University of Oxford

[tem11]

Anyone else attending Oxford in the fall? I'll be studying for the MPhil in Evidence Based Social Intervention. No word on what college I'll be at yet but it'd be nice to hear from other students who are UK bound!

[tem11]

Anyone? .

[Pierre]

Anyone? .

Haven't decided just yet, but if I go there I'll be studying for a DPhil in statistics and belong to St. Catz college (if I'm not moved, I don't know how that goes).

[grendel]

Well, I probably would be going there for a DPhil in maths, were it not for the lousy funding opportunities. I'm a non-EU european student and most of the scholarships seem to be reserved for people from developing countries (or their descendants). However, I might be able to scrape together some money.

I have a fully funded offer from a very good university in the states, so I'm not too upset.

[Ziz]

I will be in the politics department this fall . Don't know the college yet though...

[tem11]

I'll be at St Edmund Hall

[ddnp]

I'll be in Lincoln College.. reading for a DPhil in Biochemistry!

[Ziz]

I will also be at Lincoln!

[feminist21]

I'll be at St Edmund Hall

Hey again, just found you here too! St. Edmund Hall sounds good! How are you liking it? Did you hear about the funding at the same time you heard about the college decision? And if you don't mind me asking, what was the main scholarship you applied for? I'll await your response.

Edited January 21, 2011 by feminist21

[rgarnham]

I'm going to study an MSc in Latin American Studies, probably at St. Anthony's college

[a fragrant plant]

Hi Fellows! I'm accepted to St. Cross College. Does anyone have any insider information about St. Cross' college accommodation? My budget for accommodation is £500/pm (including bills). Would I find better deals in private lettings? I personally found college accomodation at St Cross pricy, considering that you'll need to share bathroom with on average 3-6 people. But again it may be worse in private let. Also, what are the differences between a catagory 1* and a category 1 room? I don't think I can afford a Cat. 1* room but I'd like to know if it's worth the money. Are Cat. 2,3,4 rooms filthy? I really don't mind a small room, but it must be clean and well-maintained.

Thanks in advance for your help.

Edited February 12, 2011 by Peanut

[Mertonian]

Hey!

I have spent 5 years in Oxford and overall, even though college rents and qualities do vary from college to college, it is generally a truism that it is best to live in college if you can, at least for the first year - until you manage to find a solid group with which you wouldn't mind finding a place to live. The nice private places are usually in Jericho, but they are quite pricey. I have heard horror stories about accommodation on Cowley Rd and thereabouts. I would recommend staying in college for the first year, making friends and getting involved in the social life, and then moving out. But that is just my view on the matter! Enjoy Oxford, it is a hell of a place!

[wycl0768]

Hey again, just found you here too! St. Edmund Hall sounds good! How are you liking it? Did you hear about the funding at the same time you heard about the college decision? And if you don't mind me asking, what was the main scholarship you applied for? I'll await your response.

Watch out in rugby land, aka teddies hall.

St.X accomodation is worth it. I started there, it is much nicer than what you will find at this point if living close is a priority, and it's easier to meet people if you live in.

[a fragrant plant]

Watch out in rugby land, aka teddies hall.

St.X accomodation is worth it. I started there, it is much nicer than what you will find at this point if living close is a priority, and it's easier to meet people if you live in.

Thank you. Which St. X accommodation will you recommend?

[wycl0768]

Thank you. Which St. X accommodation will you recommend?

I didn't stay in StX, it was all full up when I arrived, so I paid 450+ p/mo in Jericho for a rat eaten worm hole and got out as fast as possible by applying to be a sub dean at Wadham College where I am now. Basically, the StX housing is close and clean, from everyone's room I visited, whether you are on the main site, the annex or Wellington Square, and those are both good things and worth the price, IMO. Basically all the cheap/good accomadation is locked up in Nov/Dec by undergrads/returning grads so as an intl student you are better off starting in accomodation rather than looking online.

[a fragrant plant]

I didn't stay in StX, it was all full up when I arrived, so I paid 450+ p/mo in Jericho for a rat eaten worm hole and got out as fast as possible by applying to be a sub dean at Wadham College where I am now. Basically, the StX housing is close and clean, from everyone's room I visited, whether you are on the main site, the annex or Wellington Square, and those are both good things and worth the price, IMO. Basically all the cheap/good accomadation is locked up in Nov/Dec by undergrads/returning grads so as an intl student you are better off starting in accomodation rather than looking online.

Hi wycl0768, thanks very much for your info. It's good to know that St. X housing is good. Do you know the differences between a catagory 1* and a category 1 room? Are Category 2,3,4 rooms really filthy?

[wycl0768]

Hi wycl0768, thanks very much for your info. It's good to know that St. X housing is good. Do you know the differences between a catagory 1* and a category 1 room? Are Category 2,3,4 rooms really filthy?

No idea, but non of the rooms would be filthy, generally colleges employ cleaning staffs. Again, i never lived in, just visited, and EVERYTHING my friends had at StX was way better than where I was in Jericho. at 450 pcm. If you don't have some you trust physically check out the private place you are looking at, I would avoid it. Literally I was paying 750 USD for a 15 foot x 15 foot room with peeling paint, sharing a dank bathroom with 3 others, and a kitchen that often fell apart. One flat mate and I spent 2 days cleaning the house to make it livable. Those were the first two days. I lived in my car for along time dirtbagging across the west before grad school, and even I found the house foul. All the StX housing was clean, convienant, and safe. Abingdon road is nice, I hear, but way out of the way. I would shoot for Main Site or Annexe at worse and care less about catagory of room. Non are palaces, non are shit holes. Private letting agents in Oxford are notorious for taking the piss on Int'l students b/c we have WAY less recourse. And the community of living on the main site is nice, judging from my friends that lived there.

StX also has the best lunch of any college. It's pricy for college grub, but so good.

[wycl0768]

No idea, but non of the rooms would be filthy, generally colleges employ cleaning staffs. Again, i never lived in, just visited, and EVERYTHING my friends had at StX was way better than where I was in Jericho. at 450 pcm. If you don't have some you trust physically check out the private place you are looking at, I would avoid it. Literally I was paying 750 USD for a 15 foot x 15 foot room with peeling paint, sharing a dank bathroom with 3 others, and a kitchen that often fell apart. One flat mate and I spent 2 days cleaning the house to make it livable. Those were the first two days. I lived in my car for along time dirtbagging across the west before grad school, and even I found the house foul. All the StX housing was clean, convienant, and safe. Abingdon road is nice, I hear, but way out of the way. I would shoot for Main Site or Annexe at worse and care less about catagory of room. Non are palaces, non are shit holes. Private letting agents in Oxford are notorious for taking the piss on Int'l students b/c we have WAY less recourse. And the community of living on the main site is nice, judging from my friends that lived there.

StX also has the best lunch of any college. It's pricy for college grub, but so good.

Oh yah, Oxford College ratings of rooms really don't mean much, just ask these things as they are the only ones worth paying for IMO.

1. Ensuit or not? (i.e. your own bathroom)

2. Private Kitchen?

3. Windows (I go insane w/o natural light)

4. Is it next to a laundry room/boiler/anything which makes loud noises (happened to a friend at St. Ants. drove him mad)

I don't think 1 & 2 are options at StX

St.X is a very neat, tidy college in my exerperiance, so you shouldn't worry about filth with them. Only one girl had problems 2 years ago, with a phantom smell, and the college bent over backwards to help her. All there buildings are new so they haven't developed Oxfilth yet.

If you live out and want a nice place w/o breaking the bank, live in Summertown and accept the long commute or get good at biking. Jericho and Cowley are mega popular w/undergrads and thus have only expensive or otherwise bad places left. EVEN IF THEY LOOK GOOD ONLINE IT IS A LIE. Undergrads que for days in november to get the good places in Jericho/Cowley. The good stuff is gone by now. Trust me, its true. Summertown is quiet, too quiet for undergrads, and has a nice set of shops, pubs, restraunts, and grocery stores. It's knid of its own little town. Bus passes are not worth it, though, if you live there, accept you will cycle. If that is not OK, live in college for a term, then try and move out if you hate it.

[Mertonian]

I second the Summertown/general north of Oxford nominations. At a brisk walk you can get from the Summertown shops to the Maths Institute in about 30 minutes anyway. The place is quiet and nice. I am living in Kidlington this year and even that is not more than a 45-minute bike ride from the centre.

[mandelbrot89]

Maybe, if I can get funded for MSc in Mathematical Modelling and Scientific Computing

[a fragrant plant]

I've been researching for graduate housing at Oxford. Any comments on the following properties?

* Walton St. Annexe

* Castle Mill

My preferences are: central location, good interior, ensuite.

A full list of properties can be found here: http://www.admin.ox.ac.uk/accommodation/graduate/single/index.shtml

[tweety11226]

How can one look for funding to pay for University of Oxford? I will love to apply to Oxford University for next year but the funding is kind of bothering me since I am an American. Also what did y'all look for in the colleges?

[Batavi]

How can one look for funding to pay for University of Oxford? I will love to apply to Oxford University for next year but the funding is kind of bothering me since I am an American. Also what did y'all look for in the colleges?

I'm going to oxford next term so I may not know much, but from the way that I understand it (and remember) is that during your application you put your college preference. You also select which scholarships you'd apply for. Some are college specific, so in your application you can override your college choice for a scholarship. However, they only inform you about funding through scholarships once you've been admitted by the university and then placed into a college.

Other than that, there is no automatic funding. You compete for the very little funding there is.

That's all I know, so somebody can correct me.

[Alephantiasis]

I'll be in Lincoln College... working towards my DPhil in Medieval and Modern Languages.

[brownbear]

Hi, I'll be in St Cross in 2011-12! I too am not optimistic about the accommodation situation, really hope to get something owned by the college rather than going private.