The Big 'Which Cambridge College?' Thread

Hey, I'm doing the IB and I want to study law.

I visited Downing College and I really loved it, the architecture, the grounds, just everything about it. I was pretty sure that I was going to choose Downing however when I went on the Cambridge website I saw that for the IB Downing gives offers of on average 40/45 whereas King's College gives 38/45. King's seems really nice too but I just love Downing. I'm worried that I might not get a good enough IB for Downing, should I apply for King's?

Hi, I'm looking at applying to Cambridge next year and just wondering which colleges are good for music and drama?

I don't really know. Made friends (and asked out on a date, only to find out she had a boyfriend - how embarrassing) at the interview day with one girl also applying for English who was pooled but not fished, and there are one or two people on the Facebook P'house offer-holders' group who had initially applied to different colleges.

According to http://www.study.cam.ac.uk/undergraduate/apply/statistics/colleges.html , Peterhouse made 85 offers in 2011, of which 13 were done through the pool, and a further 12 people who'd initially applied to Peterhouse were pooled and then fished by other colleges. So they seem to be pretty middle-of-the-road in terms of popularity/oversubscription.

The size thing is important. I don't think I'll really mind because you're obviously not limited to spending time only with college friends but the person who guided me around did say it can sometimes be a bit 'claustrophobic'. Your call, really.

A further question to everybody on the thread: are there any decent snooker halls in the centre that you know of? And if so, do you have any names so that I can check its location in relation to colleges?

Obviously not gonna be a huge factor in my choice but thought I'd at least find out. Played a lot before GCSEs but fell out of the habit, and would love to pick it back up as an occasional pastime whilst at uni.

A further question to everybody on the thread: are there any decent snooker halls in the centre that you know of? And if so, do you have any names so that I can check its location in relation to colleges?

Obviously not gonna be a huge factor in my choice but thought I'd at least find out. Played a lot before GCSEs but fell out of the habit, and would love to pick it back up as an occasional pastime whilst at uni.

The Cambridge Union Society (debating society) has at least one (I think two) snooker table. Many colleges have a pool table in the JCR (common room).

Hi, so I'm an international student from the US looking to apply for 2013. (Going to apply to study English.) I kinda need some advice. I know you don't have to send in apps until October, but I want to get this over with now; plus, I'm going to be staying in Cambridge for three weeks over the summer at one of the colleges (don't know which one yet) for a program, and although I plan on visiting a few, I'd like to know which ones would be best for me beforehand so I don't just resort to traipsing into all of the ones I'm interested in. Probably won't have a ton of time for visiting much, either.

On my list right now are Emmanuel, Jesus, Gonville & Caius, Pembroke, and Queens'. I really want to pick a college that doesn't have too many rules/isn't that strict or "authoritarian." I'm not a fan of asking permission to do things. :P Not sure if it was from someone on this thread but I've heard that Christ's is like that (strict and authoritarian). I don't mind a bit of tradition in general (gowns and the like) but too much of it would probably piss me off. Other things I'd like:
-Slightly more "artsy" rather than "science-y"
-Medium to large amount of undergrads (my current school is tiny - only about 65 people in my whole grade - and I'm sick of it)
-Not academically pushy
-Old buildings/architecture

I don't care about location, really, and I'm far from a picky eater, so neither of those things will be deciding factors for me. Anyone wanna help me pick which one would be best for me?

Whoops, forgot St. John's in my "possible colleges" list...

I'll give you the analysis for Emmanuel. Note that I'm bias

Authoritarianism - not even remotely. Obviously every college has certain rules eg no naked flames (fire safety) but one of the laxest when it comes to regulations. (most rules can be broken minorly without anyone caring)

Tradition - no more than elsewhere in Cambridge - Gowns are standard, grace before formal hall is short, few bits of silly latin at matriculation and graduation but otherwise nothing much going. If that's too much for you then you may want to consider a different uni.

Arts vs science mix - I think it's about 50-50, it's certainly not a science-y college. Beyond that it comes down to who you become friends with

about 130 undergrads per year, so about 400 total.

Not at all pushy, very laid back about work, and very good on welfare in general. Completely non-academic room ballot for example.

Buildings - one modern accommodation block, one very new conference building (though in the same stone as the rest of the college), and library is 50-50 (though the new bit is more post-modern) Other than that they're all old buildings.

I'd say it ticks all your boxes

Also, free laundry, and ducks.

for others

Jesus - Sporty, not artsy.
Caius - quite authoritarian.
Pembroke - ticks all your boxes too (partially academic room ballot, but not really that pushy)
Queens - a large section of the college is all 60s concrete architecture.



Good, keep forgetting it.

Johns has a certain reputation (for a very good reason)

Also possibly has too much tradition for you.

Based on what you said, then, I think Emmanuel and Pembroke would be my top two. I guess it'll come down to how I feel when I actually visit. Also, the John's thing - how based on fact is that rep? Everyone from other colleges really does seem to hate them!

Good choice - Emma and Pembroke were my top two as well. In fact Emma was a slight favourite until I visited Pembroke on an open day. The John's thing is mostly banter, but from the small sample of those I met there were a disproportionate number of rahs (arrogant posh people).

Yay! That makes me feel a bit more confident about my choices. I found that the alternative prospectuses make every college sound amazing, so you really have to dig for info if you want real pros and cons. I can't wait to go and visit!

Uh oh, guess I'll have to start learning these British terms... never heard of a "rah" before, haha. John's seems to have amazing architecture but I don't really want to be hated/surrounded by annoying people.

Awesome, thanks so much. Emma definitely sounds like a good fit for me, then. The amount of tradition you mentioned doesn't sound too bad at all; I definitely still want a bit of "Cambridge" feel. A happy medium is fine with me.

And I've heard about the famous ducks - are they really that confident? Can you pet them and stuff? Hah.

Based on what you said, then, I think Emmanuel and Pembroke would be my top two. I guess it'll come down to how I feel when I actually visit. Also, the John's thing - how based on fact is that rep? Everyone from other colleges really does seem to hate them!

Not sure if you'd know, but any idea how much harder it is for someone from the US to be accepted as opposed to someone from the UK? I know there's a quota for the about of international med students that can get in, but is there one for English?

Wow, sorry for all the questions. I sound like an excited puppy or something.

This is kinda what a "rah" is like:

From my fairly large sample of people from Johns, it's factual, if exagerated. Obviously not everyone from Johns is a ****, but a very large number are, and it seems to be self-perpetuating - the people who apply are mostly toffs and once they get there the place only encourages them.
(I say this having gone to school with a good number of them as well - Johns attracts not only the public school boys, but some of the worst of the public school boys)

Yeah, most people find the tradition fine - it wouldn't be Cambridge without it.


The Ducks - yes they really are that bold. You're not meant to pet them, and by the end of your first year you'll be trying to keep them off your lunch more than pet them. The ducklings are super cute and adorable, but they get a bit scared so you can't really get too close or you'll frighten them.

I don't know if there is a quota, I suspect not (medicine is a rather special case) I don't think it's significantly harder, though obviously the process is streamlined for UK students.

Yes do come visit.

Okay, that's reassuring. I wasn't sure if they only accept international students who are practically geniuses or if we have a similar chance of getting in as a UK student. The interview does seem totally scary, though, even though they say it's not.

I would say assuming there is no other factors in place (e.g. quotas), they accept those with similar chances. In fact international students are more desirable in a way because they pay the full fees, whereas for each home student a college admits it makes a loss overall. That's only if the admissions tutors of a college are driven by that factor though of course.

Ah, okay, that's good, then. Even if the money thing ends up not factoring in at all, my grades are pretty good as well as my standardized test score. (No idea how to compare our tests to your guys' A-levels. From what I've read they seem completely different...) Also, would the admissions people be willing to overlook one pretty terrible grade if the rest are good and I have a good reference?

Prospective applicants from Canada and the USA taking SATs and Advanced Placement Tests should note that offers are usually made on an individual basis. In addition to high passes in the High School Diploma and the SAT, successful applicants have normally achieved 5s in at least five Advanced Placement Tests in appropriate subjects.