My daughter is a freshman at Oxford. She was admitted to main and Oxford, but chose Oxford for a variety of reasons. She is pre-med (probably) with a likely major of chemistry. She is finding her classes very interesting and challenging. Her physics class is very demanding, with lots of homework and assignments. Tests take 3 or 4 hours to complete. She was an excellent student in high school, with a 36 ACT, a perfect GPA and 5’s on all AP exams, including physics I. There is no curve in the class, and an A is 94. While she would love to have a 4.0, she is unsure she will be able to get that 94. An A- counts for 3.7 grade points, so the difference between an A and an A- isn’t trivial. She loves her professor even though this class is hard and time-consuming. She’s taking the second part next semester.
Besides physics, she’s taking two humanities courses plus a foreign language, and PE. Those classes are also very demanding but she’s really enjoying them, so much so that I wouldn’t be surprised if she chooses a different major and just takes the science classes she needs for med school.
Class participation is a must and so is attendance. Small class size was one of the main reasons she chose Oxford.
There is definitely drinking at Oxford (in the dorms), and a lot of kids do go to main or to Ga Tech to go to fraternity parties. Since she doesn’t drink, she’s had to find other things to do. She’s gone to plays and attended functions put on by various student groups. She’s gotten heavily involved in extracurriculars and they keep her busy during the week. She occasionally goes to main for activities there. Oxford is having a formal dance at a hotel this weekend which sounds fun.
Dorms are nice and generally quiet. The food is so-so.
I think my daughter made a good decision. She is definitely being challenged and does not feel like a number. Students really do seem to form relationships with their professors. I think Oxford is a good bridge between high school and a larger research-focused institution. I went to one of those, and I remember feeling short changed as a freshman with mostly grad students for teachers, who couldn’t wait to leave class to get back to their research. You get a totally different vibe from the faculty at Oxford. They are there because they love to teach and they’re really good at it.
Hope my rambling helps a little!