I was in Oxford, but I would say that your best bet would be to find a flat somewhere convenient in Cambridge. That way, you have the best of both worlds - close in the student environment for networking and socialising, but still with a completely private, quiet place to live with your own kitchen and facilities where you don't have to worry about being disturbed.
Otherwise, just my experience as a student, I am a vegetarian and I shared a student house with 4 others. I didn't have any problems - we all did our own food anyway, except for the occasisions when I cooked for house - every thursday dinner we had a house meal I cooked. It was something of a time to forget about who was scoring the most girls and who was going off with who, and just spending time as friends over a meal once a week.
But yeah, even in a student house with 5 of us, I didn't have problems as a vegetarian, and honestly, wouldn't have been a problem as a vegan either. But for the privacy part of things, I think you want to find a flat somewhere between the two of you.