I’ve been accepted to both universities and can’t decide between the two. For career prospects, Oxford has the edge as I’m planning on going down the research path. However, I really like the religious atmosphere, traditions, and dorm life at Notre Dame. I’ve also heard from people who have graduated from Oxford that the workload is huge and there isn’t much time for extracurricular activities. I don’t know if I should go for a college that I fit in and love or one that is more prestigious and would potentially open more doors for me.
Are you familiar with the differences between assessment methods (American-style continuous assessment vs everything riding on tests your last year)?
Also, what doors are you thinking of? What subject would you be studying? For the sciences, ND may actually allow you to get more involved in research as an undergraduate. Oxford could (potentially) open more doors outside academia.
I’m pretty familiar with how the assessments are like at Oxford, but not so much with how it works in America. From my understanding, in America, you get examined at the end of the semester and have to do more coursework than at British universities.
I’ve applied to Biochemistry and am looking to go into research or life science consultancy .
The workload at Oxford is huge…but there is definitely time for ECs
But…your post says you already know what you want, and are only anxious about whether you are giving something up to get it. Fact: you are. Other fact: you will be giving something up if you choose the other way. That’s the nature of choice! Especially when you have two great choices.
If you won’t have to take on any debt for either of them, follow your heart. What you do in college will matter more than anything.
Continuous assessment and GPA in the American system, which means not just finals/final papers at the end of the semester but also midterm tests, quizzes, papers (written essays, not tests), labs, some times class discussion in seminar classes all factor in to your grade, and they are averaged in to a GPA (so everything counts from when you start undergrad). Differs from Oxford where the marks you graduate with essentially all come down to big tests at the end of your last year.
Probably more opportunity to do research as an undergrad in ND though @collegemom3717 can chime in on those opportunities at Oxford these days.
For the business world, ND does have a very tight alumni network (concentrated in the US). Oxford’s fame, of course, is known all over the world (ND would not be).
Research opps are absolutely available, if you want them- and the 4th year is all research (it’s a research Masters). It is still not as common for undergrads in the UK (in any subject) to do summer work (internships* or research), especially the summer after 1st year. The expectations in terms of PhD applications are still more results driven and finding the supervisor, and there is less penalty for not having a ton of research experience beyond what is in your course.
The biochemist I know best went on to the Crick Institute for his PhD research. He is supposed to defend his PhD this summer, has a drug in Phase 3 trials and has been seconded to lead a research (sub) group working on the covid vaccine. He was also the top biochemist in his year, though, so I suspect his results are not typical!
In the US grad school schools will expect a strong M & C GPA, and depending on the subject possibly a subject GRE / regular GRE- but they will also assume at least 2, and more typically 3 summers of research work. Summer research jobs (such as REUs) are structured, not difficult to find (though the process isn’t fun), provide a decent stipend, and are typically 8-10 weeks long. ND summer break runs mid-May to late August, so you could expect to have ~2 weeks off at the beginning of the summer and ~2+ at the end. I always felt a little sorry for my STEM collegekid who spent all her college summers that way! But- she loved it & is still researching away in grad school, so to each their own. She did really like going to different labs each summer, and learned as much from the overall experience as the actual science part!
Also, fwiw, you may find that being at ND is like having a full-time minder compared to the UK. That may be exactly what you are looking for! but if you are used to running your own life your own way, you may find it takes some getting used to.
*except the penultimate summer, for those looking at Law, IB, or Consulting, where there is a fierce push to get the all-important summer internship that usually concludes with a job offer for after graduation.
Hello, @collegemom3717, I was referring to student research during the school year on campus as an undergraduate, which would be pretty typical in the US for stronger students interested in that. Is that possible at Oxford (outside of the 4th year masters?)?
According to the students I just messaged, it exists if you want it. Usually students who have done summer research & stay with it. (I know some biochemists, but don’t really live in that world!)
Thankyou very much for your enthusiastic reply! It’s much appreciated. After reading your comments and going back to the school websites, I feel like I’m more gravitated towards ND than Oxford as ND seems to have more accessible undergraduate research opportunities and the college life it provides is really what I would want in my four years of college. The main reasons why I have second thoughts about going to ND are: my sister went to Oxford for law and everyone around me (friends and family) seems to think that Oxford is the obvious choice due to its reputation worldwide.
And, the college I have received admission from is New College.
It was pretty clear from your first post what you wanted the answer to be! My Oxford collegekid (who had friends go to ND) was bemused by the choice- she sees them as pretty antithetical to each other. My (totally uninformed) guess is that if you go to ND & love it, you will stay on and be based in the US for much of your 20s
^ They are very different, but I can see how different aspects of each could appeal to the same person (a purely American example is being torn between Caltech and ND).
Having been to both locations recently, there is a big difference between South Bend and Oxford. No offense to all of the Golden Domers & Hoosiers out there, but once you leave the ND campus, South Bend doesn’t have a lot to offer. And yes, while my son likely works harder at Oxford than he would have at a peer US college due to the intensity of the eight week terms, he loves that he didn’t have to take a traditional core curriculum and could go straight into what he wanted to do in his course. Which course were you accept to at Oxford?
I wouldn’t say students at Oxford work harder - just in more intense bursts, but it’s a schedule you’ll be used to. They have time for other stuff. Workload at US colleges is more constant, and you will have to expend time and energy on gen eds, subjects you haven’t seen since your GCSEs. Have you done your research on that?
