<p>outwestmom, go to The Student Room:</p>
<p><a href="http://www.**************.co.uk/%5B/url%5D">http://www.**************.co.uk/</a></p>
<p>(Edited: somehow the cursing editor doesn't like this address - type The Student Room, all one word, where the astericks are above.)</p>
<p>There you will find threads and threads about colleges. Most student love their college, and here's how I interpret that: 1) college, wherever you go, is usually a very positive experience; 2) the residential college system at Oxbridge is great in general - colleges have their own counselors, their own pastor, their own security, their own chapel, their own dining hall, their own student council (JCR) etc. - Even the largest is quite small and supportive, and you get to know many people very quickly 3) One student's meat is another student's poison - some of the colleges that regularly come top on the Norrington Table are, according to most students, sort of pressure cookers - meaning, not as much fun to live in if you want a balanced life.</p>
<p>Norrington, as mentioned above, is ranked each year by how many Firsts, not by the average Finals outcome. In most colleges, rankings vary - see this link:</p>
<p>For example, my son's college ranking has varied widely - from 2000 to 2005 it has been 18-5-25-13-20-18 - so that goes to show you how much the table can vary. He said that one of the reasons he is very happy to be in his college is that the college's values and culture does not include extra added pressure, outside of the tutor-student 'pact' (which is, in sum: - "I will teach you as best I can, you will learn as thoroughly and rapidly as you can"). He thinks that the college has the living-learning-nurturing-support balance pretty well mastered, and that most of the students are very happy there. </p>
<p>In addition, prices for accommodations and meals do not always directly reflect the financial resources of the college, so if a US student applied to a specific college, the family should check the prices before applying if that is an issue. Undergraduate admissions recommends an open app for international students, and that's what we did. However, you could also look at the most recent statistics and apply to a college that had more favorable chances for your subject.</p>