craven.fr (.ox.ac.uk)

This is an article in my series on Oxford's colleges and PPHs. These 'profiles' are based entirely on my own personal perspective and opinions; prospective students are advised to look rather to the prospectus and alternative prospectus of any college they are considering applying to, rather than place too much stock in my descriptions. Previous articles describe what colleges are, then discuss Nuffield College, the PPHs, All Souls' College, University College, and St. Antony's College, Christ Church, Oriel College, and Pembroke College.

The first quirk to know about Magdalen College is that its name is pronounced "Maudlin" (a classic shibboleth for exposing outsiders to Oxford). The second is that the choir sings from the tower to greet the dawn on May 1st. Third, they have their own deer park. With deer.

Magdalen, then, can lay as much claim as any place in Oxford for having the sort of eccentric traditions that Oxbridge is so famous for. (Speaking of eccentrics, Oscar Wilde was a member.) It can also lay claim to the most beautiful specimens of that amazing architecture that Oxbridge is famous for.

In fact, it is widely considered to be the most æsthetically pleasing college in all of Oxford or Cambridge. And it is very wealthy to boot. (Did I mention they own their own deer park?)

For all these reasons, Magdalen is one of the harder colleges to get into, in spite of its large size. For this reason alone, it was never really on my list of college choices personally (risk of refusal was an important factor in my college selection, as I vehemently did not want to be pooled—though happily the question was moot, as I was accepted into my first choice college Oriel). But, on the other hand, that selectivity is about the only criticial thing I can come up with to say about Magdalen. If your biggest problem is that you are so popular that everyone wants to be associated with you, I'd say that means you are doing pretty well.

I did have multiple occasions to visit Magdalen, however, and their world-famous choir's evensong is not to be missed. I was also lucky enough to get in to view some of the rare books in their old library, although unfortunately I did not attend a formal hall there. It really is a gorgeous place, in fact I would go so far as to say that among the 'super-popular' colleges, it is the most deserving of its reputation as a desirable place to study. Magdalen undoubtedly deserves to be grouped among those colleges that embody Oxford at its finest.