Is it easier to get into female only colleges at cambridge?

Original post by Reality Check

No. It's rubbish.

anything to back up this point? :smile:

Reply 4

Twinpeaks

18

I didn't know female only colleges existed?? Christ almighty.

Reply 5

Reality Check

22

Original post by lulno

anything to back up this point? :smile:

Only that I went to Cambridge, worked in outreach and spend an inordinate amount of time dispelling myths like this. :smile:

Happy to change my mind once I see statistics from the university (and there's millions out there) to show that it's 'easier to get into a female-only college'.

@Doonesbury - one for you, I think.

Reply 6

ageshallnot

Universities Forum Helper

Original post by imogen.h

Hi I read an article on tatler which I can't tell is serious or not but it says you double your chances of getting into Cambridge if you apply to a women only college.

I was wondering if this is true, it would kinda make sense as there is less choice for the college out of applicants and the pooling system.
Thanks

The article is presumably this one: http://www.tatler.com/news/articles/october-2015/the-tatler-university-guide---cambridge. Not exactly a seriously researched piece of journalism...

Reply 7

artful_lounger

Original post by lulno

anything to back up this point? :smile:

It was written by Tatler? Surely that's enough of a gigantic, blinking neon sign that it's garbage already?

Reply 8

Reality Check

22

Original post by artful_lounger

It was written by Tatler? Surely that's enough of a gigantic, blinking neon sign that it's garbage already?

I think they're probably best off discussing polo from the Hurlingham and Lady Elizabeth Smyth-*******face's new venture in the world of haute couture.

Reply 9

Doones

Original post by imogen.h

Hi I read an article on tatler which I can't tell is serious or not but it says you double your chances of getting into Cambridge if you apply to a women only college.

I was wondering if this is true, it would kinda make sense as there is less choice for the college out of applicants and the pooling system.
Thanks

Original post by Reality Check

Only that I went to Cambridge, worked in outreach and spend an inordinate amount of time dispelling myths like this. :smile:

Happy to change my mind once I see statistics from the university (and there's millions out there) to show that it's 'easier to get into a female-only college'.

@Doonesbury - one for you, I think.

Thanks @Reality Check.

I imagine an intern at The Tatler, or some other eejit, has gone on the CAS page and looked at the university offer rate (approx 25%) and compared it to the Newnham applicant offer rate (approx 40%) and though ooooh look at that!

BUT they have forgotten that Newnham makes a significant number of offers from the pool. For example, in 2015 they made 73 pool offers vs 71 direct offers. That's more pool offers to applicants who applied elsewhere (i.e. not Newnham) than direct. So that brings the direct offer rate in 2015 down to below 20%, worse than the university average.

The guidance, as always, remains; apply to a college you like. It makes no difference to your chance of getting into Cambridge.

(edited 6 years ago)

Reply 10

Original post by imogen.h

Hi I read an article on tatler which I can't tell is serious or not but it says you double your chances of getting into Cambridge if you apply to a women only college.

I was wondering if this is true, it would kinda make sense as there is less choice for the college out of applicants and the pooling system.
Thanks

If your ultimate goal is getting into Cambridge, not into a particular college, no, it won't make any difference which college you originally apply to (or put open application), whether it's a female or mixed college.
It's because they have a system that enables 'The University' as a whole to admit most capable students regardless of their choice of college.
Please read "About Colleges' in this post on how and why. (it;s a couple of years old, but most of the info there is still relevant and useful.....and reliable as all the information came from actual people who are in charge of admission at Cambridge.)

https://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=3554013#post58964173

(it also explains why what @Doonesbury told you happens)

(edited 6 years ago)

Not for me, no.

Original post by ageshallnot

The article is presumably this one: http://www.tatler.com/news/articles/october-2015/the-tatler-university-guide---cambridge. Not exactly a seriously researched piece of journalism...

Lol
I just read the actual article now.
Written like materials for stand-up comedy script ........

Reply 13

ageshallnot

Original post by vincrows

Lol
I just read the actual article now.
Written like materials for stand-up comedy script ........

It's part of a series. Here's their 'in-depth analysis' on Oxford... http://www.tatler.com/news/articles/october-2015/the-tatler-university-guide---oxford

Reply 14

Doones

Original post by vincrows

Lol
I just read the actual article now.
Written like materials for stand-up comedy script ........

Only if it was on Channel 5 though....

(Is the bit about History correct?)

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Reply 15

Original post by ageshallnot

It's part of a series. Here's their 'in-depth analysis' on Oxford... http://www.tatler.com/news/articles/october-2015/the-tatler-university-guide---oxford

So basically it's a collection of inside banters & cliche an outsider (= the writer) happened to pick up somewhere and wrote for other outsiders.........as a banter.....
How very informative...........(sarcasm)

Btw Emma Watson was there only for a year as a 'visiting student'. Didn't matriculate, so naturally didn't graduate. Does it still qualify as an 'alumni'??

Reply 16

Original post by Doonesbury

Only if it was on Channel 5 though....

(Is the bit about History correct?)

Posted from TSR Mobile

Don't think so.
An essay is set by a supervisor for each of your tripos paper weekly. And you have to take at least 3 papers, so at least 3 essays you have to write........unless supervision system for History students is different from other courses. They still seem to have much a larger proportion of one-to-one supervisions (like in olden days....) than other courses, so that can be an attractive element of applying for history, though.

....... though if the magazine's editor/writer thinks info on 'celeb' alumni (rather than other notable alumni in the fields of science, literature, politics, business, etc...) is more important to their readers, correct info on supervisions/essay can be really irrelevant........

Reply 17

ageshallnot

Original post by vincrows

Don't think so.
An essay is set by a supervisor for each of your tripos paper weekly. And you have to take at least 3 papers, so at least 3 essays you have to write........unless supervision system for History students is different from other courses. They still seem to have much a larger proportion of one-to-one supervisions (like in olden days....) than other courses, so that can be an attractive element of applying for history, though.

....... though if the magazine's editor/writer thinks info on 'celeb' alumni (rather than other notable alumni in the fields of science, literature, politics, business, etc...) is more important to their readers, correct info on supervisions/essay can be really irrelevant........

I was fortunate enough to study History (not at Oxbridge) in an era where the vast majority of unis utilised the weekly 1:1 tutorials for much of the course. It's an extremely effective way of learning and I think is the main advantage of reading such a subject at Oxford or Cambridge nowadays.

Reply 18