Somerville College is a mortarboard's (800 metres) throw from the town centre, near the trendy area of Jericho. It’s a relaxed, peaceful college that has less strict entry standards then some of its siblings and welcomes students who can't attend open days. One of the first female colleges, Somerville's Oestregen overload came to an end in 1994 when men, testosterone in tow, were first allowed admittance. Has a mix of rather institutional architecture and gorgeous gardens. The small bar, with its merry happy hours, is a vital social lubricant. Informality and tolerance is the rule and Somervillians opt out of some of Oxford’s dafter traditions (students can walk on the grass, for example), although its political folk are ubiquitous in positions of authority across OUSU and the Union (debating soc).
| Sex ratio (M:F): 49:51 |
Founded: 1879 |
| Full-time u’grads: 363 |
Part-time: n/a |
| Postgrads: 104 |
Mature: n/a |
| State:private school: 63:37 |
International: n/a |
| Academic ranking: 28 |
Disabled: 2% |
Ents: Bar next to digital TV room – also near the legendary Duke of Cambridge pub (happy hour) and Brown’s restaurant - not near much else, students need a bike. Flora Anderson Hall is the place to head for bands. An active thespy scene with a JCR drama rep to boot and a busy music society on the side. Cinderellas get to go to the ball every three years.
Library: Good amount of books (100,000+ ) and 10 computers. The library was built in 1903 as an alternative to blokey Bodleian Library, which women couldn't use. Extensive English and History collections and 24 hour access. Most rooms have Ethernet.
Other facilities are: music rehearsal rooms, a non-denominational chapel and a Catholic church next door.
Sports: Somerville's got (some sporting) talent, especially in football, netball, rugby and rowing. Has its own gym and shared fields with Wadham.
Accommodation: All first years live in and all finalists can if they wish. Accommodation's varied but spacious rooms are the norm. Pay-as-you-eat meal system; weekly formal hall. Parking impossible. Like superheros the world over fighting forces of evil, the gallant JCR is valiantly fighting against increasing rents. Its Equalisation scheme (£80/term) helps second years with costs of living out.
- LGBT, Postgrad, Women’s, International Students’ and LGB reps and Ethnic Students' Officer
- Doctor
- Nurse
- Crèche with 16 places
- Plenty of charity and fundraising events
- Not bad wheelchair access and five adapted rooms for disabled students
- Hearing aid loops in the chapel
- Means-tested awards (£5-500), travel and sports grants from JCR, scholarships, book prizes, well-endowed hardship fund. Alternative prospectus available.
FAMOUS ALUMNI
Sunethra Bandaranaike (Sri Lanka’s former PM); Indira Ghandi (India’s former PM); Dorothy Hodgkin (Nobel Prize winner); Iris Murdoch (writer); Baroness Park (spymaster); Esther Rantzen (toothy TV celeb); Dorothy L Sayers (crime writer – wrote about the College in Gaudy Night); Baroness Margaret Thatcher (former PM); Baroness Shirley Williams (Lib Dem). Clearly a college of choice for those with burning political lusts.