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The Big 'Which Cambridge College?' Thread

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Reply 3840
Original post by Aethelswith
I am a student looking to apply in fall 2013 for Anglo Saxon Norse and Celtic, and I am debating between a few colleges: Clare, Gonville and Caius, Jesus, and Magdalene. I want a very traditional college with a social atmosphere and lots of sports, and a good subject reputation (if any), but I know because of the size of the subject there are unfortunately small subject communities at every college!:smile: Any advice would be greatly appreciated!

Also, the Cambridge website suggests "If, after looking at the information online, you have identified a College you would like to apply to, write informally to the Admissions Tutor of that College (names and addresses are given in college profiles), informing him/her of your plans and circumstances. It would be useful if you could give as much information as possible about the courses you are currently studying in your own country; the scores you are achieving and the course you wish to study, to enable the Tutor to assess your academic potential." Does anyone know if this is a good idea, and if it is ok to write to more than one college?

Finally, I am planning to visit some of the colleges in july [not open day though:frown: ] and wondered if it is worth setting up an appointment with the admissions tutor and director of studies?

Thanks so much for the help!


It's definitely fine to email more than one college, though emailing colleges is normally only something that you need to do if you're unsure that your qualifications fit/are good enough. Are you doing A Levels/IB?

You could email and see whether they'd be prepared to meet - it may not be something they do routinely, but it's definitely worth seeing about if you think it'd be useful. I think our admissions tutor does give tours occasionally and talk to students, but I couldn't say how often or whether there's any specific reasons for that.
Original post by lp386
It's definitely fine to email more than one college, though emailing colleges is normally only something that you need to do if you're unsure that your qualifications fit/are good enough. Are you doing A Levels/IB?

You could email and see whether they'd be prepared to meet - it may not be something they do routinely, but it's definitely worth seeing about if you think it'd be useful. I think our admissions tutor does give tours occasionally and talk to students, but I couldn't say how often or whether there's any specific reasons for that.


Ok thanks!
Are there any colleges that are better for VetMed than others? And also, would they offer accommodation for the three clinical years of the course?
Thanks :smile:
Reply 3843
I'm wondering which college to choose, and I've gone about it really organized. I wanna study computer science for 4 years (M.Eng) at Cambridge.

These are things I would like in a college:

Big Gardens (A lot of greenery)

Not too big (people)

No bad reputation

Sports ground easily accessible

Good Accomodation for three years

Decent Facilities

Good Location

Alright self - catering facilities



These are colleges I've ruled out because they don't satisfy most or all of the things I'd like:

Clare Hall

Corpus Christi

Darwin

Girton

Homerton

Hughes Hall

King's

Lucy Cavendish

Murray Edwards

Newnham

Peterhouse

Robinson

St. Catherine's

St. Edmund's

St. John

Selwyn

Trinity

Wolfson



These are the remaining colleges and my shortlist so far:
Potential Cambridge Colleges: Round 1 (Bad Points)

Christ's - Sportsground is really far out, bad food, hard offers

Churchill - Ugly

Clare - Sportsground kinda far out

Downing - No Bad Points

Emmanuel - Part I accomodation could be better, apparently bad self-catering

Fitzwilliam - Small rooms, bad food

Gonville and Caius - Bad Food

Jesus - No Bad Points

Magdalene - No Bad Points

Pembroke - Some accomodation is far out, expensive lunch (£6!)

Queens' - No bad points

Sidney Sussex - Sportsground is really far out

Trinity Hall - No bad points




Potential Colleges: Round 2 (Good Points)

Churchill - Next to department, loads of facilities, good self catering

Downing - Loads of facilities, free Thursday snacks, good self catering

Emmanuel - Free laundry, Sportsground next to department

Fitzwilliam - Self catering, big gardens, Sportsground close, near department

Gonville and Caius - Free laundry, good SHB room

Jesus - Sportsground on site, cool colours

Magdalene - Equidistant between department and city centre

Queens - Loads of facilities and societies, nice colours

Trinity Hall - Ski trip, Wychfield Site near department



Potential College: Round 3 (Final List?)

Churchill

Downing

Jesus

Queens'

Trinity Hall

Emmanuel (Still considering)

Fitzwilliam (Still considering)

Magdalene (Still considering)



If anyone can tell me colleges I may have wrongly excluded, incorrect/extra information that may influence my decision, or just any helpful suggestions, it would be great.
Original post by DanteA
I'm wondering which college to choose, and I've gone about it really organized. I wanna study computer science for 4 years (M.Eng) at Cambridge.

These are things I would like in a college:

Big Gardens (A lot of greenery)

Not too big (people)

No bad reputation

Sports ground easily accessible

Good Accomodation for three years

Decent Facilities

Good Location

Alright self - catering facilities



These are colleges I've ruled out because they don't satisfy most or all of the things I'd like:

Clare Hall

Corpus Christi

Darwin

Girton

Homerton

Hughes Hall

King's

Lucy Cavendish

Murray Edwards

Newnham

Peterhouse

Robinson

St. Catherine's

St. Edmund's

St. John

Selwyn

Trinity

Wolfson



These are the remaining colleges and my shortlist so far:
Potential Cambridge Colleges: Round 1 (Bad Points)

Christ's - Sportsground is really far out, bad food, hard offers

Churchill - Ugly

Clare - Sportsground kinda far out

Downing - No Bad Points

Emmanuel - Part I accomodation could be better, apparently bad self-catering

Fitzwilliam - Small rooms, bad food

Gonville and Caius - Bad Food

Jesus - No Bad Points

Magdalene - No Bad Points

Pembroke - Some accomodation is far out, expensive lunch (£6!)

Queens' - No bad points

Sidney Sussex - Sportsground is really far out

Trinity Hall - No bad points




Potential Colleges: Round 2 (Good Points)

Churchill - Next to department, loads of facilities, good self catering

Downing - Loads of facilities, free Thursday snacks, good self catering

Emmanuel - Free laundry, Sportsground next to department

Fitzwilliam - Self catering, big gardens, Sportsground close, near department

Gonville and Caius - Free laundry, good SHB room

Jesus - Sportsground on site, cool colours

Magdalene - Equidistant between department and city centre

Queens - Loads of facilities and societies, nice colours

Trinity Hall - Ski trip, Wychfield Site near department



Potential College: Round 3 (Final List?)

Churchill

Downing

Jesus

Queens'

Trinity Hall

Emmanuel (Still considering)

Fitzwilliam (Still considering)

Magdalene (Still considering)



If anyone can tell me colleges I may have wrongly excluded, incorrect/extra information that may influence my decision, or just any helpful suggestions, it would be great.



Hi
I'm a current first year at Cambridge, so am fairly familiar with colleges etc. Although it is important to choose a college you like, at the end of the day, it is not a big issue which college you are at. It basically affects where you live, do not spend hours agonising over college choice, as it may be that you get pooled. I spent a bit of time trying to decide, in the end went for Jesus, but got pooled to Corpus. It hadn't looked Corpus at all, but am loving it here. Jesus is a big college, one of the biggest, and I applied there despite wanting a small college!! I think I got overexcited about the grass tennis courts and applied there without looking at other factors such as size!
Original post by DanteA
I'm wondering which college to choose, and I've gone about it really organized. I wanna study computer science for 4 years (M.Eng) at Cambridge.

These are things I would like in a college:

Big Gardens (A lot of greenery)

Not too big (people)

No bad reputation

Sports ground easily accessible

Good Accomodation for three years

Decent Facilities

Good Location

Alright self - catering facilities



If anyone can tell me colleges I may have wrongly excluded, incorrect/extra information that may influence my decision, or just any helpful suggestions, it would be great.


I can only really comment on Pembroke, but...

1) I happened to notice Tit Hall was shortlisted because of a "ski trip" - not sure which one you're referring to, but there's always the University-wide Varsity trip with Oxford. It's popular, but if you wanted to go I don't think it's impossible to get a place. (I've never bothered because the après-ski isn't my thing, but a lot of my friends have been.)

2) Pembroke's food isn't that expensive if you're a student here. Everyone pays a "Kitchen Fixed Charge" of about £120 per term to pay for the upkeep of the gyp rooms (more on these later), but this also goes towards subsidising the canteen food, so you get a 35% discount. This means that your £6 lunch - which I'm guessing you bought with cash as a non-Pembroke individual - is much more reasonably priced. Bear in mind too that the standard of food at Pembroke is widely acknowledged to be higher than at some (if not all :wink:) other colleges, so it's not "that" expensive. Besides, formals will help to offset that - they're £8 for a three course meal!

3) As far as self-catering goes, Pembroke isn't great. Gyp rooms are for "preparing light snacks", so there aren't any ovens, and you're not allowed frying pans. The size of gyps varies around college, but generally there's a microwave, fridge and a hotplate thing for cooking. Freezer space is virtually non-existent because you're usually sharing between 4-8 people. You're encouraged to eat in the canteen, and naturally part of this entails making it less attractive to cook for yourself. That said, the hostels are better, and there are ovens, although I haven't lived there long-term (I stayed there whilst working for the College over the summer).

4) Accommodation - Pembroke's accommodation isn't generally that far out from the centre. I don't know anything about where grads live relative to undergrads, but the farthest I've seen from the centre is about 20 minutes. Selwyn Gardens isn't great in terms of nipping to Sainsbury's for shopping, but I guess having stuff delivered - or having a bike, which I don't/didn't - would make it less unbearable. It's certainly not as far as Tit Hall's accommodation, which is near Fitz. :p:
Reply 3846
I am going to apply to Cambridge and I have found myself in a big dilemma about which college to choose. After spending an afternoon working on it I finally ruled out all but 2 colleges:
Clare and King's.

They are both soo attractive.


Which do you think I should choose and why?
Reply 3847
hi guys,
when I say "good economics colleges", what comes to mind?
Or are most colleges fairly equal in economics?
Original post by kopyl
hi guys,
when I say "good economics colleges", what comes to mind?
Or are most colleges fairly equal in economics?


Pembroke. Not just because I did economics there. :ninja:
Original post by double.k
I am going to apply to Cambridge and I have found myself in a big dilemma about which college to choose. After spending an afternoon working on it I finally ruled out all but 2 colleges:
Clare and King's.

They are both soo attractive.


Which do you think I should choose and why?


Although not at King's yet, I've an offer so I can give you some reasons why I chose it, but they will obviously not always be a good reason for you.
Reply 3850
Original post by Oromis263
Although not at King's yet, I've an offer so I can give you some reasons why I chose it, but they will obviously not always be a good reason for you.


You can give me your reasons and maybe some of them will be good enough! Also, if possible try to do that in contrast with Clare, so it will be obvious where King's is better.
Reply 3851
Original post by alex_hk90
Pembroke. Not just because I did economics there. :ninja:


Haha ok, I'll keep that in mind :smile: Really looking forward to the open day. Are there any other good economics colleges?
Original post by double.k
You can give me your reasons and maybe some of them will be good enough! Also, if possible try to do that in contrast with Clare, so it will be obvious where King's is better.


:tongue:

I preferred the buildings in King's. After first year (as far as I'm aware) you move out of Old Court (Clare) and into New Court, which is on the other side of the river. With King's you go towards some really nice rooms in 3rd and 4th year, with a really nice positioning on the river.

King's has (supposedly) really good formals.

More of a state focus (although I'm not really sure about Clare). This wasn't a massive factor, as at the end I was choosing between St John's and King's :tongue: Quite opposite in that respect, reputation wise.

They offered an entrance test for my subject (PhysNatSci). :smile:

Kayaking and Mountaineering society, woo! :tongue:

Mid-sized for my subject - and then they dropped a load of spaces this year and now it's the second smallest college >.< Which I quite like the sound of now. :tongue:

(edited 10 years ago)
Original post by double.k
You can give me your reasons and maybe some of them will be good enough! .


Hi. Clare Old Court is pretty but the crucial paragraph to read is the last one here: http://www.clare.cam.ac.uk/Living-in-College/. As well as memorial court over the river, a lot of Clare students live at a distance from the main site on "Clare Colony" which is on Chesterton Road. Old Court does have some accommodation but not that much compared to memorial and the colony.
Can someone help me choose please??


Clare-PRO: gorgeous, musical, next to the river and King's college chapel, punts
CON: not sporty

Jesus- PRO: sporty, beautiful grounds
CON: ???

Gonville and Caius- PRO: eating in dining hall every night, very traditional, gorgeous library and hall
CON: bad food, not by the river, no punts

Magdalene: PROS- CS Lewis and Mike Newell, punts
CONS- ???
Original post by Aethelswith
Can someone help me choose please??


Clare-PRO: gorgeous, musical, next to the river and King's college chapel, punts
CON: not sporty

Not sporty is not synonymous with "doesn't do well at sport". IMO. Clare does have sports teams, and actually if they aren't very good that means they will be easier to get into. If you are very serious about a particular sport then you could do it for the university anyway.
Jesus- PRO: sporty, beautiful grounds
CON: ???

Jesus is a little more removed from the town - although that is both a pro and a con.
If you've ever visited Jesus you'll know it has a rather odd layout which comes across as quite modern (I personally don't like it).
Gonville and Caius- PRO: eating in dining hall every night, very traditional, gorgeous library and hall
CON: bad food, not by the river, no punts

The food is a double edged sword. On one hand, it is very social, but the way you pay for it (paying is mandatory - even if you don't go) actually sort of forces you into going (otherwise you'd be wasting money.

But the Steven hawking building is awesome.
Magdalene: PROS- CS Lewis and Mike Newell, punts
CONS- ???

Mike Newell really isn't a reason to choose Magdalene.

You may want to look at the following:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Cambridge_College_Pros_and_Cons
Original post by Aethelswith
Can someone help me choose please??


Clare-PRO: gorgeous, musical, next to the river and King's college chapel, punts
CON: not sporty

Jesus- PRO: sporty, beautiful grounds
CON: ???

Gonville and Caius- PRO: eating in dining hall every night, very traditional, gorgeous library and hall
CON: bad food, not by the river, no punts

Magdalene: PROS- CS Lewis and Mike Newell, punts
CONS- ???


Caius has access to punts in John's - not sure if they're owned by Caius or not. And although my college (Downing) doesn't have punts we have a half price deal with one of the big punt companies (Scudamores) so it's pretty cheap!
Reply 3857
Original post by DanteA
I'm wondering which college to choose, and I've gone about it really organized. I wanna study computer science for 4 years (M.Eng) at Cambridge.

These are things I would like in a college:

Big Gardens (A lot of greenery)

Not too big (people)

No bad reputation

Sports ground easily accessible

Good Accomodation for three years

Decent Facilities

Good Location

Alright self - catering facilities



These are colleges I've ruled out because they don't satisfy most or all of the things I'd like:

Clare Hall

Corpus Christi

Darwin

Girton

Homerton

Hughes Hall

King's

Lucy Cavendish

Murray Edwards

Newnham

Peterhouse

Robinson

St. Catherine's

St. Edmund's

St. John

Selwyn

Trinity

Wolfson



These are the remaining colleges and my shortlist so far:
Potential Cambridge Colleges: Round 1 (Bad Points)

Christ's - Sportsground is really far out, bad food, hard offers

Churchill - Ugly

Clare - Sportsground kinda far out

Downing - No Bad Points

Emmanuel - Part I accomodation could be better, apparently bad self-catering

Fitzwilliam - Small rooms, bad food

Gonville and Caius - Bad Food

Jesus - No Bad Points

Magdalene - No Bad Points

Pembroke - Some accomodation is far out, expensive lunch (£6!)

Queens' - No bad points

Sidney Sussex - Sportsground is really far out

Trinity Hall - No bad points




Potential Colleges: Round 2 (Good Points)

Churchill - Next to department, loads of facilities, good self catering

Downing - Loads of facilities, free Thursday snacks, good self catering

Emmanuel - Free laundry, Sportsground next to department

Fitzwilliam - Self catering, big gardens, Sportsground close, near department

Gonville and Caius - Free laundry, good SHB room

Jesus - Sportsground on site, cool colours

Magdalene - Equidistant between department and city centre

Queens - Loads of facilities and societies, nice colours

Trinity Hall - Ski trip, Wychfield Site near department



Potential College: Round 3 (Final List?)

Churchill

Downing

Jesus

Queens'

Trinity Hall

Emmanuel (Still considering)

Fitzwilliam (Still considering)

Magdalene (Still considering)



If anyone can tell me colleges I may have wrongly excluded, incorrect/extra information that may influence my decision, or just any helpful suggestions, it would be great.



I don't know where you've got your information from, but Sidney sport grounds are 5 minutes walk away. We share with Johns and Magdalane (and are closer to them than Mag which you've kept on your list). You wanted gardens, Sidney is one of the few colleges where you can walk on most of the grass, medium size, known as the friendly college, 3 years of accommodation guaranteed, best location - opposite sainsburys in the centre of town.
Original post by Llewellyn
Not sporty is not synonymous with "doesn't do well at sport". IMO. Clare does have sports teams, and actually if they aren't very good that means they will be easier to get into. If you are very serious about a particular sport then you could do it for the university anyway.

Jesus is a little more removed from the town - although that is both a pro and a con.
If you've ever visited Jesus you'll know it has a rather odd layout which comes across as quite modern (I personally don't like it).

The food is a double edged sword. On one hand, it is very social, but the way you pay for it (paying is mandatory - even if you don't go) actually sort of forces you into going (otherwise you'd be wasting money.

But the Steven hawking building is awesome.

Mike Newell really isn't a reason to choose Magdalene.

You may want to look at the following:
http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/wiki/Cambridge_College_Pros_and_Cons



Thanks so much!
Original post by Topaz_eyes
Caius has access to punts in John's - not sure if they're owned by Caius or not. And although my college (Downing) doesn't have punts we have a half price deal with one of the big punt companies (Scudamores) so it's pretty cheap!



Thanks so much!

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