Cambridge 2016 Postgraduate Entry

Hi all,

Just wanted to ask what the deal is if I'm still "seeking college membership" for 3 weeks. I've applied to Jesus as my first choice but it still has not changed to "under consideration." Is this the norm?

Hi all,

Just wanted to ask what the deal is if I'm still "seeking college membership" for 3 weeks. I've applied to Jesus as my first choice but it still has not changed to "under consideration." Is this the norm?

It was the same for me. It only changed to "Unsucessful at..., seeking college membership" when I was rejected from my first choice. I assume that it means that your application is still being considered by Jesus.

I was just wondering, if we don't live in college accommodation, how often would we have to actually go to the college? It looks like I'll be commuting in from another town, and my college isn't exactly the most central.

I was just wondering, if we don't live in college accommodation, how often would we have to actually go to the college? It looks like I'll be commuting in from another town, and my college isn't exactly the most central.

Hi there, as a postgraduate student don't we have to live within 10 miles of the centre of Cambridge?

There aren't any specific times when you HAVE to be in College - maybe Matriculation, and of course Graduation, if you attend in person, starts from College. But you are paying a lot of money towards its facilities, it seems a pity not to use some of that by visiting once in a while! Most social activities will at least start in the MCR or bar, because most students do live in or near College, College groups and societies meet in College etc.

And yes, you do have to 'keep term' by living within a specific distance of St Mary's Church, unless you have a very rare to get exemption.

Thanks for the reply. I didn't know that we were required to live within ten miles of St Mary's. Would having the family home 13 miles away that I can easily commute from by train not be sufficient reason?

You should speak to the Senior Tutor at your College. Unfortunately the requirement to live within 10 miles (3.5 I think for UG) of Great St Mary's Church is written into the statues for the award of the degree. It's not some modern welfare reason, for example. So mature students commuting from London is not usually allowed. However, each College may take it's own view, and it is probably something that can be negotiated so long as your academic performance remains on track.

Just found this which suggests common sense might prevail

http://www.cambridgestudents.cam.ac.uk/new-students/manage-your-student-information/graduate-students/terms-study

Thanks. I haven't even accepted the offer yet - I wouldn't be able to afford to accept if I can't commute, which would only take me around 40 minutes. So it's frustrating to say the least if they don't let me.

Well accept the offer first, then contact the Senior Tutor when your College sends out its accommodation information.

I don't want to accept the offer if I can't end up going because I can't afford the accommodation prices. Can I not just email the college's senior tutor before accepting?

It doesn't cost anything to accept the offer and it's standard practice. Accept offers as they come in, if there is any chance of you accepting them, and then decide when you know what your options are. All universities understand this process, and if they don't want to accept the consequences of this, they ask for a non-refundable deposit. If you speak to the Senior Tutor before accepting, you are wasting their time with a hypothetical and you probably won't get an answer, or you will get the standard answer - no! Show commitment and intent, but then email when accommodation comes to the front of the College's agenda in late summer, and you will likely get more specific consideration. As it used to be a blanket No, the ability to even make the request formally, sounds as though they are becoming more flexible.

I thought we weren't supposed to accept offers unless we were certain that we'd attend? Apologies for all of the questions.

No, it's standard practice to accept offers if you think you might attend, and only reject if you are sure you won't. There are pro's and cons, but the funding situation is such that people can't make rational decisions while admission processes are not centralised (which they never will be).

If a University wants to ensure that yes means yes, they ask for a non-refundable deposit because they know that parting with money focusses the mind!

Thanks for your help. So if I accept the offer and then later have to reject it for financial reasons, how would I go about rejecting it?

You should speak to the Senior Tutor at your College. Unfortunately the requirement to live within 10 miles (3.5 I think for UG) of Great St Mary's Church is written into the statues for the award of the degree. It's not some modern welfare reason, for example. So mature students commuting from London is not usually allowed. However, each College may take it's own view, and it is probably something that can be negotiated so long as your academic performance remains on track.

Just found this which suggests common sense might prevail

http://www.cambridgestudents.cam.ac.uk/new-students/manage-your-student-information/graduate-students/terms-study

Hi there, this question may sound foolish, but do you know if the ten mile is a ten mile radius as opposed to actual journey length? For example my house is within a ten mile radius but is around eleven miles to actually drive (it is only 9.8 miles to actually drive to the college but more to the market square). Presumably this is acceptable?

Hi there, this question may sound foolish, but do you know if the ten mile is a ten mile radius as opposed to actual journey length? For example my house is within a ten mile radius but is around eleven miles to actually drive (it is only 9.8 miles to actually drive to the college but more to the market square). Presumably this is acceptable?