Hello all,
I am applying to both and have to give the choice with respect to the colleges within Cambridge and Oxford. I want to select the best possible college (But money might be a constraint). I have no idea and can't make out the same which one to select. So if anyone of u have any idea, please suggest me.

hi there. i have been admitted to Oxford so i might know a thing or two about the colleges. you might want to select from Magdalen, Balliol or Pembroke. The first two have a long tradition in law teaching and boast of several famous graduates(Denning etc) while Pembroke has built itself a solid all round reputation. Good luck. (p.s i was placed in Exeter)

Thanks for the reply, but is there any sort of rankings availaible which could help me?

I don't believe there are any rankings - at least not any I could find when making my decision. Moreover, it would be difficult to rank them as it seems they cater to different crowds.

HI. I heard that if you plan to study law in cambridge, it doesnt matter which college..and anyway the university allocates these, according to ur application. are u heading there for an LLM?

The choice of college is more important in Oxford than in Cambridge. In Oxford you have tutorials, though I have heard that these do not necessarily take place within your own college. I knew someone who did the BCL a year ago and his tutors were basically whoever the expert in the particular subject was. They went to whichever college that person was based for their tutorials so in the end it didnt matter what college he chose.
In Cambridge there are no tutorials, so its simply a matter of where you want to live. To be honest I didnt pay much attention to this on the form. I scanned the list, Magdalene sounded familiar, so I put it down. Heading there in 2 weeks, so should be fun. Sounds very formal altogether though ....

Thanks for the reply, but am still looking for any ranking if availaible.

for Oxford you can look at the Norrington Table which ranks colleges by undergraduate degree performance. However this is of little use since as pointed out above, at Oxford post-graduate study isnt determined by your college in any way. (I'm pretty sure this is even less os in Cambridge) Your college provides you with accommodation and dining, scholarship (if you're lucky enough) and as a base for extra-curricular activities. Although at Undergraduate level your tutorials are conducted within college, at Post-Graduate level your tutee's are the experts in the relevant field and you are sent to them. Therefore you would be much better off concentrating on where you would like to live and trying to determine which college has an ethos you feel comfortable with. College websites are a good place to start.

You can see the Norrington table for Oxford at http://www.ox.ac.uk/aboutoxford/facts/collegefigs.shtml but as the poster above said - don't pay too much attention to it. Personally, I looked for colleges that would allow me to live near the main site. Good luck.

hi wiskey town and others,

Congrats on being selected to oxbridge.
I am planning to apply to the universities this year and it would be very helpful if you people can provide me with some information. I am from India and I graduated with 62%, officially there is no class ranking, but unoffically I can be considered to be in the top 5to10 percent. additionally I have done a lot of moot court competitions, internship and is now working in a law firm. What are the chances of getting selected to Oxford, can any one give brief idea of their respective profile so that I and anyone else contemplaing on applying to the top universities can assess themselves. so that they need not spend the time and effort needed to apply to these institutions. Please guys, this would save a lot of time for many people.