University of Oxford (reviews)

I enjoyed the programme with a very supportive cohort and faculty. 10 years on our classmates try and help each other.

During my MBA I learnt about many different problem spaces, which was mind opening.

However, I found it a generalist qualification. My personal experience is specific to me doing a programme after ~15 years of work and not a generalisation.

I observe in my technology circles the MBA degree is not a massive differentiator in making a professional move or getting a venture funded. I would consider it as a nice icing on the top up and the cake is more or less the professional experience one has had.

really not as busy/nerdy/posh as people describe. does look like hogwarts. tutors are mostly nice/understanding. very diverse. traditions are interesting. accommodation quality varies massively based on college/luck. wifi acceptable

Extremely smart professors who can certainly cover all aspects of the course. However, they need to have some courses on how to actually teach or only use professors who have experience in teaching or want to teach.

Oxford is a fantastic institution, filled with incredibly talented staff members and a rich architectural and academic history. This however, is not enough for it to deserve a number one times ranking position. The teaching style is outdated, and the lack of technological modernisation means students suffer to keep up. There is a lack of cohesion due to the individually-operating colleges, and an inefficient monetary spend for the same reason. Oxford could be great, but isn’t yet. It’s prestige is still the predominant reason people attend.

Academically peerless, outside of that, and even occasionally within that, it too often feels that the students are not the priority. Mental health services are overwhelmed. Colleges are trying to force overseas students to pay for (expensive) vacation residence for their quarantine periods. In my personal experience, teaching has been invariably of the highest quality in all areas.

I love Oxford – I’m getting taught by amazing professors doing leading research in their fields, and get to live in a gorgeous, historic town with very active student life. I quite like the University town feel – it really makes it easy to make friends and feel safe and comfortable, but it’s not small enough to ever get bored.

I loved the tutorial system characterising teaching at the University of Oxford. This highly personalised and individual form of teaching means you can quickly progress and develop in your learning, acquiring new skills and knowledge at a very high pace. Moreover, the highly intensive nature of a degree at course really prepares you for many high flying jobs in a vast array of sectors.

Living up to its reputation of academic rigour, Oxford can be a challenging place to study at times, as much of the work is done independently. As a history student, I do not receive a lot of contact hours. I knew this would be the case before I attended, but it still took me a while to adjust to doing all my work myself and then attending weekly tutorials in order to discuss completed work.

Nevertheless, it goes without saying that having access to experts in your field makes studying here worth the money and the time, and the hard workload really helps you develop to the best of your potential. My experience with several tutors has almost always been positive, and they genuinely want to help you learn.

The beautiful libraries and other buildings also make the city a motivational and comfortable place to work. One of the most unique things about Oxford is its collegiate system, which means you live in smaller, tight-knit communities, but also have better access to academic and financial resources right where you live.

The most important thing to do when considering applying to Oxford is to research colleges, as your choice truly does shape your time there. Some colleges have poor kitchen facilities, which forces you to buy meals in the hall, which, despite being subsidised, can be expensive. Some colleges also have less accommodation, meaning that they may not be able to provide a room for you for the duration of your degree. This can be important since private housing in Oxford is sometimes expensive.

All in all, college life is exciting and much of the social activity revolves around these communities. The small size of these colleges means it is easy to get involved in all sorts of societies, as well as drive change within these institutions. Although attending a university with a reputation for being steeped in tradition and elitism can seem daunting, there genuinely is a welcoming atmosphere for everyone and an ability to make your college or university what you want to make it.

The teaching I have experienced at Oxford is brilliant. Tutors seem to really care that you make progress and are satisfied with your studies, and the course is tailored to individual students- my weekly essays could be on whatever I wanted, within a literary time period, and there was a great deal of freedom in coursework.

Theology at Oxford is a stimulating and challenging course which I would recommend. There is a great breadth to this degree which means that you can take the path which interests you.

As with any Oxford degree, I would just highlight that it’s full-on and demands a lot of you. This can take its toll on your mental health and, as much as Oxford is trying to combat this image, it does favour the rich and privileged. It’s an expensive city to live in.