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The Big 'Which Cambridge College?' Thread

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This is a spreadsheet that I made ages ago when deciding which college to apply to. (I applied this year, and went to Selwyn.)

Any information you think is really important, you should check, since the data could be outdated and I might have made a mistake. Some is a little subjective.

I think it shows what was important to me! I suppose I could have added a column for date founded, but prettiness is more important anyway...

The distance mentioned is relative to the MML faculty buildings.

If anyone applying hasn't seen the Alternative Prospectus (from the Student Union), I should recommend it. It's really helpful.

http://www.applytocambridge.com
(edited 11 years ago)
Cambridge Colleges.pdf56.1KB
Have a look at my thread if it helps - your post made me remember about a spreadsheet that I made ages ago and found really useful when I was applying!

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2071033

I mention the Alternative Prospectus - which is also really useful.

http://www.applytocambridge.com
Reply 3302
Avatar for alli11
alli11
Original post by With an Accent
Have a look at my thread if it helps - your post made me remember about a spreadsheet that I made ages ago and found really useful when I was applying!

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=2071033

I mention the Alternative Prospectus - which is also really useful.

http://www.applytocambridge.com


thank you and btw which college do/did you attend?
Original post by alli11
thank you and btw which college do/did you attend?


I'm holding an offer from Selwyn.

The one and only Übercollege...
In short - no.

Reasons:
- You'll see massive swings in the number of applicants each year; one year, there may be 100 candidates for 8 slots, but the next year it may fall to 50 if everybody else is doing the same thing!
- You won't be disadvantaged because of the pooling system. If you're good enough, a college will find you.
Reply 3305
Avatar for alli11
alli11
what does ubercollege mean?
Original post by alli11
what does ubercollege mean?


:lol:

He's just messing with you - he's saying that Selwyn's the best. Since I'm from Pembroke, naturally I'd have to disagree. :wink:
Reply 3307
Avatar for Icesn
Icesn
Hey,
I am applying for the 4 year Classics course this October and have narrowed it down to Clare or Sidney Sussex. Hoping for some advice, although I know it may be hopelessly subjective advice. Would really appreciate advice on the colleges reputations for Classics, if one is harder to get into (probably not applicable) any other advice.
Thanks
Reply 3308
Avatar for Jell-O
Jell-O
Hey! I'm applying for Economics but i still cant make up my mind on which college to apply to.
The problem is i'm not taking Further Math for A levels, so i have cut out the colleges that list further math as highly-desirable or highly-recommended.
These are the colleges i'm left with
Girton
Homerton
Jesus
Magdalene
Peterhouse
St. Catherine
Trinity

Not so sure ones (either couldn't find the details or wasn't sure whether they want it even after reading it! >.<)
Downing
Emma
Fitzwilliam
Selwyn
Trinity Hall

Well, i would prefer a college with a quiet environment (not too secluded though), good supervisions, good support system and nice people! :smile:
Please give me some feedbacks! especially from current students studying there. Thanks so much! :biggrin:
Original post by Jell-O
Hey! I'm applying for Economics but i still cant make up my mind on which college to apply to.
The problem is i'm not taking Further Math for A levels, so i have cut out the colleges that list further math as highly-desirable or highly-recommended.
These are the colleges i'm left with
Girton
Homerton
Jesus
Magdalene
Peterhouse
St. Catherine
Trinity

Not so sure ones (either couldn't find the details or wasn't sure whether they want it even after reading it! >.<)
Downing
Emma
Fitzwilliam
Selwyn
Trinity Hall

Well, i would prefer a college with a quiet environment (not too secluded though), good supervisions, good support system and nice people! :smile:
Please give me some feedbacks! especially from current students studying there. Thanks so much! :biggrin:


Admissions don't vary much between colleges, and for economics further maths is desirable at all colleges, it's just a case of whether or not they bother to list it. To illustrate, Trinity is one of the harshest on its entry requirements, but is on your list for not requiring further maths. I find that suspicious, more likely an oversight than a reflection of their view on FMaths (especially considering it's such a maths-orientated college overall!)

FMaths is a case of if you can do it, they like it, regardless of what college. However it's non-essential and many schools don't offer their students the opportunity to take it, so it's not a requirement, and a lot of applicants don't have it so you won't suffer too much without it.

I'm at Emma, and I'd say in terms of atmosphere it's close to what you're looking for. It's a peaceful place, being off the main tourist trail and having lots of open space. Supervisors are good (though at every college you will get variation, and to some extent it comes down to your personal interaction with them) The support system is standout, with extensive welfare provisions throughout the year and especially in exam term (Emma students are well shielded from the notorious "week 5 blues", due to a sudden burst of free sweets and tea and cake sessions that week. In exam term we get a bouncy castle to get us out of the library) and it's reputation as the "friendly college" says it all about the nice people.
It really doesn't matter which college you apply to for a particular subject. Most people do very well, and how well you do is almost always because of how much effort you put into it, rather than because of the college you go to. Supervisions at all colleges are of excellent standard, and teaching is organised by University. Granted, some colleges may have access to particular resources like a library that has more books, but you can visit other college libraries and the university library. Personally, I'd say just apply to the one you like the feel of most. Don't try and think about which is better for a particular subject - Cambridge is Cambridge, and you'll be happiest if you go to somewhere that you feel more comfortable :smile:

Personally, I'd pick Clare because it's just beautiful :smile: xxxxxxxxx
Hello,

I was googling for some information but could not find anything really detailed about ice hockey at Cambridge University.

Which college is the best for ice hockey player?
Original post by TrysBaldai
Hello,

I was googling for some information but could not find anything really detailed about ice hockey at Cambridge University.

Which college is the best for ice hockey player?


Heh, I wouldn't have thought we'd play ice hockey here, but this page is for the University society.

I'm not that involved in sport, so I can't be sure, but I don't think that college choice makes any difference for such a "specialist" sport (compared to the likes of football and rugby). As it is, some colleges seem to use members from other colleges to make up their numbers occasionally - I think my friend mentioned this happening in water polo...
Original post by TrysBaldai
Hello,

I was googling for some information but could not find anything really detailed about ice hockey at Cambridge University.

Which college is the best for ice hockey player?


I don't think it would really make a difference, since you'd have to join the university club (I can't imagine any colleges would have an ice hockey club), so what college you went to wouldn't matter.
Reply 3314
Avatar for Jammy111
Jammy111
Original post by With an Accent
The University is insistent that their research shows that candidates of equal ability are not disadvantaged by college choice, due to pooling.

The question is whether or not to believe them. If I were in charge of admissions, I would make sure that this was true, and I don't think they have a reason to lie, but who knows?


Ohhhhh I hope it is the case too, so how did you go about choosing a college?
(edited 11 years ago)
Original post by Jammy111
Ohhhhh I hope it is the case too, so how did you go about choosing a college?


I made a big spreadsheet with stuff that was important to me (I've uploaded it to here recently: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=634021&page=169&p=38787811&highlight=#post38787811) I then visited my favourite, and liked it!
Reply 3316
Avatar for Jammy111
Jammy111
Original post by With an Accent
I made a big spreadsheet with stuff that was important to me (I've uploaded it to here recently: http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=634021&page=169&p=38787811&highlight=#post38787811) I then visited my favourite, and liked it!

So from your spreadsheet how did you decide, was it mainly based on the accommodation, how close it was to the faculty, how close to the centre or number of undergrads?
Reply 3317
Avatar for DanteA
DanteA
Hi, I Need some Help choosing a college. I am sure I wanna go to Cambridge, I'm applying for Computer Science and but still don't know what college to choose.

I have an idea of what I want in a college:
Not big, I'd rather have middle sized but I want small rather than big
Sports ground nearby (not like Christ's like a mile away)
Decent food (though I will self cater alot so if food is a problem, it wouldn't be the end of the world)
Nice gardens and some fields to walk on
Decent location (not Homerton or Girton)
Decent Gym
No bad reputation (St. Johns being posh, etc.)
Decent Accomodation in college for 3/4years
Decent facilities

Some that I have shortlisted are:
Churchill
Downing
Emmanuel
Fitzwilliam
Gonville and Caius
Jesus
Magdalene
Queens
Trinity Hall

Here are good and bad points derived from the choosing college site, university site, prospectus and alterative prospectuses

(My Good Points)
Churchill - Next to department, loads of facilities, good self catering, sports grounds on site
Downing - Loads of facilities, free Thursday snacks
Emmanuel - Free Laundry, Sports ground near department, 'nice college', open space, week 5 blues snacks
Fitzwilliam - Self catering, big gardens, sports ground close, close to department
Gonville and Caius - Free laundry, good SHB room
Jesus - Sportsground on site, good allround college, nice colours
Magdalene - Equidistant between department and city centre
Queens - Loads of societies and facilities, nice colours
Trinity Hall - Ski Trip, small, rich, Wychfield Site near department

(My Bad Points)
Churchill - Ugly, out of town, reputation for being the 'geeky college'
Downing - None really
Emmanuel - Part I (1st and 2nd year) accomodation could be better (don't want a grade 2 room for 2 years in East Court)
Fitzwilliam - Bad accomodation
Gonville and Caius - (apparently) bad food
Jesus - None really
Magadalene - (apparently) bad food and not alot of acceptances for computer science (1 or 2)
Queens - Sportsground far away, but appart from that, none really
Trinity Hall - None really

PLease help me choose!:biggrin:
Original post by DanteA
Hi, I Need some Help choosing a college. I am sure I wanna go to Cambridge, I'm applying for Computer Science and but still don't know what college to choose.
(My Good Points)
Churchill - Next to department, loads of facilities, good self catering, sports grounds on site
Downing - Loads of facilities, free Thursday snacks
Emmanuel - Free Laundry, Sports ground near department, 'nice college', open space, week 5 blues snacks
Fitzwilliam - Self catering, big gardens, sports ground close, close to department
Gonville and Caius - Free laundry, good SHB room
Jesus - Sportsground on site, good allround college, nice colours
Magdalene - Equidistant between department and city centre
Queens - Loads of societies and facilities, nice colours
Trinity Hall - Ski Trip, small, rich, Wychfield Site near department

I'll clear up some points:
Churchill - Being next to department is only true for IB and II. In IA the town colleges are closer to where you want to go. Also for CompSci at Churchill expect to face lots of competition while applying and being pushed hard once you are on the course.
Emmanuel - Laundry is not only free, but done for you too. Does not take too many CompScis but neither does it get too many applications.
Magdalene - You'll have the same DoS (director of studies) for CompSci as Churchill. Expect similar academic experience.
Caius - Historically been a strong CompSci college. The CompSci DoSes there are very nice and you'll get invited to teas and dinners and stuff.

Original post by DanteA

(My Bad Points)
Churchill - Ugly, out of town, reputation for being the 'geeky college'
Downing - None really
Emmanuel - Part I (1st and 2nd year) accomodation could be better (don't want a grade 2 room for 2 years in East Court)
Fitzwilliam - Bad accomodation
Gonville and Caius - (apparently) bad food
Jesus - None really
Magadalene - (apparently) bad food and not alot of acceptances for computer science (1 or 2)
Queens - Sportsground far away, but appart from that, none really
Trinity Hall - None really

Emmanuel - You won't be in East Court in IA and you can specify roughly what grade you want for first year - normally you won't get lower than 4 if you don't want to. Having a terrible room in IB is compensated for the opportunity of having truly palatial rooms in II.

Some of these colleges are known for high rent. I think I've heard of Jesus and Downing being two.

You seem to have got what you want identified pretty well so I think you should just visit them if you have a chance and make a decision on balance :smile:

If you want to know anything about the CompSci course you can ask as well.
Original post by DanteA


(My Bad Points)
Churchill - Ugly, out of town, reputation for being the 'geeky college'
Downing - None really
Emmanuel - Part I (1st and 2nd year) accomodation could be better (don't want a grade 2 room for 2 years in East Court)
Fitzwilliam - Bad accomodation
Gonville and Caius - (apparently) bad food
Jesus - None really
Magadalene - (apparently) bad food and not alot of acceptances for computer science (1 or 2)
Queens - Sportsground far away, but appart from that, none really
Trinity Hall - None really

PLease help me choose!:biggrin:


Bold is true for formal, but it's cheap, on every day and a laugh. Also BA dinner is every friday, which has better food. The buttery is very cheap and has acceptable food.

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