Open Days are a great opportunity to get a feel for the University, find out about courses in your subjects and meet current tutors and students. Like the other colleges, Trinity runs various events and tours throughout each Open Day (either virtually or in-person!). Open Days ordinarily take place across three days in June/July and September and we encourage you to attend these in Year 12/the start of Year 13. 

Some advice for tackling Open Days at Oxford 

On each Open Day, there will be lots of events going on across the central university, the subject departments and the colleges and it can be easy to get a little lost. We want to ensure that you see all the bits that are most relevant for you so here is our recommendation for how to tackle the day(s).

On the run up to each Open Day, the University, departments and colleges will release a timetable of events so we recommend that you look at these in advance and highlight the events you would like to attend. Make sure they don’t clash! Once you have done this, you will have a clear idea of your personal timetable for the day. Generally, it is best to attend the central university events and the department events before you look at the colleges. This is so you have a good idea of the University as a whole and your course before moving on to looking at where you might want to live.

Step 1: Look at the central University’s events and pick out any that you would find useful. You may wish for example, to learn more about admissions, financial support or the University’s societies.

Step 2: Have a look at what your subject department is running during the day and choose what you’d like to take advantage of. Your course is your most important decision and the course is the same at every college. If you have questions about how your course will run, your department is your first port of call!

Step 3: Check out the colleges! Colleges provide your tutorial teaching (not lectures or seminars), accommodation, meals, common rooms, low-level sports and music groups and social facilities. They also provide pastoral care for you. The colleges all have the same job so the only differences between them are practical. You do not have to state a college preference when you apply but you can if you’d like to.

Choosing a college

When making a shortlist to visit, we recommend that you choose according to your preferences in the following criteria:

1. Subject: Not all colleges offer all subjects so make sure that you only look at colleges that offer your course.
2. Size and Age: Some colleges are old and some much more modern; some are very big in terms of their site and their student population, others are much smaller; which would you prefer?
3. Location: Would you like a college that is close to the city centre or to your department or to the sports facilities, for example?
4. Accommodation: Some colleges offer accommodation for all the years of your degree, others can only offer for some years. Similarly, some accommodation is on the main college site and some of it is off-site, depending on the college and their space.
5. Facilities: The facilities differ depending on the college; some have a gym, some have a college bar, etc. They also have different college societies, for example football teams, drama groups or music groups. These societies are smaller than the central University societies and tend to be more social and laid back. They are open to college-members only and in sports, they often compete with other colleges.