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The Big 'Which Cambridge College?' Thread

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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!

if there are some colleges you absolutely want to avoid, it's not a good idea to apply at an ultra-competitive college (since you may be eventually pooled somewhere you don't want to go)

if this is not the case, then applying to a very competitive college does not really put you at a disadvantage

(edited 7 years ago)

Reply 5261

anonymousguy24

is there any college particularly dislike international students(Chinese), I know of course no one would say so, but perhaps some college accept significantly lower number of international students.

Reply 5262

Doones

Original post by anonymousguy24

is there any college particularly dislike international students(Chinese), I know of course no one would say so, but perhaps some college accept significantly lower number of international students.

no.

Reply 5263

YOLOforever

Hi,

I am applying for Engineering and I am having difficulty choosing a college.
Since I am from Hong Kong, I can't really visit the colleges to take a look at them so it would be great if somebody could offer some advice.
I really want to go to a college which is large but I can get to know most of the people. I am also looking for convenience and a college which doesn't fell stuffy. I am also vegetarian.
(Also perhaps somewhere smoking is not permitted)

Reply 5264

username1865079

Original post by YOLOforever

At university everyone works on a different time table, so it's not easy at all to get to know most of people even if they're in your year. Unless you share something common with them, like a course, club/society, a corridor or some mutual friends, you usually don't get to 'know' other people except for,their face/name and a vague idea on their course.
So if you really want to 'get to know' most of people, chose the tiniest colleges, like Peterhouse, Trinity Hall, Corpus Christi. Even at those small colleges chances are you only properly interact with someone who share something common with you as I explained above.

All colleges offer vegetable option every day, so no problem there.

If you want to be near shops, choose town centre colleges but that also means you'll be in the centre of tourism.
Engineering dept is off the centre in the south, so you don't want to choose colleges in the north part of town.
But having said that, Cambridge is a quite small town, so everywhere you need to,go can be accessed in 10 min on bike or 20/25 min max on foot..........except for if you're at Girton.

Reply 5265

Nouie

Anyone help me, I want to apply for Computer Science so can anyone recommend a college which:

- Spacious, modern accommodation
- Good atmosphere/mix of genders. Basically not dead
- Good gym onsight, with enough equipment
- A fairly decent internet allowance a day (I like to stream stuff)

Reply 5266

davit.kim

Original post by mariachi

Which colleges are most competitive?

Reply 5267

Confusedboutlife

Original post by davit.kim

Which colleges are most competitive?

It changes year on year and is dependent on subject sometimes too. Generally, Brasenose (very competitive!), Magdalene, Balliol. Sometimes you can add Worcestor, St. John's, Keble and Chrischurch to the mix.

I applied to Mansfield and was pooled to St. John's, so its quite a complicated system. Very hard to guarantee anything.

https://public.tableau.com/views/UniversityofOxford-CollegeSuccessRates2017/CollegeSuccessRateswithCommentary?:embed=y&:display_count=yes&:showTabs=y&:showVizHome=no

Look here for more detailed stats, for individual subjects etc.

Reply 5268

davit.kim

Original post by Confusedboutlife

I think they're Oxford colleges but thanks anyway

Reply 5269

Confusedboutlife

Original post by davit.kim

I think they're Oxford colleges but thanks anyway

Oh sorry! Completely blanked on that part. For Cambridge, the most competitive colleges tend to be King's, Trinity, Clare and St. John's. Caius is also quite competitive. For some subjects, other colleges also can generally be included, like Pembroke for English, Trinity Hall for Modern Languages Churchill for Sciences or Downing for Law. These are general trends.

Other colleges that come to mind as being more competitive than average, for all subjects, are Pembroke, Emma, Corpus and Jesus. Jesus and Downing are known for having amazing accomodation.

Less competitive colleges, very generally speaking, tend to include Robinson, Churchill (for arts) Fitzwilliam, Girton (just because its far - it looks more like Hogwarts than any other), Newnham and Murray Edwards.

Other helpful info might be that Trinity, Christs, Emma and Pembroke have a reputation for being more academic than usual colleges, and usually are near the top of the Tompkins table which otherwise changes a lot.

Remember, it is often better to choose a college based on facilities (which are definite) rather than number of applicants or 'stereotypes'.

This website is VERY GOOD for finding out which college is for you: http://askacambridgestudent.tumblr.com/

Just ask for a college match!

Reply 5270

Doones

Original post by davit.kim

Which colleges are most competitive?

Why?

Your chances of getting a Cambridge offer are not affected by your college choice. Don't play "the stats game", it doesn't work.

Pick a college you like with the knowledge there's a roughly 20% chance an offer will come from a different college anyway.

Nearly everyone loves their college no matter which one they pick, or end up at.

(Oh and the same advice applies to Oxford too...)

Original post by Confusedboutlife

For Cambridge, the most competitive colleges tend to be King's, Trinity, Clare and St. John's. Caius is also quite competitive. For some subjects, other colleges also can generally be included, like Pembroke for English, Trinity Hall for Modern Languages Churchill for Sciences or Downing for Law. These are general trends.

In 2017 the colleges with the 5 lowest overall acceptance rates for UK students were:
King's, Downing, Peterhouse, Catz and Christ's
Or by offer rate: King's, Pembroke, Downing, Catz, St Edmund's

Just goes to show it changes from year to year and shouldn't be used as a factor in picking a college...

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 5271

mariachi

Original post by davit.kim

Which colleges are most competitive?

I have not been following recent developments : traditionally, colleges such as Trinity, King's, St.John's have been - overall - very competitive. In 2018, other colleges such as St Catharine's and Jesus have also been very competitive

you can check e.g. here
https://www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/apply/statistics

best

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 5272

sweeneyrod

Original post by Nouie

Homerton hits a high proportion of your points -- accommodation isn't super spacious but is modern, ensuite and cheap; it has a good atmosphere (in my unbiased opinion); the gym is on site and I think reasonably well-equipped (I've never been there); and has no restrictions on internet use. The big disadvantage is the incredible distance from the Computer Laboratory.

Reply 5273

username3499872

Hiya everyone

I have A*AA at A-level, and 8A*s 3As at GCSE. I want to apply for HSPS, but have absolutely no clue whether 1)I have a good chance 2)Which college

I'm looking for a central college, medium sized, good drama facilities/society, nice accommodation not too expensive, not too stuffy, quite rich so I can get grants for trips etc haha

Would be v grateful for advice and reccomendations! xoxo

Reply 5274

Saracen's Fez

Original post by ihavenolifeplan

Not sure how 'ethical' it is to be selling my own college on TSR like this but St Catharine's does seem to tick most of those boxes. We're in the centre of town (but secluded enough from the really touristy bits to not get loads of visitors, we're fairly medium-sized and our accommodation is generally good and reasonably priced by Cambridge standards (and our second-year accommodation is amongst the best in Cambridge). I certainly don't think we're overly stuffy despite being IIRC older than average. Travel grants are also reasonably easy to come by.

The only think I don't know about is the drama element. Clearly if this is a major interest of yours then it's quite important, and whilst I'm not aware of a college-specific drama society many people do participate in drama outside college so it wouldn't necessarily be an issue.

I guess two provisos to add: first of all if someone from another similar college replied they might say similar things about their college, so a recommendation is really just a recommendation to consider a college, and secondly the usual maxim of "pick a college you like the look of, but don't get overly attached because a significant proportion of people actually get an offer from a different college".

Reply 5275

ANatsci

Hi,
I'll be applying for natural sciences, looking for a college that:

- Is aesthetically pleasing; basically just not churchill/homerton/robinson etc..
- Has central accommodation for all years, preferably no ugly and far-away offsite
- Is peaceful and not crowded by tourists, has some nice green spaces (including some where you can walk on the grass
- Has a relaxed, liberal and informal attitude (I come from a school where I adress all teachers by their first name), but still has some quirky traditions/ may balls/ events
- Has good welfare and not too much drinking culture (I'll be 16, almost 17 at entry)
- Has a good choir that isn't afraid to sing non sacred music from time to time
- Good food, kitchens with ovens, reasonable chance of ensuites and a 24/7 library would be great, but not necessary

I'm aware I have a lot of demands, but I can be perfectly happy if not all of these are met. Thanks for your help!!

(edited 5 years ago)

Reply 5276

Reality Check

Original post by Annamies

Hi,
I'll be applying for natural sciences, looking for a college that:

- Is aesthetically pleasing; basically just not churchill/homerton/robinson etc..
- Has central accommodation for all years, preferably no ugly and far-away offsite
- Is peaceful and not crowded by tourists, has some nice green spaces (including some where you can walk on the grass
- Has a relaxed and informal attitude (I come from a school where I adress all teachers by their first name), but still has some quirky traditions/ may balls/ events
- Has good welfare and not too much drinking culture (I'll be 16, almost 17 at entry)
- Has a good choir that isn't afraid to sing non sacred music from time to time
- Good food, kitchens with ovens, reasonable chance of ensuites and a 24/7 library would be great, but not necessary

I'm aware I have a lot of demands, but I can be perfectly happy if not all of these are met. Thanks for your help!!

I'm fairly certain that such a college does not exist. Maybe whittle this list down a bit into a few 'must haves'.

Reply 5277

ANatsci

Original post by Reality Check

I'm fairly certain that such a college does not exist. Maybe whittle this list down a bit into a few 'must haves'.

Might be, but most of my criteria only rule out one or a few colleges. The other ones are just an indication of what kind of feel i'm looking for, of course I don't expect a college to be great at all of them. By saying I come from a super informal school, for example, I don't mean I will only consider colleges which are just as informal. Just that I would like a place that has a hint of the same ethos as my school. But thank you for your comment anyway. Do you think there are any specific criteria that conflict or do you have any suggestions that might come close?

Reply 5278

Reality Check

Original post by Annamies

Well, I think that you've got two items of your wish list that are mutually exclusive: 'relaxed and informal feel' and 'aesthetically pleasing, not crowded with tourists and peaceful'.

The more traditional, stuffy but beautiful colleges like Johns and Trinity are by definition not 'relaxed'. Conversely, the relaxed, informal colleges (like Robinson, Girton are not beautiful.

Having thought about it, what about Selwyn? You get a bit of both there - it's attractive enough, but also off the beaten track so not beset with tourists. Very handy for the UL and West Road concert hall (that's the music ticked) but not so handy for New Museums/Downing which is where you'll be based as a NatSci.

Not walking on the grass is a Cambridge thing. Don't expect to find it at any college (that I know of, anyway).

So, maybe Selwyn might be worth a gander.

Reply 5279

ANatsci

Original post by Reality Check

I’ll have a look at selwyn, thanks. By non-touristy i kind of just mean not Kings hahah. Jesus for example is right in the city center but is on a little road thingy so it still feels very peaceful. I don’t think either that any Cambridge colleges allow you to walk on all the grass, I actually just meant that a college might have one quad/field where you can hang out and walk on the grass. Thanks for your help!!