'd use.... You will know that Scots Law is just about the most revered route in Scotland, along with medicine.

But that does not mean he should not pursue Oxford!

If your DS has concerns about peers from posh schools then Trinity is probably best not top of his list.

Yes, I would imagine those Scottish students are from the very fancy schools. That said, a boy I taught did Law at Trinity. Definitely not 'posh' and has just done his first 'gig' as a judge!

I think it was Lincoln and Wadham some years back that had a good reputation for Celtic intake.

Piggy there'll be plenty of individuals not from the very posh schools across the UK but Trinity has a more than usual intake of Etonians - or at least that's been the case recently (although I expect it ever was). I absolutely think the poor school/ rich school thing can be over egged but if someone is actively against 'rich school', then it might be worth looking elsewhere. I also think one can find peers to be comfortable with anywhere and my DC would say that actually only a small minority of posh kids find themselves unable to mix across the financial divide, and they're worth avoiding anyhow.

Trinity has some really awful buildings mixed in with the pretties as well :)

Hold the line, goodbyestranger, don't let the 'we can't allow the posh and the plebs to mix' cohorts over run us! They'll have to rub shoulders at some point, not least if they're heading into law - poshos everywhere you look! If someone is actively against 'rich school', they can take a long hard look at themselves and consider if they're mature enough to attend university.

Univ had quite a few Scottish students when I was there. Some posh, some not. They didn't seem too traumatised by interviews. I have to say, in none of my interviews was I asked about my grades. I think I'd have been a bit non-plussed if they did! 'Uhhhh, you asked me to attend this interview, soooooo, what, you've got buyer's remorse?'

Your they reveals you aren't Scottish, so of course you weren't asked about your grades!! I do wonder if, at 17, you would indeed have responded thus.

I only posted to counsel OP that she make sure her DS is prepared for interview fully and thoroughly. The experience cited was my own, so pretty relevant, I'd think?

You are right. I had not heard of buyer’s remorse at 17, so I’d probably have asked ‘Would you like me to leave?’

As it happens I am Scottish, but to the point you are making I am not Scottish-educated, so, indeed, they were not interested in my grades. I wonder if you know of recent instances of interviewers sneering at Scottish qualifications - I only ask because I can’t imagine any of my tutors showing such parochial outlooks. Admittedly, a lot of them weren’t English, so maybe my point does not hold up.

Forgive me, I presumed your experience was from 20 years ago - for all I know it was 5 years ago, and therefore of relevance, for sure.

This from Goodbye

"my DC would say that actually only a small minority of posh kids find themselves unable to mix across the financial divide, and they're worth avoiding anyhow. "

& I suspect the financial divide is not as much as you suspect.

Uncongenial people are always worth avoiding. I would just say , it's making friends and not judging on school background etc. If a DC doesn't like another DC - then fine. Ds's experience was a big range of backgrounds .

But I do not have as much experience of colleges as others.

Best luck

I think there is lots of evidence of interviewers sneering at many people : and lots of evidence of students from certain backgrounds feeling out of place (cf the wonderful YouTube blogs by Malala's friend). However, at no point have I dissuaded OP's son. He should go for it :I have said that. Oxbridge need diversity! And it's changed somewhat (hopefully) since I was interviewed. I also said that in my first post!

My interviewer was English by the way. I was woefully underprepared. I had fun over the two days , but my experience of interview at two other universities was far, far better. And public schoolboys (and the interviewer) rolling their eyes at my kilt skirt probaby abetted this. I also met some lovely people. And, yes, I should have stuck up for myself. But no one had prepared me for what was essentially an unpleasant experience. I had two interviews. The other one was entirely charming.

I think prospective students should be forearmed with knowledge as to the different character of different colleges. It was goodbye herself who said Trinity was posh, not me!

I don't think it was parochialism btw : I think it was anglocentricism.