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Cambridge Colleges... the things they don't tell us!

After reading the Cambridge 2005 prospectus I got the feeling that every college at Cambridge is the same, in the sense that they are all equally wonderful places to be etc... Some of the treads started on here have shown that this isn't always the case. Any Cambridge students out there who want to name and shame the bad points of some of the colleges? Or if you're in a particualrly good mood, why not mention some of the good points of your own college?

LET THE BATTLE COMMENCE :wink:

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Reply 1

London Prophet

I don't go to uni at cambridge, but i live here

Sydney Sussex is 10 steps from Sainsbury's .... so plus point there

Reply 2

KHL

to be perfectly honest, there are so many more similarities than differences between the colleges, simply because we're all part of the same institution. the differences are there in the propectuses, but since they are so small and subtle, you just have to be sharp to spot them.

as for why we are all so "different" on this board, i guess we all are proud of our own colleges, and would much rather stress the differences which make us better/stand out, rather than be a face in the crowd (mature colleges anyone?)...

Reply 3

Minta

Or_Kiaz

LET THE BATTLE COMMENCE :wink:

For a view of the pros and cons of each cam college, try http://www.cusu.cam.ac.uk/publications/altpro/

Reply 4

RetiredAccount89

Minta

For a view of the pros and cons of each cam college, try http://www.cusu.cam.ac.uk/publications/altpro/

i hate that site. i think no matter where you go you are always going to get biased views. which brings me to my current rant. People who give access talks. They should be vetted. I met someone who was put off of Corpus because the person who gave their schools access talk came from here and is an utter geek who made us look bad by
a) representing us
b) acting like he was the king daddy and that everyone else is boring compared to him
The gimp single handedly put off huge tracts of people who thought that it meant cambridge people would all be like him
J

Reply 5

Helenia

foolfarian

Oh join the club, I seriously think that the access scheme should vet people doing it a little more. I had almost exactly the same experience at Medlink - they had an "Open Forum" with med students from various unis - I think Oxford (representing traditional ones), Manchester (PBLs), Bristol and Nottingham. The guy from Oxford was such a stuck up, stereotypical Oxbridge rah that he even managed to put me off considerably. Fortunately not enough to put me off applying, but in the case of Access, where students are less likely to apply to uni at all, let alone Oxbridge, someone like that would be an absolute dead loss.

By the way - that alternative prospectus is the same one as I got when I applied in 2001, so a lot of it (esp rents) is out of date.

Reply 6

Rosy

*Shame* on that Corpus guy, whoever he is. It's a nice College! From past experience, some people who do access really underestimate the level of influence they have over the students they meet... I don't want to start an argument about the way access is promoted in Cambridge tho - would get too carried away ;-)

Reply 7

scanner

Or_Kiaz

LET THE BATTLE COMMENCE :wink:

All colleges sound very similar in the prospectus. In the Alternative Prospectus with all claiming to be the friendliest college etc and stressing many trivial features but revealing little about the reality. The things you need to know like what are the tutors like, the overall feel of the place etc you can only get by going there and talking to people on open days or if possible outside the offiicial open days. At (Oxford and) Cambridge, the University tries to play down college variations but these can be considerable.

Reply 8

Helenia

The reason they tell you the trivial stuff is that that is the stuff that is the difference really. It would be unfair, if not libellous (slanderous? can never remember the difference) to put stuff like "the medicine DoS at x college is crap, but our MML one is really good" and stuff like that - can you imagine that being allowed to be published?

I think a lot of people genuinely do think that their college is the friendliest, which is why it appears so often. Without being in every single college (I mean being a member, not just visiting) it's impossible to judge.

Reply 9

scanner

Helenia

Don't disagree but I do wonder if OUSU and CUSU should stop wasting their own time on writing an alternative prospectus. They are not really alternative at all and given you cannot give a collective and fair 'warts and all' view I wonder if they are worth the massive effort that goes into them. If they do continue they might at least try to be a bit more innovative in finding ways of communicating the student experience at the universities.

If I had a quid for every time I've read 'everyone says their college is the friendliest but college x really is the friendliest' I would be rich. Maybe not.....

Reply 10

Kalypso

scanner

Don't disagree but I do wonder if OUSU and CUSU should stop wasting their own time on writing an alternative prospectus.

They're about as 'alternative' as any university alternative prospectus is... I think it's just hard, because generally people will fall in with their college ways and therefore think that they really are the most friendly/best place to be etc... Really the only way to understand the ins and outs of a college is actually to be a member of it. People can say one thing or anohter, but in the end, if you're actually familiar with every aspect of that college, you will probably see that they have just enlarged on one element of it.

Reply 11

Unregistered

HOMERTON IS THE BEST COLLEGE! :smile:

http://www.cusu.cam.ac.uk/publications/altpro/colleges/homerton.html

I guess everyone at cam loves their own college!! :biggrin:

Reply 12

emzie

I ordered a cambs prospectus about 2 weeks ago and it still hasn't arrived - shall I try again?!

Reply 13

Kalypso

emzie

I ordered a cambs prospectus about 2 weeks ago and it still hasn't arrived - shall I try again?!

If it was the Alternative Prospectus you ordered, it is probably worth waiting a bit; if it is run by the student union (like at Oxford), there probably aren't many people around since it is outside of term time.

Reply 14

MadNatSci

Tom Holder

I don't go to uni at cambridge, but i live here

Sidney Sussex is 10 steps from Sainsbury's .... so plus point there

But thanks for the good word :wink:

Reply 15

MyNameIsNeo

OK, here's my shout: "Trinity is considerably richer, bigger and more famous than all the other colleges. Everyone envies us!" :smile:

Reply 16

emzie

grey faerie

nope it was the main uni one!

Reply 17

RetiredAccount89

Erik

HOMERTON IS THE BEST COLLEGE! :smile:

http://www.cusu.cam.ac.uk/publications/altpro/colleges/homerton.html

I guess everyone at cam loves their own college!! :biggrin:

Some people in cambridge think 'i wouldn't mind going there' about other colleges. Personally I think emma and clare are both really nice places, as is tit hall.
Never in my 3 years have i heard anyone express a desire to go to homerton or girton.
J
PS Trinity is full of mathmos, and is basically a whole university in itself. It has no standing amongst the other colleges

Reply 18

Helenia

MyNameIsNeo

OK, here's my shout: "Trinity is considerably richer, bigger and more famous than all the other colleges. Everyone envies us!" :smile:

I wouldn't exactly use the word "envies." :tongue:

Clare rules. Decent location, good reputation, good bar/ents, good music, great people :biggrin:

Also financially solvent, which is always good.

I have thought that I wouldn't mind being at other colleges (usually ones that my friends are at, e.g. Peterhouse, Churchill (bit far though), Queens' etc) but I would be at Clare above any of them.