I applied to Keble back in 2018 after having visited the college during the September Open Day. Up until this point I had thought I was going to apply to a different college but at the last minute after visiting a month before the UCAS deadline I decided Keble was the college for me. I study History, and this can be an isolating degree at times because there are few contact hours and the majority of your time is spent reading, and also because (at least at Keble) I was able to choose every paper I did from the beginning of my degree. I wanted to go to a college with more Historians as I thought it meant it was more likely that at least one other person in college would choose the same paper as me so I wouldn’t be on my own and would have someone to speak to if I was unsure. I also wanted to apply to a college with more Historians as because much of the teaching is organised at a college level and not a faculty level there is very little interaction with Historians from other colleges, unless you happen to be in a tutorial together. I thought by applying to a college with more Historians it would mean I’d be able to meet more people doing my course. As Keble on average takes 12 Historians each year, it fit this criteria really well. I also wanted to go to a bigger college, not just in terms of my course but generally, because I thought it meant I was more likely to find people I vibed with and got on well with. As Keble is one of the biggest Oxford colleges in terms of the number of undergrads it admits each year, it also fit the bill in this respect too. All the students, tutors and college staff I met at Keble on the Open Day were really friendly and made me feel welcome which made me think it was somewhere I’d be happy for the next 3 years. Keble itself I also thought was beautiful, and the accommodation was really nice and Keble offered accommodation for all 3 years which was a big pull, as I didn’t want to have the stress of trying to figure out who I wanted to live with and finding a house weeks into starting my first year. All of this put together made me realise Keble was the college for me.
If I could apply to another college now, I don’t think that I would just because I have really enjoyed my time at Keble so far and I can’t really imagine myself anywhere else. But if I had to pick one, I would probably pick St Anne’s because similarly to Keble it is a bigger college that offers accommodation for all 3 years or maybe Brasenose because I think it is just really pretty!
I would say there isn’t really a defining characteristic for Keble students other than the fact that everyone here seems to be very chilled out and happy to talk to and get along with other people. Despite being a bigger college, because Keble offers accommodation for 3 years, you are able to get to know people in other years as well as your own quite well and it is a really sociable place to be. I think this is probably my favourite thing about college. I don’t really hate anything about Keble if I am being completely honest, but I think to begin with I was unsure about how I’d cope without kitchen access until 3rd year. It’s actually been completely fine and I think because Keble Hall is so big, and because we don’t have kitchens in our 1st and 2nd year, it was a great way to meet people and chat with people and make friends. The food in Hall is generally really nice too, the only annoying thing is if you have something that means you miss Hall you have to make yourself food in your room or order something, but over the last 2 years I’ve become very creative with a microwave and a kettle. The accommodation at Keble is probably some of the nicest uni accommodation I’ve seen. Across the board, the standard of rooms is really high and the majority of rooms in Keble are en-suite, and even those that aren’t you only share a bathroom with one other person so it isn’t really an issue.
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