What is it Really Like to Study at Oxford: St Hilda's College Edition

Perhaps you're waiting on an acceptance letter after sitting a St Hilda's College interview. Perhaps you're doing some research into what it's like to study at each of the Oxford colleges (we have another blog you might like). Or perhaps you're just nosey.

Either way, get stuck into what St Hilda’s is really like, told by a graduate who spent three years between the JCR bar, the college library, and dining hall.

A college with women at its centre

St Hilda’s was founded as a women’s college, and although it is now mixed, that history is woven visibly and confidently into the fabric of the place. Walk through the hallways or into the dining hall and you immediately notice that the portraits are nearly all of women.

There's a general sense of equality written into Hilda's – the dining hall tables are the only round tables of all the Oxford colleges, unlike the long, Harry Potter style tables of other colleges. You sit down to eat and find yourself surrounded not by centuries of men, but by generations of women who shaped the college and the university.

Life on the river (and the joy of free punts)

One of the clichés people repeat about Hilda’s is that it is by the river, but the experience is more immersive than the line suggests. The river is the college, and it becomes part of your routine; it floods the fields opposite the college most Michaelmas terms; you sit beside it with friends in Trinity term; you hear rowers going past before breakfast.

And then there are the punts. Every summer term, students can take them out for free, and alumni keep that privilege for life.

Accommodation, buildings, and the bits nobody puts in the prospectus

Hilda’s architecture is a mix, and that is putting it politely. Some of the first-year accommodation is not going to win any beauty competitions, although, in fairness, most Oxford first-year blocks wouldn’t. What you do get is a campus that opens onto gardens and the river, and a nice sense of space that's (frankly) lacking in other colleges.

The newer buildings are bright, airy, and pleasant to work in. The library, which overlooks the water, becomes a second home for most students.

The dining hall is also an honest point of difference. It is not the most beautiful one in Oxford, and it doesn’t pretend to be, but it is the only college hall that uses round tables. It sounds like a small thing, but it has an impact. Combined with the portraits on the walls, the place has a sense of equality, if not grandeur.

What it feels like to study here

Academically, Hilda’s is very similar to most Oxford colleges: intense terms and demanding tutorials. But unlike some other colleges (cough cough), there's a palpable lack of competitiveness here.

There's an understanding from Hilda's tutors that students are humans, not machines, and it really makes a difference to how you perceive the workload, particularly in first year.

The social side of St Hilda's College

Social life at Hilda’s benefits from its size. It is big enough that you are never stuck with the same people, but small enough that you recognise everyone. Because of the layout of the site, you see people constantly. Not everyone likes this sort of size, but I personally found it a happy medium, and think it creates a nicer sense of community than some of the big colleges.

The riverbank becomes a natural social hub in summer, and during the colder months people migrate into the JCR (the student common room/bar) or simply each other’s kitchens.

The drawbacks (don't say we're not honest)

No college is perfect, and Hilda’s is no exception. If you're dreaming of Hogwarts, you're better off applying to Christ Church or Magdalen, or whatever.  Some of the older accommodation blocks have more personality than polish. It is slightly further from the Bodleian and some central lecture venues, and you will occasionally wish you lived two minutes closer to Pret.

But none of these things define the experience. In fact, most students find they grow unexpectedly fond of the campus quirks.

So what is it really like to study at Oxford?

St Hilda’s is not Oxford at its most grand, but it is Oxford at its most human. Above all, it is a college that gives you space to grow: academically, socially, and, if you spend enough time in the punts, maybe even physically, depending on how often you fall in.

If you are applying to Oxford and want help choosing a college, shaping your application, or preparing for admissions tests and interviews, we work with applicants across all subjects at Avalon Education.

And if you want the full breakdown of every Oxford college, you can read our complete guide.