[Jigglypuff]

(Original post by didgeridoo12uk)
my old maths teacher (who had just graduated from cambridge) said downing was always full of rich private schoolboy types, so advised me NOT to apply there!.
i'd personally go for trinity.

but well if you still cant decide, look at which is closer to your subjects lecture halls?

Erm...

(if anything, Trinity is the college full of 'private schoolboy types')

I like both colleges. When I was applying, I very nearly applied to them (opted for King's in the end). I'd go for Trinity just because I like the typical Cambridge architecture.

[member234278]

i think trinity would be the best choice!

[Nika A]

(Original post by didgeridoo12uk)
my old maths teacher (who had just graduated from cambridge) said downing was always full of rich private schoolboy types, so advised me NOT to apply there!.

I'm an international student, I went to a public grammar school and I got an offer from Downing, so it's certainly not impossible to get in if you're not from a private school. And other potential candidates at the interviews were incredibly friendly. Personally, I think Trinity is considered as posh.

[didgeridoo12uk]

oh and OP: why either downing or trinity. jesus is a far superior college

[Cheeyang]

Nothing against jesus, but those are the two places ive been, that made me feel much at home...

Apparently trinity does not hold for two gap years? o.o Just called them.

[xinolisss]

Downing... imo

Not that it makes a world of a difference you'll probably end up liking where you go...

[Deannanana]

I'm hoping to study Arabic and French...

[Tempeststurm]

Almost all colleges take students from every course. The larger colleges will have more language students than the smaller ones, but you choose a college based on accommodation, location, size, architecture and how much you like it rather than according to the course you do.

[Canned Door]

Make sure the college you'd like to apply to offers Arabic (and also in combination with French). I gather not all of them do. Other than that, colleges aren't especially subject-based, so it's not like all linguists go to one college, all economists go to another etc. Pick based on where you'd like to be, what the place is like, where it is, whatever you count as important.

[Deannanana]

(Original post by Tempeststurm)
Almost all colleges take students from every course. The larger colleges will have more language students than the smaller ones, but you choose a college based on accommodation, location, size, architecture and how much you like it rather than according to the course you do.

We had an Oxbridge talker come into our sixth form today who told us that sometimes colleges are quite selective with who they take depending on course? He was studying engineering at Oxford and referred to his college as quite 'science-y'?

Is it different for Cambridge? It seemed like all he spoke about was Oxford tbh! x

[Stratocaster]

There isn't a college that most language students usually apply to. Sure, you might find the most popular and well known colleges with more language applicants, along with the college(s) closest to the language departments maybe, but there will be language students at every college. If you're interested to see the specific numbers, you can check out the statistics at the Cambridge website.

[Tempeststurm]

(Original post by Deannanana)
We had an Oxbridge talker come into our sixth form today who told us that sometimes colleges are quite selective with who they take depending on course? He was studying engineering at Oxford and referred to his college as quite 'science-y'?

Is it different for Cambridge? It seemed like all he spoke about was Oxford tbh! x

Some colleges have a more of a reputation in some subjects or a higher proportion of sciences or arts, but this isn't a very strong bias. Even the 'science-y' colleges take a roughly similar proportion of language students.

[Fanganesium]

(Original post by Rob16)
Allready talked to them about that. They say its fine because i will have completed 4 a levels over the regular 2 year period which would be more than enough to meet the offer, id only be staying the extra year to meet he requirements if you get where im going with this

yes i do, appllying to Downing doesnt mean im a downy. haha joke.

[Craghyrax]

(Original post by Deannanana)
We had an Oxbridge talker come into our sixth form today who told us that sometimes colleges are quite selective with who they take depending on course? He was studying engineering at Oxford and referred to his college as quite 'science-y'?

Is it different for Cambridge? It seemed like all he spoke about was Oxford tbh! x

He was talking rubbish I'm afraid. Of Oxford as well as Cambridge.

[lookingoutofthewindow]

I'm applying to Clare College for French and Latin. I know that's not exactly modern languages but it's still MML. Pretty much all the colleges do the basic modern languages, I've noticed... you just have to check they do arabic. I think it's different at Oxford because I went to a college on the open day that didn't do modern languages at all; God, I felt like an idiot when I asked a question!

[Deutsch_Beth]

I'm applying to Jesus and it seems to offer way more languages together than most, I'm applying for German and ab.ini. Russian and it's got 2 tutors for german (and two for French plus a french assistant every year) and one for russian. Didn't notice any arabic, but then again I wasn't really looking for that. Still, worth checking out ...http://www.jesus.cam.ac.uk/admission...jects/mml.html

[JakeyTheSnake]

(Original post by Tempeststurm)
Some colleges have a more of a reputation in some subjects or a higher proportion of sciences or arts, but this isn't a very strong bias. Even the 'science-y' colleges take a roughly similar proportion of language students.

And some for music, i.e. Selwyn.

On a side note, nobody apply to Downing. It's where I'm applying and I'd like a greater chance thank you

[nedMALK]

Well I applied thus for law and took the LNAT, I am from Belgium so French speaking.
And it has now been 8 years I want to study international law at cambridge so I was quite prepared but well.
So when I passed the LNAT I thought I completely messed up... then I received the invitation for interviews, but they don't look at your lnat before interviews so I don't know.
But as I didn't know how it was going to be and all I found looots of tips on forums about cambridge interviews, (and also a cd given by law school by pr Virgo) one of them said that you can feel free to ask for any explications if you needed...
So I went to the interviews, it was great, people, city, college,professors!
I was interviewed twice by two professors each time and one of them was speaking really fast and with a weird accent (I understood the others quite easily so it was'nt me I guess the problem) so I asked her two or three times for a little explication ...
Then I received my declined offer few weeks later...
When I asked for feed back they said everything was actually great my personnal statement, my lnat, and they really "liked me" but they
felt I needed a little help in detailed comprehension and there was really too much competition (800 applicants for 128 places)...I mean there is certainely french speaking student so in less than one month my english would have been perfect but whatever I got into Warwick and I feel It's gonna be much better in both social and studies!
Hope you will get into it however
Sorry I detailed a lot so you would understand my point of vue

[nedMALK]

(Original post by jammy21)
I'm considering applying to Downing for law right now. What was the reason they rejected you, if you don't mind me asking? Please PM me if you don't want to post in the thread.

Sorry forgot to quote

[SSze]

HI! i'm reapplying this UCAS cycle, made an open application last year, then got rejected by the trinity hall
I really didn't care much about which college to get into so i didn't bother to choose one, I don't know if I should reapply to trinity hall again, is there any college that would be more inclined to take re-applicants? or would it look 'loyal' if i were to apply to t.hall again ?? Below is the feedback letter, also I didn't do soooo well in my Alevels:
84% in physics (got a D in one module O.O)
~90% in both maths and arts (got a B in one maths module)
but Im hoping some colleges would be more.. considerate because i did all those modules last year.
also, do you think they would stress less on my gcse? i mean i've done the alevels already, and my gcses were NOT OK.
btw, i'm a foreign student(8.5 in ielts, if that matters), did my alevels in the UK, but have left now

Steve has requested feedback on his recent application to Trinity Hall to read Architecture. We usually prefer to write to the UCAS referee, who is well placed to judge the best way to convey the feedback to the individual concerned. Steve has given us his permission to write to you.

Architecture is the most competitive undergraduate course at Cambridge, in terms of the number of applicants to places. This year Trinity Hall received 18 applications and we were able to make 2 offers (the number of available places is determined by the Faculty and there is little flexibility).

A number of factors are taken into consideration when assessing an application. We look at previous exam results, exam predictions, personal statement, school reference, the portfolio and performance at interview.

At interview, after a slightly nervous start, Steve emerged as an interesting and imaginative student. He was able to justify how the works of I M Pei and the Bird’s Nest represented their society and was prepared to express and defend some controversial notions, for example that public buildings should reveal none of the architect’s personal expression. His approaches to some hypothetical commissions were far less sure. His portfolio was also thought to be somewhat underdeveloped.

I hope this feedback is of some help, and I wish Steve well in his applications to other universities.