<p>Read this general description :</p>
<p>and then scroll down to the Norrington Table in footnote two.</p>
<p>Anyone actually applying should check the rankings for several years, but keep in mind the information about rankings in the above description and weigh more recent years more heavily. </p>
<p>There is some variation from year to year, but a college ranked 30th will not jump to 1-5 in the following year. Look at the variance between the percentage of students getting firsts (the top honors; roughly the top 15% at Oxbridge, top 10% at other colleges). The wealthier colleges have better tutors--they also tend to have better food, from what I've heard. Note: admission to the more highly ranked colleges is more competitive and some colleges tend to focus on particular subjects--don't ask me which I don't know.</p>
<p>Some of the college's own websites indicate their strengths. Others give a breakdown of what their students are studying..and generally the higher the percentage of students studying a subject at a particular college, the better the college is in that field. </p>
<p>There are message boards not unlike this one for UK universities.</p>
<p>I don't know if it's relevant, but note that these are undergraduate rankings. Grad student life also varies from college to college, but the strength of the MCR (Middle Common Room) is probably more important.</p>