The Big 'Which Cambridge College?' Thread

Other than your own college, which of these do you rate most highly? Please feel free to give your reasons.

Clare
Downing
King's
Pembroke
Trinity

I'd have to say Downing (although it's my college and thereby wildly biased). Don't get me wrong the others are great. I sing at Clare sometimes and have a best friend and girlfriend at Trinity so I'm well acquainted with them, but I do genuinely prefer Downing. We have a good social precense in clubs etc. and we're generally well liked by the rest of the Cambridge population. We also have great accommodation, awesome formal, good teaching, nice (if you like grand neoclassicism) buildings and generally a good college atmosphere. We also do a good may ball and have decent ents.

I would add that I actually applied to Emma but got pooled to Downing and have found that, in retrospect, it suits me a lot better. If you want a laid back, relaxed time with a certain degree of self satisfaction at being here (not as much as Trinity or Johns but more than most) then I'd recommend it. However obviously lots of other colleges offer similar things and almost everyone loves where they are... But if in doubt, Downing is a good bet. Of course lots of people think that and so we're wildly oversubscribed but anyway...

Reply 5241

Mayfair404

Original post by Ch98

i am between queens', christ's, trinity and clare, what do you recommend (i like sport and not from UK if it may help)

Out of those I'd have to say Clare but only because it's the one I know best. For what it's worth I had the same shortlist except Emmanuel for Trinity and chose Emma. I'm at Downing now and absolutely love it, so if I were you I'd consider Downing alongside your current choices. We're pretty good at sport, and have basically everything important those colleges have (apart from age but who needs that). But if you're set on those I'd say Clare. I found Queens a bit small and enclosed and Christs a little repressed. Trinity is a bit different to the other three in terms of size and general perception. My best friend and girlfriend are there and love it (my dad went as well) and I was encouraged to apply there because I'm a 'Trinity' person apparently. However it is a bit too big and overbearing for me.

Reply 5242

Ch98

i didn't get in :frown:

however i've got lse... (in econ). Do you think it is possible to reapply next year?

Reply 5243

sweeneyrod

15

Original post by Ch98

i didn't get in :frown:

however i've got lse... (in econ). Do you think it is possible to reapply next year?

You certainly <i>can</i> reapply, but whether it is a good idea is a different matter. I would ask for feedback, and make a decision about reapplying after you get your A2 grades. If you get A*A*A* it might well be worth it, if only A*AA it probably wouldn't be. LSE is a fantastic university for economics, so don't turn it down lightly.

Reply 5244

alex_hk90

19

Original post by Ch98

i didn't get in :frown:

however i've got lse... (in econ). Do you think it is possible to reapply next year?

Of course you can, but Economics at LSE is a pretty decent alternative to say the least! :yep:

Reply 5245

Banana00

21

Pembroke or Trinity Hall? Please help me decide! :h:

Reply 5246

username937760

16

Original post by Banana00

Pembroke or Trinity Hall? Please help me decide! :h:

What are you looking for in your college? They're two fairly different colleges. I can help with any specific Pembroke queries but know very little about Trinity Hall except its size and location.

Reply 5247

Banana00

21

Original post by DJMayes

What are you looking for in your college? They're two fairly different colleges. I can help with any specific Pembroke queries but know very little about Trinity Hall except its size and location.

Thank you for your response. I have narrowed it down to these two primarily because I believe them to be two of the most beautiful colleges (although with anywhere in Cambridge you can't go far wrong!). I appreciate that this may sound a little silly, especially in a place like Cambridge where everywhere is gorgeous, but aesthetic appeal is, for some reason unknown even to me, very important to me.

As regards to what I'm looking for in a college:
- Somewhere fairly small - medium-sized is fine but not somewhere big and directly on the tourist trail (Eg King's and Trinity).
- Somewhere fairly central (although I like the fact that Trinity Hall is a little bit more tucked away).

I understand that my reason for specifically liking these two probably sounds pretty ridiculous! Thank you again. :h:

Reply 5248

sweeneyrod

15

Original post by Banana00

I believe them to be two of the most beautiful colleges (although with anywhere in Cambridge you can't go far wrong!).

Well, Churchill is a college (the interior is nice though).

Reply 5249

username937760

16

Original post by Banana00

Thank you for your response. I have narrowed it down to these two primarily because I believe them to be two of the most beautiful colleges (although with anywhere in Cambridge you can't go far wrong!). I appreciate that this may sound a little silly, especially in a place like Cambridge where everywhere is gorgeous, but aesthetic appeal is, for some reason unknown even to me, very important to me.

As regards to what I'm looking for in a college:
- Somewhere fairly small - medium-sized is fine but not somewhere big and directly on the tourist trail (Eg King's and Trinity).
- Somewhere fairly central (although I like the fact that Trinity Hall is a little bit more tucked away).

I understand that my reason for specifically liking these two probably sounds pretty ridiculous! Thank you again. :h:

Pembroke is medium sized. Trinity Hall is probably the smallest undergrad college.

Both are pretty central too. Tit Hall is a short distance closer to the supermarkets but Pembroke is closer to lecture theatres.

I can definitely appreciate liking somewhere a bit more tucked away; I've had to cycle through the tourists on Kings Parade before! You should be relatively fine with either; most people go to the bigger colleges to sight-see, particularly those on or close to Kings Parade (Kings, Johns, Trinity).

Reply 5250

Banana00

21

Original post by DJMayes

Pembroke is medium sized. Trinity Hall is probably the smallest undergrad college.

Both are pretty central too. Tit Hall is a short distance closer to the supermarkets but Pembroke is closer to lecture theatres.

I can definitely appreciate liking somewhere a bit more tucked away; I've had to cycle through the tourists on Kings Parade before! You should be relatively fine with either; most people go to the bigger colleges to sight-see, particularly those on or close to Kings Parade (Kings, Johns, Trinity).

Thank you very much for this; it is very helpful! Did/do you by any chance go to Pembroke College?

Reply 5251

username937760

16

Original post by Banana00

Thank you very much for this; it is very helpful! Did/do you by any chance go to Pembroke College?

I am going into my 4th year of Maths there.

Reply 5252

UniAdmissions

5

Original post by Banana00

Thank you for your response. I have narrowed it down to these two primarily because I believe them to be two of the most beautiful colleges (although with anywhere in Cambridge you can't go far wrong!). I appreciate that this may sound a little silly, especially in a place like Cambridge where everywhere is gorgeous, but aesthetic appeal is, for some reason unknown even to me, very important to me.

As regards to what I'm looking for in a college:
- Somewhere fairly small - medium-sized is fine but not somewhere big and directly on the tourist trail (Eg King's and Trinity).
- Somewhere fairly central (although I like the fact that Trinity Hall is a little bit more tucked away).

I understand that my reason for specifically liking these two probably sounds pretty ridiculous! Thank you again. :h:

Hello Banana00,

Sounds like you've made great progress on narrowing down your choice of Cambridge college. Pembroke and Newnham are both excellent colleges. Pembroke is next door to the downing site where most science lectures take place whereas Newnham is at the doorstop of the Sidgewick site where a lot of the Arts lectures take place. In addition, Pembroke is renowned for its excellent food whilst Newnham's obvious unique point is that it is an all girl's college!

Whatever you decide, we're sure you'll have a great time.

Reply 5253

G_8

1

Can someone help me choose between Clare and Jesus? I really like the atmosphere of these colleges and they both have beautiful buildings. I just can't decide which one to apply to!!

Reply 5254

niamh1607

Please will someone help me choose between Peterhouse and Christ's! I got great vibes from both and they're both nice and old, but Peterhouse is perhaps better known for history and it's really wealthy, but I'd rather go to a medium sized college like Christ's. Help!

Reply 5255

Steliata

14

Original post by niamh1607

Please will someone help me choose between Peterhouse and Christ's! I got great vibes from both and they're both nice and old, but Peterhouse is perhaps better known for history and it's really wealthy, but I'd rather go to a medium sized college like Christ's. Help!

If you really can't decide then look at the DoS - for my subject, Peterhouse is more relevant and I met him at an open day and he was rad :wink:

(the subject is AMES btw)

I mean ultimately it doesn't make much difference who your DoS is since teaching is organised by your department but why not use something arbitrary like that :biggrin:

That being said, Peterhouse is tiny so if you want to go to a medium sized college it's probably better to pick Christ's!

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 5256

Doones

21

Original post by niamh1607

Please will someone help me choose between Peterhouse and Christ's! I got great vibes from both and they're both nice and old, but Peterhouse is perhaps better known for history and it's really wealthy, but I'd rather go to a medium sized college like Christ's. Help!

Christ's is not a poor college by any means. It's also a bit bigger than Peterhouse, which may or may not be important to you.

They are both lovely.

Toss a coin :smile:

Posted from TSR Mobile

Reply 5257

HagueBlue

9

Original post by niamh1607

Please will someone help me choose between Peterhouse and Christ's! I got great vibes from both and they're both nice and old, but Peterhouse is perhaps better known for history and it's really wealthy, but I'd rather go to a medium sized college like Christ's. Help!

Both really beautiful colleges!

I'd have to say Christs though. It's so beautiful! I've actually heard Christs is better known for history though Peterhouse is obviously more historic... If that makes sense!?

Peterhouse has a no fry rule for some reason, so you can only really boil food. It's also supposedly one of the more traditional colleges, something a student on the Alternative Prospectus also says about the college, but I've also heard from a lot of people it's one of the more liberal colleges. They recently had a drag pageant and some people objected, so they voted and most people were in favour of it. So it's stereotype is split! ( even though I think it's fun to consider college stereotypes when applying, as with all stereotypes it should be taken with a grain of salt).

Reply 5258

thirdcultureteen

16

Hi guys!

I'm applying for law this coming school year, and I'm struggling between Downing and Newnham. I really like Downing, but it's known for being ultra-competitive for law, with a teacher telling me it might even be harder than applying for law at Trinity. Which one would you personally choose and why?

Thank you!

Reply 5259

Doones

21

Original post by thirdcultureteen

Hi guys!

I'm applying for law this coming school year, and I'm struggling between Downing and Newnham. I really like Downing, but it's known for being ultra-competitive for law, with a teacher telling me it might even be harder than applying for law at Trinity. Which one would you personally choose and why?

Thank you!

No, just apply to the college you prefer. The college makes no difference to your chances of getting into Cambridge due to mechanisms such as the Winter Pool.

The Big 'Which Cambridge College?' Thread

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