If you are considering applying to the University of Oxford or the University of Cambridge you will know that you actually apply to a College within the University. With 39 Colleges to choose from at Oxford and 31 to choose from at Cambridge it can feel an overwhelming amount of choice. So, we have put together a quick guide to help you choose the College that is right for you.
Essential Criteria
It is vital that you check your College choice against the four essential criteria below, to make sure your application will be valid:
- Course Availability – not every College offers every course so it is important you check which Colleges offer the course you want to study.
- Female-Only – some Colleges only accept female applicants. This may not apply to you or it may be something you want to consider.
- Mature Students – are students over the age of 21. Depending on when you apply, you may not be eligible for this College. For mature students, however, it may be a reason to shortlist these Colleges.
- Post-Graduates – a few of the Colleges are for post-graduate students only, which will exclude you from applying there if you are looking for an undergraduate course.
Once you have applied the essential criteria and ruled out any Colleges not applicable to yourself, you will be left with your shortlist. From this list you can choose to apply to any of the remaining Colleges. It is completely up to your personal preference at this point; however, students often find it useful to look at the optional criteria to see which College suits them best.
Optional Criteria For Choosing An Oxbridge College
Have a look at the optional criteria below and see which (if any) of them are important to you. Then compare the Colleges on your shortlist to see which ones match up best.
Remember this is optional so something that matters to you won’t matter to someone else. The most important thing is you make the right College choice for you.
Location
- • How close is it to the department?
- • How close is it to the city centre?
- • What other facilities are nearby?
You may want to consider the location of the College in relation to the places you are going to go most often. Some students like to be in the busyness of the city centre, whilst others prefer a calmer environment further out. Neither Oxford or Cambridge are big cities, so wherever you select you won’t be too far away.
College Size
The size of the College can range widely, so it is worth considering whether you would prefer a smaller community or a larger group to get to know. Both have their benefits so it is up to your personal preference.
Cohort Size
As well as the number of College members there will also be a variation in the number of students reading the same course as you. In some Colleges you may be the only one, whilst in others there may be a larger group. Just because a College has more spaces for a certain subject does not mean it is easier to get into that College, it just affects how many course mates will be part of your College.
Accommodation and Catering
Your College will become your home away from home, so you want to pick somewhere you will feel comfortable. Often students will consider the types of accommodation on offer to help with their decision including:
- • Room size
- • Price
- • Length of contracts
- • Facilities included in the room
- • Kitchen facilities
- • Catered or self-catered options
- • Guaranteed accommodation for duration of the course
- • Styles of accommodation on offer
- • On-site or off-site accommodation
- • Sports facilities on-site or off-site
College Spaces
All the Colleges will offer the same basic facilities, but some may have newer or unique facilities which may interest you. Why not look at their:
- • Library
- • Study spaces
- • Sports facilities on-site and off-site
- • Music practice rooms
- • Theatre/performance space
- • Café
- • Bookable social spaces like a TV room or Common Room
Atmosphere
More often than not students can’t express why they chose their College. It was simply a gut feeling they got towards a certain one. If you are able to attend an open day, we would encourage you to go, so you can really get a feel for the College.
What Doesn’t Matter
When looking at the optional criteria for a College it is important to remember what doesn’t matter when deciding:
- 1. Admissions statistics – College application and offer rates can be found publicly online. Often students look at these for an insight into how competitive a College is. However, all the Colleges are competitive and the acceptance rates fluctuate at each College every year. So, if you think you can find a way to beat the system it won’t work.
- 2. Staff specialism – the research specialisms of College staff won’t dictate what you study or guarantee you will be taught by them. All your lectures, seminars, practicals and exams are conducted by the department regardless of the College you attend. So don’t pick a College based on certain staff or their reputation.
It is an important decision, but equally it is important to remember that you may not end up at the College you apply to. You may receive an offer from another College if the College you apply to is oversubscribed, but they think you are a strong candidate.
Open Application
If you don’t have a preference on your College, you can make an open application to either university, where you will be randomly allocated to a College. Lots of students choose this option and your application will be treated the same as a direct applicant to the College.
Making Your Decision
To help you make your decision have a look at the Colleges through the virtual tour platforms online or attend a university open day:
Once you have looked around, why not use our free ‘Decision-Making Toolkit’ to help you make an informed decision?
You can also get in touch with our team of expert Oxbridge Education Consultants who can offer support with the whole application process.
Whatever you decide we are sure you will love your College.
