<p>Finally I join the ranks of other parents whose students are safely stashed away at college. My son is well settled in at Brasenose (500th anniversary in 2009) and when I left him yesterday he was double booked for college Fresher’s Week activities and the Oxford International Student association orientation program. </p>
<p>His room, a single about 10x12 with sink, overlooks one of the three quads (the college has 10 foot thick walls, it feels like a cloister inside - peaceful and quiet) and features a fierce stone owl gargoyle staring at him through the ancient glass. He is very close to the Junior Common Room, the dining room, and the laundry, a perfect location. </p>
<p>The staff, tutors, and students were very friendly and welcoming. This week he will audition for the college choir that sings twice weekly in an intimate paneled chapel with a beautiful pipe organ (they sang at St. Peters and the Sistine Chapel) and is already scheduled to audition for a few performing groups. He gets his first academic assignments later in the week and term starts Monday.</p>
<p>Great news. Brasenose is a wonderful college.<br>
I got an email from my niece is France last week telling me she was tired of being on vacation and looking forward to returning to college this week.</p>
<p>Thanks, everyone - I will post now and then about his experiences for the benefit of other parents/students who might consider adding UK colleges to their application list.</p>
<p>I do think it is a wonderful opportunity to be in a small self-contained residential college (BNC has 377 undergraduates and about 90 grads) while also having access to the full university atmosphere of 11,000 undergrads and 6,000 graduate students. In addition, the travel opportunities are excellent - check this out - 20GBP round trip airfare to Dublin from Heathrow!</p>
<p>The down side of college in the UK, for many students, would be that you are expected to focus on the subject(s) in the course and there are only one or two electives possible during the three years. When we walked by the science buildings, I teased my son by saying [Physics] “you’ll never go in there” and [Chemistry] “you’ll never go in there.” One of the reasons he selected Oxford is that he realized he had too many interests and that he really wanted to master a few subjects (in his case, Psych, Phil, and Physiology) rather than indulge all of his academic whims. I think this was, in his case, a mature decision. We will see if he has any regrets.</p>
<p>How exciting! What a wonderful and unique experience for your son. I’m glad he’s settled in, safe and sound. I look forward to hearing all about his experiences! Here’s wishing both of you the very best…</p>
<p>So happy to hear your son is settling in at BNC. Please do post and let us know how he is getting on. And although you mention narrowing horiizons, don’t forget he can audit lectures. E.g. although I read English at Oxford, I made a point of sitting in on classes that interested me in other disciplines. It’s not all tutorials in the colleges - I think there’s a chance he may be entering the science (and other) buildings. How did he like the Freshers Fair?</p>
<p>I hope your son did enjoy Freshers Fair - I was running one of the stalls! Brasenose is a beautiful college, and I’m sure your son will be very happy there. (In true Oxford college wars style however, I am duty bound to add that Brasenose is not a patch on the wonder of the world that is Pembroke! )</p>
<p>There are a lot more joint courses at Oxford nowadays: PPP which yulsie’s son is reading; Philosophy, Politics & Economics; History & Modern Languages; History & English; Physics & Philosophy etc. These would merit special attention by potential American applicants who might otherwise be worried that their study would be too narrow. The drawback, I understand, is that the workload can be heavier than normal :eek: .</p>
<p>Of course even in single honours it’s not like being in school with a rigid set curriculum - there’s a great range of options that can be chosen.</p>
Brasenose is a beautiful college, and I’m sure your son will be very happy there. (In true Oxford college wars style however, I am duty bound to add that Brasenose is not a patch on the wonder of the world that is Pembroke! 
)</p>