[john12345]

I got a place at Cambridge. I put an open application last autumn and ended up in Girton. I had superb AS grades. Having said that I think I could have chosen any college and I would have been accepted, right? Is there any advantage in Girton (apart form the swimming pool ) I mean I don't care even if the college is in Southampton. What I am worried about is that the other colleges have better tutors. Could I choose my supervisions to be at another college?

Coming from one of the worst colleges in the UK I always have one in mind - the SLIGHT VARIATIONS in the quality of the teachers is of almost no importance - how hard you work and how smart you are is all that matters. However i've always wanted to have the best teachers (before they become my teachers).

Is Girton strong in any particular subject?

PS I will love my college - just wanted to check. I never regret my choices - even the bad ones.

[skagitup]

my philosophy teacher went to girton. she loved it - says she wouldn't of gone anywhere else.

girton is a cambridge college. translate: the teaching is going to be top notch.

don't worry about it.

[EierVonSatan]

Originally Posted by john12345

I got a place at Cambridge. I put an open application last autumn and ended up in Girton.

Congrats

I have an average score of 98% on Physics and same on Further Maths with Edexcel (all my hardest exams are 100% UMS). I had superb AS grades. Having said that I think I could have chosen any college and I would have been accepted, right?

You place far too great an emphasis on UMS scores to measure your academic worth

Is there any advantage in Girton (apart form the swimming pool ) I mean I don't care even if the college is in Southampton. What I am worried about is that the other colleges have better tutors. Could I choose my supervisions to be at another college?

Your worrying is unjustified

Coming from one of the worst colleges in the UK I always have one in mind - the SLIGHT VARIATIONS in the quality of the teachers is of almost no importance - how hard you work and how smart you are is all that matters. However i've always wanted to have the best teachers (before they become my teachers).

This is the answer to your question.

PS I will love my college - just wanted to check. I never regret my choices - even the bad ones.

I'm sure you will have no reason to regret going there academically speaking. Perfection is unattainable

[Arrogant Git]

Originally Posted by john12345

I got a place at Cambridge. I put an open application last autumn and ended up in Girton. I have an average score of 98% on Physics and same on Further Maths with Edexcel (all my hardest exams are 100% UMS). I had superb AS grades. Having said that I think I could have chosen any college and I would have been accepted, right? Is there any advantage in Girton (apart form the swimming pool ) I mean I don't care even if the college is in Southampton. What I am worried about is that the other colleges have better tutors. Could I choose my supervisions to be at another college?

Firstly. Nearly everyone has excellent UMS grades. Secondly, why would you want your supervisions in another college? Some might be, but other colleges are miles away. You won't be getting any Nobel Prize winners supervising you at Girton. But who's to say a Nobel Prize winner is a better supervisor than anyone else? You will be supervised by experts in your field. Isn't that enough for you?

Thirdly, Girton has many, many advantages. Wait two weeks then you'll find out.

Is Girton strong in any particular subject?

Natsci. Also Law and VetMed.

[generalebriety]

Ah, come on. It's entirely up to you how hard you work and therefore how well you do. I had a Fields Medallist lecturing me in the second term; he wasn't a better lecturer, nor did he know the stuff he was lecturing any better than the standard boring researchers. Anyway, lecturers don't work at Girton because they're crap. I don't know where you've got the whole idea from, as if people who do a really bad job of teaching get 'demoted' to Girton... it's silly.

[Craghyrax]

And Girton is a lovely college from what I've seen of it.

Either way there's no point in stressing a) you can't know anything till you get there b) you're not exactly about to not turn up, are you? c) there's nothing you can do about it, so why talk about it? d) Teaching is provided by your department not your college, and the above comments are correct. One of my PhD student supervisors was a good deal more helpful to me than another who was a Fellow

[MC REN]

I think Girton over the last few years has had pretty strong Maths (and Physics) candidates - in my year at least. The best physicist I know was supervised by someone from Girton this year

...and obviously there is no way of knowing if you would've got into any other college, so it would be daft to keep worrying about it.

[yusufu]

Does Girton actually have its own swimming pool?!

[MC REN]

Originally Posted by yusufu

Does Girton actually have its own swimming pool?!

yup, s'awesome

[yusufu]

Originally Posted by MC REN

yup, s'awesome

How big is it?

[epitome]

NB: Much (most) teaching is centrally based. Lectures, innit.

On top of which, a Cambridge college is a Cambridge college. When it comes to staff, they're all considered top-notch in their own ways (this does not mean they're universally excellent teachers...just researchers!). People don't get 'demoted' to Girton. Really.

Don't worry.

[A.J.B]

gonville and caius have the best fellows.

[MC REN]

Originally Posted by yusufu

How big is it?

erm about 25m maybe?

pic

[Adhsur]

Before I came to Trinity, I thought that my academic life would be centred around it but the complete opposite was true - my lectures were elsewhere, supervisions elsewhere, faculty library elsewhere, exams elsewhere, graduation elsewhere, and so on. Ultimately the college ended up being more for the accommodation/welfare/social side than anything else.

If you're worried that your college won't be good for your subject, you can stop worrying because rarely do colleges have much to do with the subject you are studying.

[paneity]

Originally Posted by john12345

I got a place at Cambridge. I put an open application last autumn and ended up in Girton. I have an average score of 98% on Physics and same on Further Maths with Edexcel (all my hardest exams are 100% UMS). I had superb AS grades. Having said that I think I could have chosen any college and I would have been accepted, right? Is there any advantage in Girton (apart form the swimming pool ) I mean I don't care even if the college is in Southampton. What I am worried about is that the other colleges have better tutors. Could I choose my supervisions to be at another college?

Coming from one of the worst colleges in the UK I always have one in mind - the SLIGHT VARIATIONS in the quality of the teachers is of almost no importance - how hard you work and how smart you are is all that matters. However i've always wanted to have the best teachers (before they become my teachers).

Is Girton strong in any particular subject?

PS I will love my college - just wanted to check. I never regret my choices - even the bad ones.

Are you doing natsci or maths? The NatSci DoS (Julia Riley) is absolutely amazing and she will take all your physics supervisions. (Not only is she a brilliant supervisor but is an astrophysicist who has a type of galaxy named after her! ) She used to lecture the IA 2nd term course but has given that up now, but is still in charge of IA practicals.

Don't worry, Girton is great, Girtonians are the best people. And your teaching is pretty much the same whichever college.

If you are a NatSci then I'll hopefully meet you at Physicists drinks (the best kind of drinks IMHO) in freshers week, looking forward to it.

P.S. Join the boat club. Or else.

[john12345]

The whole d*mn idea came from the bloody websites which colleges have. To be honest I put an open application because I don't mind studying at any of the colleges at Cambridge and if I had put down a college on the application form when I completed it, it would have been either Christ's or Girton and if I have to be completely honest with you it could equally have been either of the two. Having said that the open application just made the hard choice for me (lucky) and made my life easier.

However I just wanted to get a grip of what the colleges are like and I started browsing through their websites. Colleges such as Gonvile and Caius, Jesus, Christ's, Emmanuel King's and some others put a heavy stress on the quality of education and "show off" with their world famous fellows. And Girton doesn't mention anything about the "quality of education". I do understand the variations in quality are ridiculously small to be considered amongst other things such as hard work etc but believe me if every college website makes this point and yours doesn't you start thinking that the academic achievement in your college isn't top priority.

Thanks for the replies - they just confirmed what I believed and what the internet had shattered overnight.

[Craghyrax]

Originally Posted by john12345

Thanks for the replies - they just confirmed what I believed and what the internet had shattered overnight.

Look at Peterhouse's website. That should cheer you up