Gmanster wrote:
You got me! Buy honestly i agree with your description of the Oxford in general, when i visited last summer, i loved the school, building and the whole town was great. Really felt like you were part of a wonderful institution. Almost every college has amazing buildings. I'm just not sure how to compare and choose.
You mentioned they had spoken to you guys about it, any insights you would like to share?
Well, all the alums had a great time at whatever colleges of their choice. One of the current students say don't choose Green Templeton, only because it's so modern and it's the default if you can't get in the other colleges (since GT accepts like 70 MBAs a year). I made a list of things that were important to me, and in the end I chose Merton.
Things that were important to me:
- College has both undergraduate and graduate (an alum told me that undergrads are the heart of the college, with sports, etc -- so it's great to be able to attend all the games and feel part of the community)
- Money (the richer the college is, the better the facilities and prices are -- because the college heavily subsidize the cost -- also, richer colleges have better grants and scholarships for travel and books)
- History (i wanted an OXFORD exp -- and that's being part of an older college that has lots of history)
- Food (Merton has reputation of having the best food)
The risk with applying to Merton and the other VERY well known colleges (St John, Balliol, Magdaleon, Christ CHurch) is that they are very selective and take only 1 - 3 MBAs a year, so the competition is fierce. Oxford staff said that if your GMAT doesn't begin with a 7, it probably isn't worth applying to one of the top 5, as they review your academic record quite rigorously. Other colleges will offer an equally rich experience. Also, staff mentioned that if you apply to one of the top 5 and didn't get in, they will not submit your app to the other 4, as they all have the same standard. (BTW, i dont know if this is really true and if they really care that much about GMAT -- i dont want to inadvertently discourage you. I am just repeating what the staff said. I think if you got into Oxford, your app must have been compelling, and the colleges look at the whole app too. I think you should go with WHATEVER COLLEGE you want. The staff will work with you on second choice if somehow the first didnt work out. My GMAT score is good but not great, and I am going to shoot for Merton anyway and see what happens)
My second choice after Merton is Jesus College -- because it seems like a very tight knit community and is at the heart of city centre. They are also known for Rugby (i want to attend the games)!!