Cambridge colleges - postgraduate study

Hi!

St John's (similar though not nearly as rich as the above- probably second richest)

John's are broke!

Hehe, yep!

Besides, as the song apparently goes "We'd rather go to Oxford than to John's." I don't entirely know why, it's just what my college parents told me.

Are you male?
If you are, then I was talking to someone from Homerton yesterday. He applied because: 70% female, all rooms are ensuite and its the 2nd largest college in Cambridge. Something to think about.

Just out of curiosity, why does St John's have this reputation?

Thanks to everyone who has contributed to this thread; I have learnt a lot, although things aren't necessarily clearer in my mind.

Is location really that important? From what I gather, grad. students generally don't live in the college. Furthermore, is a central college desirable, given that I'll be studying in the West Cambridge site?

Nowhere's really far from anywhere in Cambridge. Is West Cambridge the Sidgewick site? (must learn my way around!!) That's fifteen minutes from the town centre so isn't a big deal. But thinking about it, no, I don't think grads DO usually live in college, although they do always seem to be around. The best thing is to go on the websites of the colleges - they should tell you about graduate accommodation. Or email them.

Hi everyone... thanks for all your helpful comments.

Just a quick update... I've just received an offer from St. John's. The mixed reactions to the college here has given me some pause, but I think I shall accept the offer. There is no real reason not to, is there?

I'd like to ask another question, if I may.

I have to indicate my preferences for the various college accomodation available, and I'm considering the graduate hostels on Madingley Road between Churchill and Lucy Cavendish Colleges because they're relatively nearer the West Cambridge site where I'll be studying.

Can anyone comment on how important it is to be near the main college site itself, and near the city centre. What is public transport like in Cambridge, and how convenient would it be for grocery shopping and so forth to live on Madingley Road without a car? (How busy is Madingley road? I'm a little concerned about the noise from what I understand is a main road in Cambridge.)

I would appreciate any thoughts or opinions on any of the above topics.

Thanks again.

I am at King's, not St Johns, but I know people from St Johns so perhaps I can give you certain information anyway. I would recommend accepting the offer - St Johns has a bad reputation in some quarters but it seems to me to be unfounded, and everyone I know who has had experience of it enjoys themselves and finds it rewarding. In addition, the university is far more important, and I would not pass up a chance to come to Cambridge.

As for the accomodation, I would suggest thinking twice about the Madingley Road. It is a large arterial route and is noisy and not pleasant to cross. I recommend calling college and enquiring whether the hostel is on the road itself or not. As for groceries, I am unsure exactly where the hostel is but bear in mind that Cambridge is incredibly compact anyway and even in the pouring rain you can always be bothered to walk for 5 minutes to find a shop. Similarly, I would not concern yourself too much about the distance to West Cambridge. I have to frequent it too, and its a 20 minute walk for me. Unless you're particularly averse to walking, don't worry about distances at all in Cambridge. You can get everywhere in no time. For this reason, public transport in Cambridge is largely useless for students. I get the bus to the train station when I need to be there, but otherwise I walk or cycle. If you have a bike and its convenient to bring it, do so - it helps even more, and the West Cambridge site has a dedicated cycle lane all the way there and back.

Hope I have been of use.

John's and King's are broke (I have read that Kings might have to sell a £40 million painting to clear some of their debts (they operate at a loss of £1.2 million a year)).

King's has a £40 million painting!? Wow! I didn't know paintings could be so valuable. Just out of curiosity, what is this painting?

No... from my understanding, the West Cambridge site is further from the city centre than the Sidgwick site. It's on Madingley Road, and it's where the Cavendish Laboratory, among other things, is. Would anyone here be able to comment on how long it would take to walk from the city centre to the Cavendish Laboratory? I've seen a map, but it is hard to gauge from that.

(Assuming walking as fast as possible without jogging) From magdalene it takes about 15-18 to walk, from Clare (Queens road/UL) 11-12. The computer lab is up at the West Cambridge site so I tend to cycle the entire length of madingley road daily, and it's not too bad, though more of a hassle than the centre of town.

There is a new C8 bus which is free for people with a university card which goes from the madingley road park and ride to the west cambridge site along madingley road, grange road, west road then past Queens and along trumpington street and eventually the hospital. It's entirely useless for where I live though 'cause the earliest I can catch it is at Churchill and that's almost there already.