It doesn’t matter who you are or where you came from: if you’re truly passionate about your subject and prepared to work hard, you’ll always find a place at Somerville. It really is that simple.

Of course, you also need to know if Somerville and Oxford are right for you. You need to know whether you’re choosing the right course and which college will suit you best. And you’ve also got questions – from the big stuff, like whether you’ll fit in here, to the nitty gritty like how to write a great personal statement and do well at interview. 

Well, don’t worry. We’ve got you covered. The following FAQs and videos will tell you all you need to know.

Why study at Oxford?

For a comprehensive look at how university works, what makes Oxford different, and what the application process is like, check out the following video. It covers everything you need to know, with handy chapter segments so you can jump to the important bits like financial support, how to apply and advice on drafting your personal statement. 

Watch a shorter version of Why University, Why Oxford? 

Choosing your college

If you need help choosing the right college, then you should watch the following film to find out why our students think Somerville is the best College in Oxford.

If that STILL doesn’t persuade you, then you need to take a look at some of the beautiful locations contained in our Interactive Map of Somerville, to get an idea of why our students think Somerville is one of the greenest, most peaceful places in all Oxford.

iNTERACTIVE MAP OF SOMERVILLE

Or you can watch our students’ virtual tour video to see college through their eyes:

Watch our students’ Virtual Tour

You can also check out our students’ bedroom tours to see some examples of our first year accommodation.

Watch our students’ Bedroom Tours

Subject-specific advice: hear from our tutors

You can now watch this useful series of answers to some general Oxford FAQs from an interview with our Tutor of Admissions and Senior Tutor, Steve Rayner:

Oxford FAQs with our Tutor of Admissions

However, if you’re after some subject-specific advice, then look no further! These Q&As with the Somerville tutors were filmed during the university’s Virtual Open Days. The videos contain handy chapter segments, so you can skip ahead to the subjects you’re most interested in.

Virtual Open Day 30th June 2021

The above video contains a welcome Q&A from our Senior Tutor as well as subject-specific advice from tutors in Maths, Law, Medicine, Physics, Computer Science and Biochemistry.

Virtual Open Day 1st July 2021

The second of our Virtual Open Days 2021 contains subject-specific advice from tutors in Engineering, English, Biology, Music, History, Linguistics and PPE.

Virtual Open Days 2020

VIRTUAL OPEN DAYS 2020 – DAY 1

The above video contains subject-specific advice from tutors and students in English, Physics, Biochemistry, PPE, Biology, Classics/Ancient History, Linguistics, Chemistry, Law, History, Engineering, and Maths.

VIRTUAL OPEN DAYS 2020 – DAY 2

The above video contains subject-specific advice from tutors and students in Psychology, Music, Maths, Computer Science, Medicine, French, Biology, and Philosophy.

VIRTUAL OPEN DAYS 2020 – DAY 3

The above video contains subject-specific advice from tutors and students in Maths, Physics, History, English, Computer Science, Psychology and Medicine.

Subject taster lectures

If you’d like to get a taste of Oxford teaching, we’ve collected demo lectures in a variety of subjects from academics across the University and compiled them into one handy playlist for you, which you can find here or watch below.

These can be really useful for including in your personal statement, or kick-starting your own research into a topic!

Chat to Somerville students

Still have questions? Our student ambassadors are always happy to help answer your questions. You can visit their student-run Access Instagram page to learn more about Somerville and Oxford from the students’ perspective.

Visit our students’ Access instagram