Which Cambridge College do you find has the snootiest people?

I know each college has both good and bad people, but as a general observation, which of the colleges at Cambridge have you found people to be the snootiest and stuck-up?

Reply 1

Chief Wiggum

20

I can't imagine there's much difference, really.

Reply 2

Solemn Rain

18

^not much difference, there is your answer. I wonder what it is like to be a Cambridge student?

Reply 3

illusionz

20

Original post by Chief Wiggum

I can't imagine there's much difference, really.

There is a difference. Traditional vs Newer (think 1900s) colleges have a noticeably different proportion of public schoolboys. Not that it actually matters...

Reply 4

Splenge007

12

what's your view on Murray Edwards?

Reply 5

TritonSails

11

Original post by sydney_watts

I know each college has both good and bad people, but as a general observation, which of the colleges at Cambridge have you found people to be the snootiest and stuck-up?

It's really hard to say. You can't really put it down to a state v independent school thing--I know great and down-to-earth people who went to private schools and, likewise, have come some across people from state schools who actually show a kind of 'reverse snobbery'. It's pretty hard to say given how small a sample size each year group comprises and how rapid the turnaround is.

Reply 6

Theflyingbarney

15

The whole state v independent school thing is completely irrelevant - just because someone went to a certain type of school it doesn't make them likely to be more 'stuck up' or whatever.

For example, I went to a comprehensive school. My core circle of friends at Cambridge consist of: two others who went to comprehensives, three from independent grammar schools, one girl who was at a private international school in Europe, and one girl who moved from a comprehensive to a grammar. The maxim 'don't judge a book by its cover' is as relevant as ever here.

Reply 7

hogwartian1993

9

Am I seriously the first person to say John's? :bban:

This is completely banter and John's is a lovely college and not snooty but its just tradition to rip it out of St John's because they're very rich. 'I'd rather be at Oxford than St John's!' is song created purely for that. :tongue:

Must reiterate though, its definitely banter, my friend is there and she's one of the least snooty people out there.

EDIT:

Wow, tough crowd - two negs already :eek:

(edited 10 years ago)

Reply 8

Chief Wiggum

20

Original post by Theflyingbarney

The whole state v independent school thing is completely irrelevant - just because someone went to a certain type of school it doesn't make them likely to be more 'stuck up' or whatever.

For example, I went to a comprehensive school. My core circle of friends at Cambridge consist of: two others who went to comprehensives, three from independent grammar schools, one girl who was at a private international school in Europe, and one girl who moved from a comprehensive to a grammar. The maxim 'don't judge a book by its cover' is as relevant as ever here.

I agree with this.

Saying a college with a higher proportion of private-schoolers will have snootier people, is rather dubious IMO.

Reply 9

sydney_watts

OP

9

Why is it when I posed this same question to the other place, I received straight-up, no bull**** answers. Yet when I ask the supposedly smarter kids at the welding school on the Cam, I get a slew of wishy-washy replies and not one person gave a direct answer. I know Cambridge is the Maths/Science geek place of preference, but come on! Not one real answer or opinion?

Reply 10

amg_22

3

Original post by sydney_watts

Why is it when I posed this same question to the other place, I received straight-up, no bull**** answers. Yet when I ask the supposedly smarter kids at the welding school on the Cam, I get a slew of wishy-washy replies and not one person gave a direct answer. I know Cambridge is the Maths/Science geek place of preference, but come on! Not one real answer or opinion?

By straight up no bull**** answers I assume you mean crude answers based on stereotypes which aren't true

Reply 11

sydney_watts

OP

9

Original post by amg_22

By straight up no bull**** answers I assume you mean crude answers based on stereotypes which aren't true

Exactly. Please lend us your thoughts....

Reply 12

fluteflute

19

Original post by sydney_watts

Why is it when I posed this same question to the other place, I received straight-up, no bull**** answers. Yet when I ask the supposedly smarter kids at the welding school on the Cam, I get a slew of wishy-washy replies and not one person gave a direct answer. I know Cambridge is the Maths/Science geek place of preference, but come on! Not one real answer or opinion?

Err, really?

Reply 13

Topaz_eyes

12

I think the same as everyone else - it doesn't matter. I've met a few snooty people from a variety of colleges, but very few. Most of the people I've met are lovely - and that includes people from John's and Trinity, which have a reputation for being posh!

Reply 14

opaltiger

1

I've been at Trinity for three years. To this day I still haven't met anyone in college who was sufficiently snooty as to annoy me. It's almost disappointing.

Reply 15

Azarimanka

2

I'd say King's - it has a lot of people proud of upholding it's 'Left-Wing' reputation - what it means is it has a lot of stuck up people that think of you like **** if you don't fit into their OTT radical political belief system (it also has a lot of lovely people also)

Reply 16

Cast.Iron

14

Original post by sydney_watts

Why is it when I posed this same question to the other place, I received straight-up, no bull**** answers. Yet when I ask the supposedly smarter kids at the welding school on the Cam, I get a slew of wishy-washy replies and not one person gave a direct answer. I know Cambridge is the Maths/Science geek place of preference, but come on! Not one real answer or opinion?

That's because most of the people who have replied to your question are possessed of the intellect to realise that there is no black and white answer here, only varying shades of grey (around about fifty, actually).

The truth is that you will find people who you would deem 'snooty' in every single Cambridge college, just as you will find people who went to some pretty poor state comprehensives.

What you need to keep in mind is that it's not so much about the college you go to but the friendships which you make. There's no way of telling for sure which college is going to be full of 'snooty' types (whatever that means). You may apply for a newer college thinking there to be fewer such individuals but then the college may have picked loads of them out from the pool.

The salient message here is not to base college choice on the basis of perceived demographics. Even so, I think you'd benefit from reconsidering your approach to privately educated individuals. It's not healthy and will only dull your experience of university wherever you go. All elite institutions have a high percentage of privately educated students.

PS: I went to a poorly performing state comprehensive prior to coming to Cambridge.

Reply 17

sydney_watts

OP

9

I'm going to say Christ's is pretty snooty - but not in the usual sense of the term. Not outwardly snooty, but there is a definite posh, public school (boarding school) educated elite who seem to dominate there, yet who try as hard as possible to not show it. You catch a lot of Lefty politics, but not in the typical upper-middle-class Guardianista sense. It does hold down a reputation for being intellectual and artsy, which tempers the usual snooty attitudes you get in some of the other colleges where privately educated ones outnumber the state school graduates. However, Christ's always struck me as being a place for serious 'old-money' who want to pretend they're not 'any money'. Hence, a sort of reverse snootieness evolves. It's certainly not all Jack Wills, Tory voting, Daddy works in the City, BMW driving, Buckinghamshire types. It seems to be made up more of very affluent Lefty's who try their best to downplay their wealth and position despite their noticable RP accents and expensive, albeit weathered, clothes. Kind of a hippy, old-moneyed, W.A.S.P.ish ambiance that can be rather smug when it wants to be.

Reply 18

Cast.Iron

14

Original post by sydney_watts

I'm going to say Christ's is pretty snooty - but not in the usual sense of the term. Not outwardly snooty, but there is a definite posh, public school (boarding school) educated elite who seem to dominate there, yet who try as hard as possible to not show it. You catch a lot of Lefty politics, but not in the typical upper-middle-class Guardianista sense. It does hold down a reputation for being intellectual and artsy, which tempers the usual snooty attitudes you get in some of the other colleges where privately educated ones outnumber the state school graduates. However, Christ's always struck me as being a place for serious 'old-money' who want to pretend they're not 'any money'. Hence, a sort of reverse snootieness evolves. It's certainly not all Jack Wills, Tory voting, Daddy works in the City, BMW driving, Buckinghamshire types. It seems to be made up more of very affluent Lefty's who try their best to downplay their wealth and position despite their noticable RP accents and expensive, albeit weathered, clothes. Kind of a hippy, old-moneyed, W.A.S.P.ish ambiance that can be rather smug when it wants to be.