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English at Emmanuel or Pembroke College Cambridge? - Advice?

Hi there,

Anyone got any advice for applying for English at Cambridge, specifically at Pembroke or Emmanuel College, and as a post A-level applicant? Think I like Emmanuel slightly more but not decided - I'd really appreciate any pros or cons/general insight people have!

I go to a non-Oxbridgey school so I'm struggling to grasp the whole 'some colleges are more competitive', 'some colleges attract more students', 'some colleges attract less students but they're of a higher calibre' thing that I've heard some of my fancy-school friends mention. It also says there is a 'quiz' at interview for Emmanuel. What's that all about? I'm a little confused...!

If it means anything, I'm predicted 4A*, I live in the Midlands...yeah. That's about it.

Thanks in advance. I'm really looking forward to potentially applying to one of these beautiful colleges (if I get the grades yikes!).
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Avatar for chococashew
chococashew
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4
Anyone?
Your overall chance of getting in will be equal no matter which college you choose, due to the pooling system. There are data to prove it. People talk a lot of rubbish about trying to game the system and choose tactically but it's all pointless, uninformed speculation which will both drive you crazy and make the whole thing more stressful.


My advice would be to go and visit both colleges, and apply to the one that you like the best. Getting in requires talent, intelligence and a healthy dose of luck - there are more excellent candidates than there are places. So I'd apply to the one you like the best, ignoring the nonsense, and if you get in then brilliant - you're going to your favourite college (or you've been pooled somewhere else like ~21% successful applicants).

A top tip is that if you visit outside of an open day, go into the porters' lodge and tell them you're a prospective student and would like to look around. They'll chat to you about things to look at, and might even be able to spirit up a current student to show you bits of the college.
As above, college choice won't affect how likely you are to be admitted. It also has little bearing on the actual academic content and delivery of the course, incidentally.

Focus on choosing the college you think you'd most like to spend three years in if you were accepted - bearing in mind there is a good (20-25% I think? @Doones knows the stats, and might be able to give more infor otherwise) chance you might end up at another college anyway!

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