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Lucy Cavendish, St Edmund's and Wolfson
Can anyone give me an idea of what these mature colleges are like? In terms of general age of students, accommodation and reputation?
Reply 1
A good way to answer would be to ask how old you are and how "mature" you feel you are. I haven't been to the actual school yet but I'll be at wolfson in a month. They are all near the bottom of the league tables, which means they're less elite and they're less elitist. I visited both Holmes and Wolfson while I was there and they're similar.
Most of the students are grads. They're mostly older. The undergrads I saw around seemed to be fairly young, 23-25ish, and at Wolfson there is a very high concentration of foreign students. Everyone seems very social, friendly, and there is less difference between the fellows, grads, and undergrads.
If you have unique circumstances, such as less than stellar A-levels and some good work experience, they're more likely to take the time to understand what you have previously done and assess you as a "whole person," not just AAA.
However, most of the people at Cambridge aren't mature, they are AAA and they aren't at mature colleges. If you're 21 or 22 you might consider trying to have a good dialogue with admissions folks at regular colleges. The prospectus makes a huge deal out of the mature offerings, but really a dedicated student can make it into the more elite colleges, dedicated or not. If you're in the UK, go visit before you choose, particularly if you're youngish.
Most of the students are grads. They're mostly older. The undergrads I saw around seemed to be fairly young, 23-25ish, and at Wolfson there is a very high concentration of foreign students. Everyone seems very social, friendly, and there is less difference between the fellows, grads, and undergrads.
If you have unique circumstances, such as less than stellar A-levels and some good work experience, they're more likely to take the time to understand what you have previously done and assess you as a "whole person," not just AAA.
However, most of the people at Cambridge aren't mature, they are AAA and they aren't at mature colleges. If you're 21 or 22 you might consider trying to have a good dialogue with admissions folks at regular colleges. The prospectus makes a huge deal out of the mature offerings, but really a dedicated student can make it into the more elite colleges, dedicated or not. If you're in the UK, go visit before you choose, particularly if you're youngish.
Reply 2
I thought Lucy Cavendish looked nice, but that's just me. I have nothing else of relevance to contribute, I'm afraid.
Reply 3
Thanks for the feedback 
I'm 22 but in regards to whether I feel mature I'm not sure, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Unfortunately though I only have the mature colleges to choose from because I am interested in Veterinary Medicine and regular colleges keep their places for those under 21.
I'm 22 but in regards to whether I feel mature I'm not sure, sometimes I do, sometimes I don't. Unfortunately though I only have the mature colleges to choose from because I am interested in Veterinary Medicine and regular colleges keep their places for those under 21.Related discussions
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