Cambridge PGCE Students and Applicants

It does make a difference. Homerton and Hughes Hall are the two colleges that take the most PGCE students. However, they don't offer a true "Cambridge Experience", as it were, and it can also be very claustrophobic, being out at one end of town all the time. Many of the PGCE students I know at Homerton, who are living out, don't see the centre of town which is a pity.

I'm at Downing, which takes a couple of PGCE students per year. I chose it because it's much closer to the centre of town, is rather attractive, and I'm living out so don't need accomodation. It is nice to have a 24 hour library (the library at Homerton is specialised and open 24 hours too, but I;ve got access to both so have more choice) and the company of other "normal" postgrad students who I can share ideas with, sit around and drink tea with, and generally escape the PGCE bubble. There's formal halls pretty much every day, which you wear a gown for- Homerton don't- and it's much more of a traditional Cambridge college.

On the flip-side, they don't understand the PGCE course as well as Homerton do. The PGCE starts and ends outside of the normal term, and there's things like a matriculation ceremony which was during one of my placements, so I managed to go only to the dinner in the evening and missed most of the fun stuff that happenned during the day. I had to collect my new university card especially early to make it work, which caused some administrative faff, and various other things- but they are trivial.

Both have pros and cons. Queens takes a fair few PGCE students but is much more like a "normal" Cambridge college compared to Homerton and Hughes Hall.

It's up to you, really, how much you want to experience life in a "normal" Cambridge college, but have a few niggles to work out, then go elsewhere; Homerton, though, is tailored to the PGCE course but isn't a "normal" college. It's your choice whether that's a good or bad thing!

Hi I'm currently doing the Secondary English PGCE and I'm at Hughes Hall. If anyone has any questions, I'm happy to help.

Hi,

I have a question: I was told that you must be prepared to travel up to 50 miles/ 90 minutes (each way) from Cambridge sometimes to get to your PGCE placement. Is this the case for most applicants? And are placements usually close/far from Cambridge?

It's the only thing that's really bothering me!
Any advice would be appreciated!

Hey I'm in the process of applying and this is a big concern for me too as I don't have a drivers license. Obviously then living near a station/being placed in schools with reasonable transport networks is crucial! My research seems to suggest that it tends to be luck of the draw, however all PGCE students do need to sign a form saying they'll be willing to travel that distance.

I know in the past Cambridge reimbursed it's PGCE students for their travel costs however I'm not sure if they still do - the majority of unis don't.

Hi. I don't know if having a license will ease the pressure- as travelling that distance on a daily basis is difficult and tiresome even for a skilled driver! Cambridge reimburses only a small amount of travel costs (and I'm sure it'll be a lot considering the distance you must be prepared to travel).

Oh it does if placement is in some rural part of Cambridgeshire! Some people have recommended the School Direct route to me after raising this concern as you're usually placed to schools near where you live. I wonder how they accommodate for people with disability. They can't surely expect people with certain limitations to travel so far on a daily basis.

I thought UCL might be a little better due to better transport infrastructure but even then it can take hours to get somewhere if its on the opposite side and/or wrong line etc. It's quite off-putting not having any inclination during the application process I have to say!