Getting an offer from Oxford might seem like a life changing experience.
For international students, I hope to spur your thinking and help to make a more informed choice.
Fees
As an international student, you are effectively subsidising the cost of educating British students.
Fees for economics and management are as follows:
The reason for this is because the government provides little financial support, but caps the fees for British students, with fees having been frozen at £9,250. This compels universities to charge the unprotected segment more in order to cover costs. In fact, non-EU students make up almost 20% of total income.
This is a key reason why I hesitated in choosing to study at Oxford. Frankly, if it had been any other university aside from Oxford and Cambridge, I would probably have turned the offer down. Ultimately, I made the choice to do so out of fear of regret – that I would hate myself down the road for passing on the chance to study at one of the world’s oldest and most reputed institutions. Still, it was a decision made after months of pondering. I would urge you to consider this alongside your financial situation and the quality of subsidised education you may have available to you in your home country.
Level of knowledge acquired
Oxford tutorial system works by having mass lectures to introduce the content to you, followed by small group tutorials that allow you to discuss the subject matter with tutors who are experts in the subject.
However, your mileage may vary. Imagine having a private concert where sometimes Beyoncé shows up, but other times it’s her lesser-known cousin who just learned to play the guitar. I have had tutorials that were one tutor to seven students, and multiple instances where the tutor was a DPhil candidate.
Some professors would have done extensive research, some tutors not so much. If this is something that appeals to you, please ensure the tutors affiliated with the college are ones you want to learn from – possibly if they have written papers that you find especially fascinating.
Getting a First is also anecdotally much harder in Oxford and requires focused work for the eight week term. The compressed syllabus means that you have much lesser time to process information. Most students end up feeling pretty down by the mid of the term (week 5 blues, yay!). You do get a fantastic six-week break in both Winter and Easter though.
Career opportunities
In E&M, finance and consulting dominate the range of career paths. If you are looking at working in the UK, Oxford is definitely the one with the highest ROI, with certain caveats. I list the considerations of working in London in a separate article here.
While the E&M degree can be pared back in difficulty to give one the space to find a job, other degrees may come with a crippling workload that hinders that. No worries, you can either ChatGPT the essays or just hand in absolute tosh to your tutors. Just grow a thicker skin if you need a job – consider it your first lesson in resilience.
The prestige of the university might be helpful when it comes to finding a job outside of the UK but within, it counts for much less. However, if you do end up working back in your home country, you will have a smaller network compared to the people who stayed in your home country. It does become quite difficult to stay in touch with friends residing abroad.
Diversity is widely emphasized by companies, especially for those who identify as Black and Minority Ethnic (BME), female, or LGBTQIA+ so do be aware of the boost/handicap this may pose to you accordingly if a career is London is a driving factor for studying abroad.
Social life
Oxford offers a wide range of activities and this is really incredible. You can stroll to the oldest public museum in Europe on your way to the supermarket, or chat with friends in dining halls that served Margaret Thatcher or were the headquarters to D-Day landings. You might end up having drinks in the first parish to be created since the Reformation – a church that opened in 1835 and is now a bar called FREUD, or having a cup of coffee in the Queen’s Lane Coffee House – which dates back to 1654.
You can dabble in different activities irrespective of degree – biotechnology, longevity, psychedelics, start-ups, Taylor Swift fan clubs. It is this rich soup of activities that brings Oxford to life, as well as the ability to add whatever you want to add. Be part of the Union and become a Big Name on Campus if the practice of politics runs in your veins. Join as many sports as you like, and go for the rowing team if you fancy early morning workouts.
In terms of environment, Oxford is a superb little town, bustling with enough activity to keep it from being boring. Definitely superior to Cambridge. At the risk of being a little trite, I will admit that Oxford pales in comparison to London. You will have to make your way down to London for top-tier musicals and clubbing that is more exciting and wild – where your fellow club-goers aren’t all students.
However, do note that moving out of the UK for a holiday is an absolute pain. Although you can snag cheap tickets from Ryanair, the bus from Oxford to Stansted airport can be as expensive as the flight and add four hours of journey time. That is a small benefit of being in London instead, because you can take the Elizabeth line down to Heathrow or a quick bus to Gatwick/Stansted.
Finally, because the only examinations that matter for economics and management are at the end of your third year, you have a lot of time to spend developing yourself, if that is to your fancy and you can bear the disappointed looks from your tutor after turning in a ChatGPT-generated essay.
Final remarks
In conclusion, Oxford is a great experience, but do understand that an international student is little more than a cash cow to subsidise UK students. You are contributing to the British economy and propping up the education budgets – but is that really beneficial to you?
If you are determined to go to the United Kingdom or just abroad, Oxford is definitely a great option in terms of branding and life. The prestige and awestruck feeling you get from striding along these halls blessed with history really compensate for the less exciting, countryside feel of the university compared to London. Besides, you could always work in London later.
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