University of Cambridge
Cambridge
Cambridge PGCE Students and Applicants
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University of Cambridge
Cambridge
Original post by Craghyrax
Neither! They're not good choices, sorry.
Any particular reasons, and do you have another suggestion? What did you do?
Original post by morepork
Any particular reasons, and do you have another suggestion? What did you do?
I did a BA in Social and Political Sciences at Peterhouse, and an MPhil in Sociology at Trinity Hall
Both Hughes Hall and Homerton are very new colleges. If you do care about the 'Cambridge experience' as you suggested above, neither of these colleges would be exemplars for that. They are both set away from the central old colleges. They are both quite poor, which affects things like the quality of facilities, how much housing they can provide, what books they have in their libraries, how much money they can give for things like conference attendance, course costs, hardship etc. I don't have anything against new colleges, and I'm really not a snob or anything. However some new colleges have more money than others, which makes a difference. If you look on the wikipedia page for colleges it breaks down the wealth of different colleges into a table.
I know lots of very happy students from Hughes Hall and Homerton, but I wouldn't choose them for the reasons above.
In terms of convenience and proximity to amenities, both of them are fine. Homerton is near a big Leisure park, and Hughes Hall is on a very popular student road which has a lot of ethnic independent stores and interesting shops.
I advise PGCE students not to apply to Homerton because I think it narrows your social horizons. There is such a high number of PGCEs there that you're unlikely to mix with people from different subject areas. Whereas if you apply to any of the other colleges, you'll have a good variety. The other thing is that a lot of fun social and cultural things happen in the city centre based in various colleges, and if you're at Homerton you're further out and its more of a mission to get stuck into this sort of thing. Whereas if you're more centrally placed you're more likely to get involved. This is especially true with respect to exploring life at different colleges, and doing things like college formal swaps which are fun.
Most of the PGCE students I met had completely different experiences of Cambridge than other students, which I thought was a real shame. For instance I met one who'd never visited another college, or been punting because the whole year he lived near Homerton and never went into the city for anything. I just think that's a pity because its such a unique and beautiful place
Of course the PGCE is very time consuming, and a lot of the time you're in placements in schools. Loads of PGCEs I knew had cars because you had to travel so much. So part of the reason is obviously having less time and a much more structured course - PGCEs can't be as social as students in other subjects can.
If you're not planning on using a bike (most people do because its so easy, and Cambridge is a nice place to cycle) then you should base your college selection on the UNI4. This costs 50p for every single journey with the presentation of your University Card. It goes from Addenbrookes stopping at Homerton and then through the city centre and then out to the West of Cambridge. Colleges it passes after Homerton are Peterhouse, St Catherines, Pembroke, Corpus Christi, Darwin, Queens', Selwyn, Robinson, and then the West Cambridge colleges (Murray Edwards, Fitzwilliam, Churchill) and the Trinity Hall and Corpus Christi graduate accommodation area. For any college you're interested in you need to check their accommodation information to find out where the graduate students live, because often its somewhere different to where the main college is.
FadetoBlackout
I am a PGCE student!
Wasn't sure if you were aware of this thread? Thought you may want to contribute.
Original post by Craghyrax
I did a BA in Social and Political Sciences at Peterhouse, and an MPhil in Sociology at Trinity Hall
Both Hughes Hall and Homerton are very new colleges. If you do care about the 'Cambridge experience' as you suggested above, neither of these colleges would be exemplars for that. They are both set away from the central old colleges. They are both quite poor, which affects things like the quality of facilities, how much housing they can provide, what books they have in their libraries, how much money they can give for things like conference attendance, course costs, hardship etc. I don't have anything against new colleges, and I'm really not a snob or anything. However some new colleges have more money than others, which makes a difference. If you look on the wikipedia page for colleges it breaks down the wealth of different colleges into a table.
I know lots of very happy students from Hughes Hall and Homerton, but I wouldn't choose them for the reasons above.
In terms of convenience and proximity to amenities, both of them are fine. Homerton is near a big Leisure park, and Hughes Hall is on a very popular student road which has a lot of ethnic independent stores and interesting shops.
I advise PGCE students not to apply to Homerton because I think it narrows your social horizons. There is such a high number of PGCEs there that you're unlikely to mix with people from different subject areas. Whereas if you apply to any of the other colleges, you'll have a good variety. The other thing is that a lot of fun social and cultural things happen in the city centre based in various colleges, and if you're at Homerton you're further out and its more of a mission to get stuck into this sort of thing. Whereas if you're more centrally placed you're more likely to get involved. This is especially true with respect to exploring life at different colleges, and doing things like college formal swaps which are fun.
Most of the PGCE students I met had completely different experiences of Cambridge than other students, which I thought was a real shame. For instance I met one who'd never visited another college, or been punting because the whole year he lived near Homerton and never went into the city for anything. I just think that's a pity because its such a unique and beautiful place
Of course the PGCE is very time consuming, and a lot of the time you're in placements in schools. Loads of PGCEs I knew had cars because you had to travel so much. So part of the reason is obviously having less time and a much more structured course - PGCEs can't be as social as students in other subjects can.
If you're not planning on using a bike (most people do because its so easy, and Cambridge is a nice place to cycle) then you should base your college selection on the UNI4. This costs 50p for every single journey with the presentation of your University Card. It goes from Addenbrookes stopping at Homerton and then through the city centre and then out to the West of Cambridge. Colleges it passes after Homerton are Peterhouse, St Catherines, Pembroke, Corpus Christi, Darwin, Queens', Selwyn, Robinson, and then the West Cambridge colleges (Murray Edwards, Fitzwilliam, Churchill) and the Trinity Hall and Corpus Christi graduate accommodation area. For any college you're interested in you need to check their accommodation information to find out where the graduate students live, because often its somewhere different to where the main college is.
Wasn't sure if you were aware of this thread? Thought you may want to contribute.
Both Hughes Hall and Homerton are very new colleges. If you do care about the 'Cambridge experience' as you suggested above, neither of these colleges would be exemplars for that. They are both set away from the central old colleges. They are both quite poor, which affects things like the quality of facilities, how much housing they can provide, what books they have in their libraries, how much money they can give for things like conference attendance, course costs, hardship etc. I don't have anything against new colleges, and I'm really not a snob or anything. However some new colleges have more money than others, which makes a difference. If you look on the wikipedia page for colleges it breaks down the wealth of different colleges into a table.
I know lots of very happy students from Hughes Hall and Homerton, but I wouldn't choose them for the reasons above.
In terms of convenience and proximity to amenities, both of them are fine. Homerton is near a big Leisure park, and Hughes Hall is on a very popular student road which has a lot of ethnic independent stores and interesting shops.
I advise PGCE students not to apply to Homerton because I think it narrows your social horizons. There is such a high number of PGCEs there that you're unlikely to mix with people from different subject areas. Whereas if you apply to any of the other colleges, you'll have a good variety. The other thing is that a lot of fun social and cultural things happen in the city centre based in various colleges, and if you're at Homerton you're further out and its more of a mission to get stuck into this sort of thing. Whereas if you're more centrally placed you're more likely to get involved. This is especially true with respect to exploring life at different colleges, and doing things like college formal swaps which are fun.
Most of the PGCE students I met had completely different experiences of Cambridge than other students, which I thought was a real shame. For instance I met one who'd never visited another college, or been punting because the whole year he lived near Homerton and never went into the city for anything. I just think that's a pity because its such a unique and beautiful place
Of course the PGCE is very time consuming, and a lot of the time you're in placements in schools. Loads of PGCEs I knew had cars because you had to travel so much. So part of the reason is obviously having less time and a much more structured course - PGCEs can't be as social as students in other subjects can.
If you're not planning on using a bike (most people do because its so easy, and Cambridge is a nice place to cycle) then you should base your college selection on the UNI4. This costs 50p for every single journey with the presentation of your University Card. It goes from Addenbrookes stopping at Homerton and then through the city centre and then out to the West of Cambridge. Colleges it passes after Homerton are Peterhouse, St Catherines, Pembroke, Corpus Christi, Darwin, Queens', Selwyn, Robinson, and then the West Cambridge colleges (Murray Edwards, Fitzwilliam, Churchill) and the Trinity Hall and Corpus Christi graduate accommodation area. For any college you're interested in you need to check their accommodation information to find out where the graduate students live, because often its somewhere different to where the main college is.
Wasn't sure if you were aware of this thread? Thought you may want to contribute.
^^ What she said about the negative points. I'm at neither of those colleges, btw, just a more central, older college.
There are, however, some positive points to being at one of the heavily-PGCE centred colleges. Whilst on placement- I am this term for 6 weeks, and next term for 8 weeks, so nearly two thirds of your time- I've not got the time to go into college, and the majority of students have only just come back, even the postgrads. Because the PGCE follows the school terms, and not the much shorter university terms, you can find yourself one of very few people in college outside of termtime, unless you're in a college with lots of other PGCE students. If you're living in college (I'm not) then you could have rather a lonely time at each end of the term.
The other point is that as you're not the normal postgrad student, some colleges do seem to have more faff and to not understand the process. For example, my college specified that I had to attend a mandatory matriculation ceremony, safety talks, and photographs, but this was the same day as one of my compulsory placements which were also mandatory! I also had to specially arrange to pick up my new university card early, and things like that.
So there are some benefits to being at one of those two colleges, compared to other ones. But the main thing is that the PGCE is not a very "Cambridge" experience. Having done my undergrad here too, I can say that although there are similarities- heavy workload, work into the night, surviving on caffeine- because you spend so much time in schools and at compulsory lectures and seminars, you've not got the freedom to be involved in normal student life as you could otherwise.
So it's up to you, really. If I were living in college, I'd probably choose Homerton or Hughes, or maybe Queens. As I'm not living in college, I had a much freer choice.
There are other colleges that are older and give a truer experience, but take in PGCE students, though- Queens' takes rather more than the average, certainly 20 or so I think, compared to the normal 1 or 2 students at a few colleges outside of Homerton, Hughes, and Lucy Cavendish.
Original post by Craghyrax
... I'm really not a snob or anything...
I read this all through and thought you ought to know that you're making an atrocious job of dispelling this impression...
Thanks for the great replies. Really useful:-) My interview is tomorrow and I'm still undecided about which college to choose. It keeps coming down to the fact that Hughes and Homerton cater specially for us plus we'd be surrounded by other people in the same boat and let's be honest, I don't imagine I'm going to have all that much time for shopping, drinking, socialising so it's better to be with other like-minded students. However, at my one chance to live in Cambridge, it seems a downright shame to miss out on the excellent Cambridge experience.
I did my first degree in New College in Edinburgh and every day I was continually breathtaken at the majestic sight of the clock tower in the mist as I walked through the gates on the mound to my college. I'd love to have that again.
I'm going to wait until tomorrow to actually visit the place (homerton) and decide then whether to put it at first or another traditional college at first.
THANK YOU for the great advice again
I did my first degree in New College in Edinburgh and every day I was continually breathtaken at the majestic sight of the clock tower in the mist as I walked through the gates on the mound to my college. I'd love to have that again.
I'm going to wait until tomorrow to actually visit the place (homerton) and decide then whether to put it at first or another traditional college at first.
THANK YOU for the great advice again
Original post by saster
I read this all through and thought you ought to know that you're making an atrocious job of dispelling this impression...
Thanks for notifying me. I'm sorry my best efforts failed.
Original post by morepork
Thanks for the great replies. Really useful:-) My interview is tomorrow and I'm still undecided about which college to choose. It keeps coming down to the fact that Hughes and Homerton cater specially for us plus we'd be surrounded by other people in the same boat and let's be honest, I don't imagine I'm going to have all that much time for shopping, drinking, socialising so it's better to be with other like-minded students. However, at my one chance to live in Cambridge, it seems a downright shame to miss out on the excellent Cambridge experience.
I did my first degree in New College in Edinburgh and every day I was continually breathtaken at the majestic sight of the clock tower in the mist as I walked through the gates on the mound to my college. I'd love to have that again.
I'm going to wait until tomorrow to actually visit the place (homerton) and decide then whether to put it at first or another traditional college at first.
THANK YOU for the great advice again
I did my first degree in New College in Edinburgh and every day I was continually breathtaken at the majestic sight of the clock tower in the mist as I walked through the gates on the mound to my college. I'd love to have that again.
I'm going to wait until tomorrow to actually visit the place (homerton) and decide then whether to put it at first or another traditional college at first.
THANK YOU for the great advice again
Good luck
(edited 12 years ago)
thanks Craghyrax:-) Just got to practise my presentation ONE more time....
Ditzyknit, I'm on a secondary RE sorry, but I think that it's still the same: you should be very flattered and confident that you've been invited to interview. That means that they really like you. Chin up and remember that they want you to be great and they're not trying to trip you up. Just be as prepared as you can be and that will give you confidence. Best of luck
Ditzyknit, I'm on a secondary RE sorry, but I think that it's still the same: you should be very flattered and confident that you've been invited to interview. That means that they really like you. Chin up and remember that they want you to be great and they're not trying to trip you up. Just be as prepared as you can be and that will give you confidence. Best of luck
I am now panicking about what to wear - I had decided on a dress with some boots and a cardi, but have read that it should be fairly formal.
I sew and knit etc so am wanting to wear something that I've made to pique their interest, but everything I have doesn't appear to be suitable, so I may have to whip up a quick dress to wear with a smart jacket!
I'm not usually a suit/smart clothes wearer - more tea dresses and high-waisted shorts! I don't want to hide my colourful personality, but I wanted to see what other people have worn?
I get the feeling PGCE interviews will be less business wear than Secondary?
I sew and knit etc so am wanting to wear something that I've made to pique their interest, but everything I have doesn't appear to be suitable, so I may have to whip up a quick dress to wear with a smart jacket!
I'm not usually a suit/smart clothes wearer - more tea dresses and high-waisted shorts! I don't want to hide my colourful personality, but I wanted to see what other people have worn?
I get the feeling PGCE interviews will be less business wear than Secondary?
Original post by ditzyknit
Anybody had their Primary interview and got any tips? I have mine on Monday and am panicking!
xx
xx
Hi ditzyknit, I had my interview before Christmas for the Primary PGCE and was offered a place. I would advise you not to worry too much; it's very relaxed. They do reiterate how well you have done to get as far as the interview stage. My main piece of advice would be to just be yourself and don't get too stressed! Good luck!
Original post by ditzyknit
Anybody had their Primary interview and got any tips? I have mine on Monday and am panicking!
xx
xx
2010 seems such a long time ago now.....
But the main thing is that you have to be yourself, but a good version of yourself. Without giving away too many details, there are group tasks. When completing these tasks, you will have to strike a balance between engaging with the group but dominating the conversation, and allowing others to speak but not contributing. Pushy, but not too pushy, if you see what I mean. Show an interest in the other candidates when they're talking.
There are also some individual bits, like writing, and the interview itself, as well as your little presentation. These are pretty crucial too.
Good luck! My primary interview day, being only a morning, was much shorter and less exhaustive (and more successful!) than my interview for Secondary history that I'd had the year before which took an entire 9-4 day of assessing different things.
Hey, the PGCE RE secondary interview went well: probably because the 2 interviewers were so incredibly nice and tried really hard to make us feel at ease. There were three of us candidates all together. If you have your interview, then don't stress because they are all lovely. Just try and relax so that you can really show your personality. Good luck (still no reply from the uni though, so still waiting)
Still waiting to hear from my secondary geography interview on the 19th, bored times yo
Original post by robo donkey
Still waiting to hear from my secondary geography interview on the 19th, bored times yo
But only a few more days for you Robo... I hope they get back to me quicker than two weeks though. Every day that passes I start to forget my mistakes and the stupid things I said, and everything seems beautifully rose-tinted and I envisage myself floating down the 800 year old corridors of Cambridge.... wish they'd just hurry up and reject me so I can move on
wish they'd just hurry up and reject me so I can move on
Haha, I literally feel the same way, awful wait really
Haha, I literally feel the same way, awful wait really
Original post by robo donkey
wish they'd just hurry up and reject me so I can move on
Haha, I literally feel the same way, awful wait really
Haha, I literally feel the same way, awful wait really
Ditto... feels like the longest 2 weeks ever!
Original post by ditzyknit
I am now panicking about what to wear...
I wouldn't worry that much. I wore something that I thought I might wear when I'm a teacher - just a skirt, blouse and cardi. The main thing is being comfy in what your wearing and letting your personality shine through; what you wear isn't important! The idea of wearing your knitted clothes sounds as that'd give you something unique to you but I wouldn't spend time knitting a whole new dress. Good luck xxx
Couldn't agree more - you need to be comfortable in what you are wearing. I wore a skirt, boots, blouse and jumper - add some colour if you can! I have received an offer from Cambridge for Primary PGCE and at the end of the day they are not making a decision on your clothing...be yourself, be enthusiastic and really portray why you will make an excellent teacher and why Cambridge is the right University and course for you! Good Luck!
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