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?

Ds was at private school and they knew which college was best for each subject. They also made sure that two pupils weren’t competing against each other for the same subject at the same college.

Neither of mine are at private school

Visit, walk around the colleges and then go with gut feeling. I knew I wanted somewhere beautiful and olde worlde (because when else in my life could I live somewhere like that?) with a decent proportion of state school students and women (this was when many colleges were still over 50% male). What made my final decision was getting chatting with a porter who had an amazing twirly moustache and was so lovely and welcoming. Like house hunting it often comes down to how you feel when you're there.

The porters at my college were a total delight. It was like gaining a gang of granddads and uncles with funds of great stories. We used to go to the pub with some of our college porters.