Oxford open day next week :how are we supposed to fit it all in? How do we know which colleges to look at

[Opendaymaddnes]

Hello I'm trying to get my head around the open day and distances. The subject talk is quite early but it looks like we could spend all day at the subject talk area meeting tutors but we need to look at accommodation options also and colleges.

I've googled the best colleges for her subject and I hope to visit three? Does this sound like a plan? Is this what uther people do?

If your daughter is at a state school and you aren’t a family that has traditionally gone to Oxbridge I would pick colleges with more state school students. I lucked into this at Cambridge without planning it at all and had a much easier time as a result.

On the other hand, some of the colleges that have more state school students don't have as much money for hardship funds. My college was, I think, one with an average sort of state/private/public ratio, it was fine socially and they had a lot of money sloshing around for support, even the basic book grant that everyone was eligible for was more than at some other colleges.

The Crankstart Scholarships/ Oxford Bursaries pretty much make this consideration redundant.

Also a bit surprised at the idea of voluntarily contributing to received ideas of a state/ independent divide at certain colleges with that reputation. This seems incredibly out of date. Intelligence is a better leveller than money.

My DC were all state school educated and not a single one was shunned. They all went to old, central colleges, a number with a massively rah reputation in years gone by.

Forget all that stuff.

Your daughter ought read the various online prospectuses for the course and colleges. I’d also look at the student JCR pages on the college websites to get a sense of the vibe of the student body. That should help your daughter whittle things down to a short list or places she likes the sound of. Then it’s up to her to pound the pavements. Oxford isn’t large and the main of the colleges are in the centre of the City. Alternatively hire a bike for the day to get around?

Your daughter should remember that even though she applies for one college, lectures are centrally run and it is likely that she will have tutorials across various colleges and not just at her own. So not getting her college of choice is not necessarily a bad thing. Also almost all colleges offer college accommodation of some description throughout all years so that perhaps isn’t too much of a concern unless she has particular needs/requirements. In first year students are likely to be randomly allocated a room in college rather than being able to choose something specific.

Good luck.

As over 70% are state educated, these Dc are the majority by a long way! Why would a majority lose sleep over a minority? Who honestly cares?

@MaturingCheeseball I'd give you the laugh emoji but we can't be trusted with it, upsets people

So added to her list or questions is,

What is the size of your rat population here...

@Searchingforausername because the college system is so unique I think once we've been and seen some it will all make it more sense and if she does want to give it a go shot she will know better what she's looking for

@Sevillian how many dc did you manage to get in??

Several went to Oxbridge but I don't claim to have had a hand in it.

Tbf there are plenty of families on these threads who've had several go too. Once an older sibling has got an offer I think it makes it easier for any who follow, if only because of familiarity with the place, debunking of myths about just how bright you need to be etc etc.

Too many people who saw Saltburn as a documentary, and are afraid their modestly-reared off spring will get in with the wrong crowd and start drinking semen-infused bath water in exquisite mansions in the vac?

Exactly! My dc was rather raised eyebrow at the “State School Society” - saying imagine if everyone entitled turned up at a meeting! My dcs went to a very ordinary comp and loved all the tradition stuff. I don’t get it when people say “my dc wants to self cater” as if they are on a higher plane. I said to my dcs that they’ve got a whole life of flippin’ self-catering and I can tell you it is much overrated 😭

Is the lack of self catering because of the old building?

@Sevillian Just how bright do you need to be then?
There are hundreds applying for each place I've always thought alot of it was luck

@MaturingCheeseball I totally agree! DD wasn’t at Oxford but had a catered hall for y1. The huge bonus is getting to know people in your hall or college and only having to think about snacks and drinks. At Oxford so much is subsidised it’s a bargain too. More productive time available for getting to know what’s required when you start a challenging degree!

@Opendaymaddnes the interviews are pretty brutal. Really sort the wheat from the chaff. And it’s not about being self-confident or even bumptious either, as my dcs were quivering sweaty wrecks.

Contrary to the myths often quoted on these threads, you don't need to be a straight grade 9, 4 x A star student to have a chance of an offer.

As long as you can meet the offer (3 x A for humanities, 1 or 2 A stars for STEM), you do well in the admissions tests and they like you at interview, the place is yours.

Really, @Dearover ? I suppose it depends on the subject but I think you are painting a very optimistic picture here. Yes, the offers at Oxford are achievable but actually getting one is hard as they do not over offer - unlike Cambridge (who got their fingers burnt in Covid by having to honour all offers when they know lots won’t make it).

Just because they encourage all to apply and the lowest offer is x, does not mean that you’re a shoe-in. And the “liking” at interview is not a popularity contest, otherwise Oxford would be full of charming, attractive, smiley students and no awkward grumpy nerds!

Well, no. You (meaning the final number for your subject intake) still have to be better than everyone else they consider at each cut point, whether that means doing a better entrance exam, being more knowledgeable, interested and obviously going to flourish in the tutorial system at interview etc. My college took 10 for my subject. I could have been brilliant at every stage, but if ten other people were ‘better’, the place certainly wouldn’t have been mine.

@MaturingCheeseball They do offer more than places available as some don’t achieve the grades. They do not scoop up rejected dc nor do they want empty places.

Yes in college at any rate. Where there are new buildings or off college college owned accommodation you can usually self cater. You can eat all meals in college quite cheaply so it wasn’t a problem for me and you could have a kettle and mini fridge etc. in your room if needed.

We went to the July open day last year. DD attended subject talks for most of the morning - these were in the department (Science buildings which are a five minute walk from the centre of town). While she was doing that, I went to a couple of colleges to mop up any free pens/tote bags etc and have a little scout around.
After lunch we visited quite a few colleges. We managed so many because we didn't go to any of the talks/tours in any of them - just had a little look around. We tried to get a range - big/small/central/bit further out - and just get a feel for them. It was interesting and fun and we did get some ideas (e.g. ruled out the very grandest colleges - she didn't feel especially comfortable at St John's or Christ Church).
DD then went through the college prospectuses and online info and narrowed it down. She wanted to be in the centre of town, old/pretty, some self-catering facilities, reasonably large intake for her subject (done at most colleges, they seem to admit between 4 and 6 students), accommodation for all years, onsite gym. She chose one which met those criteria. It wasn't one of the ones we'd looked at. She was interviewed at that college and one other (standard for her subject) and received an offer from the 'other college' (also not one we had seen).
I went to Oxford too. I chose the college I applied to on the basis that it was central and didn't have 'don't walk on the grass' signs in the main quad (turned out you still weren't allowed to walk on the grass!). My sister was allocated a different college to the one she applied to and loved it. I'd say really don't overthink the college choice - I think something like 35% of offers this year were not from the first choice college (that's from memory, so apologies if I'm wrong).
I would just try to enjoy the day and get a feel for the town - it's a beautiful place.

Yes. Newer offsite accommodation (usually offered to subsequent years) will generally have kitchens, but in older college rooms, it’s just a room, or in some of the grander buildings, a ‘set’ (two bedrooms with a shared living room). Kettle and mini fridge in your room, but remember you’re usually vacating your rooms at the end of an eight-week term, so, while you can put stuff in storage in college, you’re not going to want a load of stuff you have to drag in and out every term. Plus Hall food is cheap.

One of my early memories is seeing a pair of guys stroll across the corner of a quad in dressing gowns, carrying towels, to take a shower on another staircase. There’s been a big push to add bathrooms to old staircases, but when I was there some staircases didn’t even have a shower or bathroom, just a loo.