Hey! I’m Husna, and I’m a history student at Hertford College. I remember spending a lot of time looking at colleges when I was first applying to Oxford, eventually settling on Hertford: the large proportion of state school students, generous bursary, and cheap rent all appealed greatly to me. Oxford isn’t renowned for its diversity (though change is taking place all the time!), but Hertford is definitely up there in terms of diversity of the student body, which only served to make it more attractive for me.
Financial help is probably the part I was most interested in. Hertford offers a generous (means-tested) 1k bursary for their students, which does so much to alleviate any financial worries, and allows poorer students to enjoy their university experience on par with their wealthier counterparts, which creates a less stratified environment. Hertford’s rent is also cheaper than the university average. Catering is offered with accommodation, also at a reasonable price. In pre-corona times we would have formals, which provide us with fantastic food at reasonable prices – around the same as one UberEATS meal! (I’m going based on my own UberEATS order, which is usually around £15). Hertford’s reputation comes from its progressive nature and its community. It was one of the first colleges to admit women, and from as far back as the 60s (would definitely recommend looking up the Tanner Scheme) has worked to have one of the highest rates of state-school admissions, making us one of the least alienating colleges for state-school students. Hertford also has one of the most tight-knit communities amongst the colleges, as its small size allows you to get to know everyone pretty well. To be able to find a community that so many other colleges and universities lack have been a blessing. The diversity of the student body has meant I have bonded with other Muslims over our halal/haram ratio, taken part in a variety of new activities and events, and have been introduced to music I never would have listened to otherwise (for good or worse!).
This all means that Hertford is just immaculate vibes all around. Back in pre-corona days, we would have constant bops (basically college club nights) and events catered to BME students, female students, LGBTQ+ students, etc – a lot of which has simply moved to an online format for now. Such groups are also represented by JCR (i.e., the undergraduate body) reps so that their voices within college don’t go unheard.
I’m going to be really honest with you. Hertford is small. So if you have aspirations of massive quads and spires, Hertford is probably not the place for you. This is probably the one thing I wish was different about Hertford, though it must be noted that Hertford is still a very pretty college (say hello Bridge of Sighs). Also, we have a cat, which is always a bonus. Unfortunately, it is not the friendliest cat and has a habit of attacking the cats of other colleges, which is less ideal though does make good gossip.
Now onto accommodation. Hertford’s actually been working on renovating its accommodation, so by the time the new batch of freshers arrives they’re going to be in some pretty nice rooms. In your 1st year, you live in central Oxford – I cannot stress how convenient this is, as you have easy access to shops and libraries. Also, because everyone is so close to each other in 1st year on the main site, it’s easy getting to know everyone in your year and making friends. The great thing about Hertford is that it offers accommodation for the duration of your time at Oxford, but 2nd and 3rd year you live out in college-owned accommodation in either South or North Oxford. This accommodation is also generally pretty nice: you get decent kitchens and the graduate centre even has ensuites.
Overall, I am so glad I applied here. I truly believe that the college you end up in defines your time at Oxford, as Hertford has definitely done that for me. I can count amongst my friend’s remarkable people I would never have met otherwise, and the support and care offered by the college are unparalleled to anything I’ve been offered before. Obviously, everyone is different and I would highly recommend doing research into each college, but Hertford definitely has its stamp of approval from me (and the rest of its student body).
Visit www.hertford.ox.ac.uk for more information!