pembroke or newnham college cambridge?

i'm going into year 13 and so the early entry ucas application is just around the corner, but i am still undecided on which college to choose. i've narrowed it down to either pembroke or newnham but i really can't decide! on one hand, pembroke has a stunning library-can you tell i'm applying for english?- and is known for having really great food (which is something that's just as important to me lol). on the other, newnham is just absolutely gorgeous, i fell in love with it the moment i walked in. main downside to newnham for me is that it's all girls-as i'm applying for english, a largely girl-dominated subject anyway, my interaction with the opposite sex will be slim to none. this isn't really a problem for me on principle since generally the vast majority of my current friends are girls anyway. however, my main concern lies in the fact that i have heard that many people who go to newnham use other colleges as a means of socialising so it doesn't really have its own social hub or centre, and as cambridge is known to be a university with a very rigorous academic schedule i really don't want to make any decisions that may dampen my potential social life. so, my main questions are which is the better college (in your opinion)? and will choosing newnham over pembroke negatively impact the social aspect of my university experience?

You said you fell in love with Newnham, from the moment you walked in. But you don’t like the fact it is an girls Cambridge University college. But then again, you’ll be too busy studying to have a boyfriend ‘disrupt’ your mental wellbeing and ultimately you would not want to become depressed or sad over a break up and jeopardise a 1st or 2.1 classification English degree to a 2.2 or third class honours.

Also, a friend of my brother's applied for Economics at Newnham and did not meet her offer due to Further Maths, but she reapplied and still got an offer the second time. So it shows, Newnham College, Cambridge University are more likely to give you an offer compared to Pembroke College, Cambridge University.

Good luck in your application.

i'm going into year 13 and so the early entry ucas application is just around the corner, but i am still undecided on which college to choose. i've narrowed it down to either pembroke or newnham but i really can't decide! on one hand, pembroke has a stunning library-can you tell i'm applying for english?- and is known for having really great food (which is something that's just as important to me lol). on the other, newnham is just absolutely gorgeous, i fell in love with it the moment i walked in. main downside to newnham for me is that it's all girls-as i'm applying for english, a largely girl-dominated subject anyway, my interaction with the opposite sex will be slim to none. this isn't really a problem for me on principle since generally the vast majority of my current friends are girls anyway. however, my main concern lies in the fact that i have heard that many people who go to newnham use other colleges as a means of socialising so it doesn't really have its own social hub or centre, and as cambridge is known to be a university with a very rigorous academic schedule i really don't want to make any decisions that may dampen my potential social life. so, my main questions are which is the better college (in your opinion)? and will choosing newnham over pembroke negatively impact the social aspect of my university experience?

Hi Rachel,

Newnham of course, they’re richer than Pembroke!!! 😊 lol

Here is the Cambridge University Alternative Prospectus entry for Pembroke College, Cambridge University: https://www.applytocambridge.com/colleges/pembroke

Here is the Cambridge University Alternative Prospectus entry for Newnham College, Cambridge University: https://www.applytocambridge.com/colleges/newnham

The food is exceptional at Pembroke College, Cambridge University but you will get just as yummy options at Newnham College, Cambridge University too. Also, Newnham College, Cambridge University has a café: “The Iris Café.” As well as everything being on-site for Newnham College, Cambridge University too.

There are so many libraries you can study at in Cambridge University: just take a look at The Squire Law Library for instance?! Lol Not to mention the Newnham College, Cambridge University library has more books than Pembroke College, Cambridge University.


You said you fell in love with Newnham, from the moment you walked in. But you don’t like the fact it is an girls Cambridge University college. But then again, you’ll be too busy studying to have a boyfriend ‘disrupt’ your mental wellbeing and ultimately you would not want to become depressed or sad over a break up and jeopardise a 1st or 2.1 classification English degree to a 2.2 or third class honours.

Also, a friend of my brother's applied for Economics at Newnham and did not meet her offer due to Further Maths, but she reapplied and still got an offer the second time. So it shows, Newnham College, Cambridge University are more likely to give you an offer compared to Pembroke College, Cambridge University.

Good luck in your application.

The Squire probably has the worst acoustics of any College or departmental library in Cambridge.

There is plenty of time at Cambridge to do things other than study, including having a boyfriend (in fact, 42% of students meet their future partner at Cambridge - 4th highest in the UK). Not that that seemed to be @Rachelcurrie's concern anyway.

i'm going into year 13 and so the early entry ucas application is just around the corner, but i am still undecided on which college to choose. i've narrowed it down to either pembroke or newnham but i really can't decide! on one hand, pembroke has a stunning library-can you tell i'm applying for english?- and is known for having really great food (which is something that's just as important to me lol). on the other, newnham is just absolutely gorgeous, i fell in love with it the moment i walked in. main downside to newnham for me is that it's all girls-as i'm applying for english, a largely girl-dominated subject anyway, my interaction with the opposite sex will be slim to none. this isn't really a problem for me on principle since generally the vast majority of my current friends are girls anyway. however, my main concern lies in the fact that i have heard that many people who go to newnham use other colleges as a means of socialising so it doesn't really have its own social hub or centre, and as cambridge is known to be a university with a very rigorous academic schedule i really don't want to make any decisions that may dampen my potential social life. so, my main questions are which is the better college (in your opinion)? and will choosing newnham over pembroke negatively impact the social aspect of my university experience?