How to choose an Oxbridge college

[PrincessOfPreschool]

DD and DS2 are twins in Y12. One wants to apply to Cambridge and the other to Oxford. DH and I went to uni but have no experience at all (or know anyone who does) of the college system and no idea at all of how to choose a college. I saw someone on here talking about how the college even affects offers. Is the course the same wherever you go? Are certain colleges stronger in certain subjects?

DD is booked for the Cambridge open day but we wouldn't even know what we're looking for, to be honest. Both are in state schools. Can anyone help me?

It’s a loooong time since I went to Oxford but I would echo others and don’t overthink it too much. Obviously check any colleges you’re looking at offer the subject DC want to study. I would also say what size of college do they want. Mine was small - c90 a year - and I knew all the undergraduates to speak to; I liked this but others might find it claustrophobic. But otherwise I had no idea, coming from a very bog standard comprehensive where the last person to even apply to Oxbridge was four years above me, and picked one at random. Well not quite random, I picked it because I recognised it from Inspector Morse 😂. And I had a fantastic time there.

Thank you everyone. I'm loving the 'don't overthink it' advice. So helpful. It's hard enough pinning down a course. I didn't realise that you could be 'pooled' so that's also really useful to know so we don't spend hours choosing the perfect college only to get put elsewhere. I didn't know you could apply 'open' either.

Food is probably a big one for DS. He wasn't keen on food at Cambridge when he went there for a course (Fitzwilliam) but said Oxford food was a lot better (it was Balliol so probably richer! Not something I had thought about before). He can also cook quite well so if there are kitchens, that's great. DD can't really cook much and would love the ease of food provided. Also great idea to check on accommodation provision over the 3 years.

Our surname is the same as one of the Cambridge colleges so DD quite fancies that one just for fun! We know Cambridge quite well as we don't live too far away but don't know Oxford at all. DS was all set for Cambridge for languages, which I have no doubt he could have got in on as he's particularly talented at languages, but anyway, he's changed his mind to Chemistry so that's that. Not sure either kid would get an offer but it's reassuring that the college side of things isn't majorly important in amongst all the other considerations.

One thing that was a factor for DD was that she wanted an interview in person rather than online, as she really hates talking online and finds it easier to be herself in person. Friends of hers had the opposite preference. At Cambridge this is something that varies by college and most of them say online which they offer- I don’t know whether that’s also true for Oxford.

Oxford are very good at demystifying the whole process, and there's lots of info on their website.

This is a good place to start:

https://www.ox.ac.uk/admissions/graduate/colleges/choosing-college

Oxford interviews are all online 🙂

Things to consider - that the college accepts students for the subject, who the Director of Studies is and whether they're interested in their subject area as they may well get asked about it at interview, how many people the college tends to take for the subject. If it's a small subject it can be really lonely if there are hardly any other people studying your subject. As well as the location of the college and the feel of it, it's worth considering how rich the college is (might be more generous with bursaries etc), what the accommodation is like and the costs, whether it is for 3 years and how far it is from where the lectures will be. It's worth visiting and trying to get a feel for the college. Might also be worth looking at statistics on whether they tend to take more private or state pupils.

Interesting. Presumably that changed during Covid and they never went back to the old system.

I imagine the old system was very expensive. My daughter had interviews over 4 days, all of which time she was staying at, and being fed by, the college she applied to.

I think maybe for some subjects the college does matter. I know all the lectures are the same/together but aren’t their tutorials with someone from the college? DNephew reads Maths and is at Trinity which is meant to be the place to go for maths. 🤷‍♀️. They also give him 5k a year to go there, the actual college. The amount he was going to get varied between colleges. I’m not sure why he gets the money as I assume not all students do.

dd chose a college mainly based on the food offered and the fact the porter was really friendly when we looked round. She thought Trinity was snooty. She wanted to be central so had a shortlist. The college she chose was also certified by the coeliac society which was the main thing for her. It also has a reputation for being supportive with students with health issues.

we did find a whole website with that sort of information When we googled for information.

I think this was probably the website. It definitely talks about different colleges having a reputation for certain subjects. Also lists the prices of pints at the different colleges 😁

https://www.uniadmissions.co.uk/application-guides/how-to-choose-a-cambridge-college/

Go round a few. Get a feel. It’s a bit like buying a house. Check they do your course for starters. Others things to check are about having accommodation for all years. Are they more of a leftie college, sporty one, really academic one etc. open day they will tell you they are all fab. My DS chose Exeter in Oxford as he got a good vibe.
ps look at Brasenose in Oxford. Not that I’m biased…

DD1 wanted Univ, had a terrible interview, was sent over to Magdelan, had a great interview and was offered a place. It was the college she least liked on her tour, and would never have applied there, but she had the most fabulous three years and made lifelong friends.

DD2 wanted Worcester, had a terrible interview and was rejected by Oxford. Three years later applied for a Masters. She wanted Merton, but got St Hughes and was very disappointed. However, it turned out to be a great college, away from the crowds, and easy to walk or get the bus, Oxford is really very small although she spent a lot of time on the buses between Hughes and Iffley. Despite being a "poor" college, the accommodation and food was good value, and they subbed a lot of her sports expenses.

You also get to meet other college members on your course, and invariably get let in for bops, drinks, and other entertainment. You are not restricted to your college only.

So..... pick a college, but don't get too invested. As other have already pointed out, you never know where you might end up, and an offer, is an offer, take it and have a great time.

Oh yes, and maybe go round on a non open day. Every Oxford college welcomed us as prospective students openly. Except Magdalen. Wanted us to pay. Nope. Off the list!

I narrowed my college at Cambridge down to 3 by which ones were the prettiest.

I then looked at open days. My dad had meetings that couldn’t be moved when 2 of them had their open days, so we went to the 3rd one.

I knew nothing about it. No one from my school had ever been to Oxbridge before. On paper, with hindsight, it was the worst possible fit. But I didn’t know that because other than looking for prettiness I had done no research.

it was the best choice I ever made. I adored it.

I am definitely on team don’t overthink it!

Can’t speak for Oxford, but re: DS and Cambridge we focused on practical matters and his personality.

For example he wanted to be near to his department. He wanted good WiFi (not a given in the historical buildings). He wasn’t fussed about being in in the city centre - rather he preferred to be away from the famous colleges where the tourists gather.

He also valued outdoor space (the central colleges are far more limited in that respect).

In the end he went to Churchill and loved it. It’s a big campus and frankly not hugely attractive (unless like me you like 60’s architecture) compared to the historic buildings. But it’s on a large campus and really well laid out with good facilities.

His friend went to Oxford (can’t remember the college) but in one of the historic colleges and found whilst the college atmosphere was great, his rooms were cold in winter and unbearably hot in summer. Plus shit WiFi due to thick walls which meant lots of study in the libraries rather than in his room. Also lots of noise with people going past his room from creaking floors/doors to access the bathroom (DS got a room with his own bathroom by comparison but from memory not all at Churchill are en-suite).

There are loads of online resources that help you navigate this, but as a start point it’s worth thinking about what matters most to your children.

DS was determined to apply to one of the historic and well-known colleges at Oxford. He did so and was accepted. He loves it but it has made him even more left wing and radical than he already was, largely because of the huge amount of students who are there from London - both state school and private are equally well to do- may of whom knew each other beforehand and who can be a little cliquey and perhaps a tad insensitive about money. He has made friends and does get on with most people but I do think someone of a different disposition might struggle in that environment if they are from a very different background, which we are.

Having said that, because it's a wealthy college rent is low and there is additional money available for different things. DS, though, is wont to attend a formal and then ring me up ranting about the (presumed) disgusting cost of the wine there and how much is paid to the master (or whatever the head of it is called). He absolutely loves the place itself, loves his course and has made lots of friends, but the other thing he loves is a rant about the elitism that sees as rife there!

I'd recommend going on an open day because colleges do have a different feel.

There were a couple of colleges that DS didn’t much like, but in the end he did an open application. He wanted to go to Oxford. Which college was less important.

DD’s course was more limited. On the open day she liked one college which had 6 people from her course, so she chose that one.

You can go for any college or you can find a “reason”.
Like DD2 is thinking about it and found a professor she likes who teacher there and a subject matter she is interested in, happens to be a rich college, good at music as well and close to the faculty she is aiming for. Yet she does not even know if she is going to apply! Because she thinks it is so much work and coming from superselective grammar where they are already measured against their cohort (rather than the wider population) she is not sure she wants to be measured against a highly competitive cohort again! Although she really likes the professor’s research. So we shall see. I am not pushing her to do it, lots of extra work when uni is meant to be some fun.

Dd went to both days of the July open days, stayed in one of the colleges overnight for free, and just spent the days wandering around as many colleges as she could to get a feel for them. Some were definitely crossed off the list in this way. She applied to the most popular one, but was accepted by a completely different one that she hadn’t visited. Went to the offer holder day and loved it. So I think just see what happens, don’t overthink beyond ‘does this college offer the course I want?’