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Worcester- made the right college choice?

Ok, so I sent off my oaf, finished ucas-related stuff, now the waiting begins...

so anyway
i was talking to a friend today, and when she heard i'd applied to worcester (for ppe), she laughed, saying it was full of straw-coloured hair private school boys who applied because they couldnt get into a better college, with a rowing complex. this was according to her mother, who went to oxford in the 70s.

Now, please bear my neuroticism and (probably) unfounded fear that i'd made the wrong decision on college choice, but someone out there please assure me that worcester is just like any other normal oxford college, and not overwhelmingly private school and the connotations that evokes (you know, stuffy, heirarchical, elitist, etc).

thanks.

Reply 1

sal33m

1

I've applied to worcester too! My teacher who went there in the early 90's said it used to be a bit snobby in her day but now thats completely changed, and who cares if it has a few private school people, its by far the most beautiful college like ever! I'd just like to congratulate your excellent taste;thumbsup;

Reply 2

F1 fanatic

16

sal33m

I've applied to worcester too! My teacher who went there in the early 90's said it used to be a bit snobby in her day but now thats completely changed, and who cares if it has a few private school people, its by far the most beautiful college like ever! I'd just like to congratulate your excellent taste;thumbsup;

you won't avoid the private school types wherever you go in Oxford. That should be taken as a given. In fact, I don't know if you want to avoid them, it's always good to mix with different people.

Reply 3

Showsni

1

You'll probably love whichever college you go to. Most stereotypes are untrue or very exagerrated. And Worcester has ducks.

Reply 4

menzoberranzen

Whats so worng with going to an elitist college?

Reply 5

lady_daisychain

OP

2

abrp

stupid private school students..

how dare they apply to Oxbridge?

:rolleyes:

if you really hate them that much then you should get one of those huge books about Unis which give a break down of which unis have what % of state/private...eu/non eu etc.

haha! no.... dont get me wrong, theres nothing wrong with private school students. as a matter of fact, i know a lot of state grammar school students who are far snobbier than any private-school educated people i know, so im not anti-private school. theres a difference between normal kids who go to private school, get a good education, and continue living conscientiously for the rest of their lives, and those who come out of private school thinking they're part of the aristocracy, forcing their pseudo-superiority complex down everyone's throats.

my implicit fear is less about the people who go to worcester, and more about the atmosphere of it. so i dont care whether there are a lot of private school students there, i care whether there are a lot of insular-elitist type students (usually from private schools, or very few from grammar schools). if you see the distinction im trying to make...

menzoberranzen

Whats so worng with going to an elitist college?

elitist- trying to create your own little clique to protect yourself from the threat of outsiders who may threaten your deeply held and, what you believe, morally superior ideas. i personally find that unappealing, but whatever floats your boat 'menzoberranzen'.

Reply 6

menzoberranzen

I'm not saying that its good to be elitist, I'm just saying that its not necessarily the end of the world if your college is elitist.

Reply 7

F1 fanatic

16

menzoberranzen

I'm not saying that its good to be elitist, I'm just saying that its not necessarily the end of the world if your college is elitist.

No, but it is always good to feel comfortable and at home in your college, without having to worry about what you say or who you talk to.

lol, thats true!

i've applied to worcester too...but i have straw coloured hair and went to a private school :frown:

BUT i applied because i think its the most beautiful college, not because i don't think i could get in elsewhere, and i don't have anything against state school kids. its such a stereotype to think that private schoolers are all clichey toffs who don't talk to those who are below them. in my experience, its usually state schoolers who harbour some sort of grudge against private schoolers.

Reply 10

F1 fanatic

16

xedx

i've applied to worcester too...but i have straw coloured hair and went to a private school :frown:

BUT i applied because i think its the most beautiful college, not because i don't think i could get in elsewhere, and i don't have anything against state school kids. its such a stereotype to think that private schoolers are all clichey toffs who don't talk to those who are below them. in my experience, its usually state schoolers who harbour some sort of grudge against private schoolers.

Agreed, most people from private school are really nice people (obviously). Many of my friends are from private school (I was state). But of course, just as there are annoying state schoolers with a chip, there are those from private school who are elitist. The best policy is to avoid both. I assure you both you will have no problem getting on with people, whatever your background.

Reply 11

davey_boy

9

Ok - I've been at Worcester for quite a while now so should be in a position to comment:

Public school - I don't think it is any worse than any other Oxford college. I think the stats show Worcester has a slightly higher than average private:state ratio but I think you have to qualify that slightly. There's a big difference between Eton and, say, Bradford Grammar School yet both would count as private schools in the stats. The impression I get is that students from the 'elite' private schools tend to go to the big name Oxford colleges (Christ Church, Balliol, Magdalen etc.). That isn't to say there aren't a few at Worcester....

People choose there because its easy to get into: If they do they're misguided. There's a big drive to centralise admissions at the moment and all the colleges are very keen to ensure that Oxford takes the best students regardless of where they apply. I think its becoming less and less likely that your choice of college will have any bearing on whether or not you get in. In terms of academic performance then Worcester is very much middle of the road usually finishing between 10th and 20th (out of 30 or so colleges) in the Norrington table. This year I think we finished a bit higher than normal, I'm sure there's a thread somewhere with a list....

Rowing complex: Not one that I'm aware of. Worcester's a pretty sporty college but consistently fails to do anything in rowing competitions. Oxford has a rowing complex, yes.

Hope that puts your mind at rest.

Reply 12

RichE

15

davey_boy

People choose there because its easy to get into: If they do they're misguided. There's a big drive to centralise admissions at the moment and all the colleges are very keen to ensure that Oxford takes the best students regardless of where they apply. I think its becoming less and less likely that your choice of college will have any bearing on whether or not you get in. In terms of academic performance then Worcester is very much middle of the road usually finishing between 10th and 20th (out of 30 or so colleges) in the Norrington table. This year I think we finished a bit higher than normal, I'm sure there's a thread somewhere with a list....

As Dave said admissions are fairly centralised, especially on the science side, so college choice is not paramount. In any case, purely counting number of applicants each year Magdalen come top clearly, Balliol are second and Worcester narrowly in third.

Reply 13

sal33m

1

RichE

As Dave said admissions are fairly centralised, especially on the science side, so college choice is not paramount. In any case, purely counting number of applicants each year Magdalen come top clearly, Balliol are second and Worcester narrowly in third.

just curious, how did you find that out?

Reply 14

RichE

15

sal33m

just curious, how did you find that out?

From an admissions tutor.

Reply 15

Turdburger

16

This year Balliol have had the most applicants (from Balliol's website)

"In the admissions exercise for entry in 2006, Balliol was the most popular college for undergraduates applying to Oxford, with 570 candidates. We are delighted to say that students who applied to Balliol were not disadvantaged by having chosen the most popular college, as we did exceptionally well in placing candidates with other colleges. 180 of those who applied to Balliol obtained places at Oxford: 116 at Balliol and 64 at other colleges."

Reply 16

F1 fanatic

16

Heartbreaker

This year Balliol have had the most applicants (from Balliol's website)

"In the admissions exercise for entry in 2006, Balliol was the most popular college for undergraduates applying to Oxford, with 570 candidates. We are delighted to say that students who applied to Balliol were not disadvantaged by having chosen the most popular college, as we did exceptionally well in placing candidates with other colleges. 180 of those who applied to Balliol obtained places at Oxford: 116 at Balliol and 64 at other colleges."

there is a PR speech if ever there was one.

Reply 17

RichE

15

Heartbreaker

This year Balliol have had the most applicants (from Balliol's website)

"In the admissions exercise for entry in 2006, Balliol was the most popular college for undergraduates applying to Oxford, with 570 candidates. We are delighted to say that students who applied to Balliol were not disadvantaged by having chosen the most popular college, as we did exceptionally well in placing candidates with other colleges. 180 of those who applied to Balliol obtained places at Oxford: 116 at Balliol and 64 at other colleges."