Specialisation of fellows

Hi everyone,

Does the specialisation of fellows in the college you're applying to matter? I know the website says it doesn't, but at the same time, I'm under the impression that these would be the people reading your personal statement.

I'm applying for Law either at Magdalene or Peterhouse, but I'm torn between these two. Looking at admissions statistics and going down the rabbit hole really does my head in!

My feeling is that I like Peterhouse slightly more, but the fellows there mostly specialise in the intersection of law and economics. Opposingly, fellows at Magdalene have a more varied specialisation – criminal law and public international law, which are two areas I've written quite a bit about in my personal statement.

Any advice?

If the specialist you need for a paper is not at your college then your Director of Studies will sort out the appropriate teaching.

By my final year in languages my stuff was so niche I was supervised across 7-8 different colleges than my own.

Thanks for the advice! I was thinking a little more in the short term and wondering who'll be reading my personal statement.

If it gives any context as well, I'm predicted a 44 in IB with a 6 in HL Economics, which makes me worry it wouldn't look too good when applying to Peterhouse. An idea I see a lot when looking for resources on how to choose colleges is going based on "vibes", and I must admit I do like Peterhouse slightly more - but Magdalene seems brilliant as well.

What's been your experience with these two colleges?