The Big 'Which Cambridge College?' Thread
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Original post by vincrows
-(****) having out of term storage - If I'm not mistaken, John's is the only college that offers out of term storage for non-International students. (I stand to be corrected )
Pembroke has out of term storage, which was prioritised by distance from college but since few non-internationals used it I know people who lived relatively close and still got it. Also if you live in off-site rooms (as I did in 2nd and 3rd year) you could leave your stuff in your room anyway.
Original post by C0balt
One thing to ask that's not on college websites or prospectus
Which college has the best food?
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Which college has the best food?
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As already mentioned, Pembroke.
Original post by alex_hk90
Pembroke has out of term storage, which was prioritised by distance from college but since few non-internationals used it I know people who lived relatively close and still got it. Also if you live in off-site rooms (as I did in 2nd and 3rd year) you could leave your stuff in your room anyway.
As already mentioned, Pembroke.
As already mentioned, Pembroke.
I can smell you're from Pembroke
But yeah the food looks amazing
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Original post by alex_hk90
Pembroke has out of term storage, which was prioritised by distance from college but since few non-internationals used it I know people who lived relatively close and still got it. Also if you live in off-site rooms (as I did in 2nd and 3rd year) you could leave your stuff in your room anyway.
Oh yeah I forgot you could leave your stuff if you lived in a college house. Thanks for reminding about it.
Also the college my daughter went provided some storage space for the third years, too. For the first and second years you were allowed to leave some stuff in half of the wardrobe which could be locked but it wasn't much space.
Does anyone know how people usually handle bringing their stuff back and forth? Coming from relatively far (Durham) it seems pretty difficult (Cambridge doesn't have much car space, either, to drop stuff off).
Original post by ukdragon37
For formal hall (waiter-served, gown-wearing formal dinners that you can buy tickets to for celebrating special occasions), when I was a student Caius and Christ's had bad rep.
Unfortunately that rep still seem to stand for Christ's. Heard Caius's food has improved but you're still required to eat at 'formal' at least 36 times per term, though the price was lowered a bit after the protest a few years ago.
Original post by antisansculotte
Does anyone know how people usually handle bringing their stuff back and forth? Coming from relatively far (Durham) it seems pretty difficult (Cambridge doesn't have much car space, either, to drop stuff off).
With parental assistance and a degree of parking/traffic faff. Most people will get picked up/dropped off by their parents in cars, but a significant minority take the train/fly in between terms.
Original post by antisansculotte
Does anyone know how people usually handle bringing their stuff back and forth? Coming from relatively far (Durham) it seems pretty difficult (Cambridge doesn't have much car space, either, to drop stuff off).
Generally by car - not everyone moves in/out on the same days so it isn't too bad.
Original post by antisansculotte
Does anyone know how people usually handle bringing their stuff back and forth? Coming from relatively far (Durham) it seems pretty difficult (Cambridge doesn't have much car space, either, to drop stuff off).
For the colleges in the centre I think you (I mean your parents
) are allowed to park for a limited time in/near the college to load/unload stuff but it's not a very long time. But everyone's been coping with it 6 times a year, every year, so don't worry too much. You'll get how-to info from your college once you're offer is confirmed after the exams. 
Original post by antisansculotte
Does anyone know how people usually handle bringing their stuff back and forth? Coming from relatively far (Durham) it seems pretty difficult (Cambridge doesn't have much car space, either, to drop stuff off).
I commuted from further (Glasgow)
I flew to and from Stansted for the first year, then discovered if you buy train tickets at precisely the right times you can score some pretty amazing first class fares. So I did that for the rest of my time there. Can't speak for car parking, but Durham is really easy to get to from Cambridge by train because it's right on the East Coast Mainline.One of the most valuable skills I was taught by Cambridge was to be able to pack my life into two 20kg suitcases, one I stored and one I took with me during vacations.
Could anyone recommend me a college based on these criteria?
In order:
Central location, near to clubs shops etc.
Cheap accommodation and good grants
Friendly atmosphere
Sports areas good
In order:
Central location, near to clubs shops etc.
Cheap accommodation and good grants
Friendly atmosphere
Sports areas good
Anyone thinking of Clare?
Coz I've half a mind to apply for Clare - seems like a nice place.
Coz I've half a mind to apply for Clare - seems like a nice place.
I think you're right about most of things you described about John's, but one thing OP need to know is that there's a possibility you're allocated to a shared room in second/third year. Not all their rooms are nice as the first years' in later years. A friend of my daughter had to have a shared accommodation in her third year and, though their bedrooms were separated by a sort of make-shift wall, one had to walk through the other's part to go to the shared toilet/shower area. She wasn't very happy.
Jesus is not quite in the centre, though, just at the edge of it. But probably near enough and not that much bombarded by tourists like John's or other really central colleges, which I think is better. I'm not in any way associated with Jesus though, so not trying to plug them.
Jesus is not quite in the centre, though, just at the edge of it. But probably near enough and not that much bombarded by tourists like John's or other really central colleges, which I think is better. I'm not in any way associated with Jesus though, so not trying to plug them.
I can't decide which college! IM the most indecisive person. The prospectus shows pictures of students rather than the colleges !
I essentially want a quirky college, maybe a little wonky, with a spiral staircase or libraries on multiple levels. I like old beautiful buildings, with tons of character. Smaller would be good too. Basically any with a distinguished aesthetic feature, like the bridge of sighs at Johns ( John's was way too big for me)
Most importantly I don't want a college which puts a lot of pressure on students academically, the more casual and less pretentious the better, relaxed, modest, friendly. Would be nice to be near the centre, like near kings...
Thanks, I really can't make this decision!
I essentially want a quirky college, maybe a little wonky, with a spiral staircase or libraries on multiple levels. I like old beautiful buildings, with tons of character. Smaller would be good too. Basically any with a distinguished aesthetic feature, like the bridge of sighs at Johns ( John's was way too big for me)
Most importantly I don't want a college which puts a lot of pressure on students academically, the more casual and less pretentious the better, relaxed, modest, friendly. Would be nice to be near the centre, like near kings...
Thanks, I really can't make this decision!
(edited 8 years ago)
Can anybody recommend me a college based on these criteria:
- Good, central location
- Pretty: stereotypical Cambridge with nice, old buildings and generally pretty grounds and a nice library
- Reasonably big
- Good accommodation, if possible I'd like to avoid shared rooms and en-suites would be very nice, but not essential
- Nice gym, I'm not hugely sporty so I'm not so picky on sports facilities but I would like a light, airy gym to venture into a few times a week
- Decent food as I'm annoyingly fussy
I plan on visiting Cambridge in summer to have a look around as I couldn't make the open days, so just narrowing it down to a few colleges would be great too. Thank you in advance!
- Good, central location
- Pretty: stereotypical Cambridge with nice, old buildings and generally pretty grounds and a nice library
- Reasonably big
- Good accommodation, if possible I'd like to avoid shared rooms and en-suites would be very nice, but not essential
- Nice gym, I'm not hugely sporty so I'm not so picky on sports facilities but I would like a light, airy gym to venture into a few times a week
- Decent food as I'm annoyingly fussy
I plan on visiting Cambridge in summer to have a look around as I couldn't make the open days, so just narrowing it down to a few colleges would be great too. Thank you in advance!
(edited 8 years ago)
Trinity Hall, maybe? As long as they accept the application of the course you're interested as they're quite small (for undergrad) and they don't cover all courses.
Old, original building of Queens may be good for you, too, but it's more likely you'll be living in their newer accommodation and some of them are quite ugly.....
Or maybe magdalen or peterhouse? (Again, check the courses they cover in case of peterhouse)
Parts of Churchill is ivy-clad and quite beautiful with the autumn colour but it's 'modern' 70s building, so probably not your liking.....
Not sure about academic pressure, though. If you're at Cambridge you're bound to feel it to some extent whichever college you are and also it's depend on the course and DoS/supervisors you happen to have, too.
Old, original building of Queens may be good for you, too, but it's more likely you'll be living in their newer accommodation and some of them are quite ugly.....
Or maybe magdalen or peterhouse? (Again, check the courses they cover in case of peterhouse)
Parts of Churchill is ivy-clad and quite beautiful with the autumn colour but it's 'modern' 70s building, so probably not your liking.....
Not sure about academic pressure, though. If you're at Cambridge you're bound to feel it to some extent whichever college you are and also it's depend on the course and DoS/supervisors you happen to have, too.
(edited 8 years ago)
Original post by Big Blue Machine
I can't decide which college! IM the most indecisive person. The prospectus shows pictures of students rather than the colleges !
I essentially want a quirky college, maybe a little wonky, with a spiral staircase or libraries on multiple levels. I like old beautiful buildings, with tons of character. Smaller would be good too. Basically any with a distinguished aesthetic feature, like the bridge of sighs at Johns ( John's was way too big for me)
Most importantly I don't want a college which puts a lot of pressure on students academically, the more casual and less pretentious the better, relaxed, modest, friendly. Would be nice to be near the centre, like near kings...
Thanks, I really can't make this decision!
I essentially want a quirky college, maybe a little wonky, with a spiral staircase or libraries on multiple levels. I like old beautiful buildings, with tons of character. Smaller would be good too. Basically any with a distinguished aesthetic feature, like the bridge of sighs at Johns ( John's was way too big for me)
Most importantly I don't want a college which puts a lot of pressure on students academically, the more casual and less pretentious the better, relaxed, modest, friendly. Would be nice to be near the centre, like near kings...
Thanks, I really can't make this decision!
A couple of colleges spring to mind - Sidney Sussex and Corpus Christi.
Sidney is the largest of the 'small' colleges (it takes c.110 a year); it's the youngest of the 'old' colleges (1596) and is very central (opposite Sainsbury's!). It's buildings are perhaps what one would call handsome rather than beautiful but it has a unique double first court and some pretty cloisters out the back. it has lovely big gardens and the most wonderful wisteria in Cambridge (which is saying something). It's most famous alumnus was Oliver Cromwell (though Dorothy L Sayers, the crime writer, was convinced that Sherlock Holmes was at Sidney).
Corpus has two beautiful courts, including the oldest complete court in Cambridge or Oxford, dating from the 14th century, and it is properly medieval in style (with mostly modern fittings!). Plenty of winding staircases and a modern library on three levels in an old bank. It is small, though getting a bit bigger. it usually takes c.90 students a year but is pushing towards 100.
Neither Sidney and Corpus are particularly academically pressured (by Cambridge standards - you'll be expected to work hard wherever you go) and though Corpus has been pretty high in the Tompkins Table in the not very distant past both are lower mid table now.
Original post by Christ's Admissions
A couple of colleges spring to mind - Sidney Sussex and Corpus Christi.
Sidney is the largest of the 'small' colleges (it takes c.110 a year); it's the youngest of the 'old' colleges (1596) and is very central (opposite Sainsbury's!). It's buildings are perhaps what one would call handsome rather than beautiful but it has a unique double first court and some pretty cloisters out the back. it has lovely big gardens and the most wonderful wisteria in Cambridge (which is saying something). It's most famous alumnus was Oliver Cromwell (though Dorothy L Sayers, the crime writer, was convinced that Sherlock Holmes was at Sidney).
Corpus has two beautiful courts, including the oldest complete court in Cambridge or Oxford, dating from the 14th century, and it is properly medieval in style (with mostly modern fittings!). Plenty of winding staircases and a modern library on three levels in an old bank. It is small, though getting a bit bigger. it usually takes c.90 students a year but is pushing towards 100.
Neither Sidney and Corpus are particularly academically pressured (by Cambridge standards - you'll be expected to work hard wherever you go) and though Corpus has been pretty high in the Tompkins Table in the not very distant past both are lower mid table now.
Sidney is the largest of the 'small' colleges (it takes c.110 a year); it's the youngest of the 'old' colleges (1596) and is very central (opposite Sainsbury's!). It's buildings are perhaps what one would call handsome rather than beautiful but it has a unique double first court and some pretty cloisters out the back. it has lovely big gardens and the most wonderful wisteria in Cambridge (which is saying something). It's most famous alumnus was Oliver Cromwell (though Dorothy L Sayers, the crime writer, was convinced that Sherlock Holmes was at Sidney).
Corpus has two beautiful courts, including the oldest complete court in Cambridge or Oxford, dating from the 14th century, and it is properly medieval in style (with mostly modern fittings!). Plenty of winding staircases and a modern library on three levels in an old bank. It is small, though getting a bit bigger. it usually takes c.90 students a year but is pushing towards 100.
Neither Sidney and Corpus are particularly academically pressured (by Cambridge standards - you'll be expected to work hard wherever you go) and though Corpus has been pretty high in the Tompkins Table in the not very distant past both are lower mid table now.
Thanks
are smaller colleges harder to get into? Are the colleges good for state school applicants? Which cambridge college would you say is the quirkiest ? Thanks Original post by Big Blue Machine
Thanks are smaller colleges harder to get into? Are the colleges good for state school applicants? Which cambridge college would you say is the quirkiest ? Thanks
are smaller colleges harder to get into? Are the colleges good for state school applicants? Which cambridge college would you say is the quirkiest ? Thanks Both the colleges are usually at or above the University average for State School applicants. Smaller colleges aren't necessarily 'harder' or 'easier' to get into. They tend to have a smaller number of applicants than bigger colleges but they also have fewer places so these things tend to balance out.
A couple of years ago I did a bit of research into working out whether there was a big difference in your chances of getting into particular colleges. I just used overall numbers for five years for direct applicants and direct offers so it doesn't account for variance between subjects or, indeed, the quality of applicants. Your chances at Corpus were 23.6%, comparable to St Catharine's or Gonville & Caius which are considerably bigger where the chances were 23.5% and 24.7% respectively.
At Sidney the chances were 20.6%, very similar to Christ's, Emmanuel, Robinson, Fitzwilliam, Selwyn and Churchill, which are all very different from Sidney and each other. None of these figures include those taken by other colleges who also applied to the colleges mentioned and, as I say, are a couple of years out of date and the numbers of applicants a colleges receive can vary considerably from year to year.
All colleges have their own quirks and different people will come up with different answers. One of the things that I do certainly think is true is that you can never really know a college until you are part of one - everything else is just rumour and hearsay. One of the reasons why it's best not to worry too much about college choice!
Original post by C0pper
.
Our names....
Original post by Christ's Admissions
A couple of colleges spring to mind - Sidney Sussex and Corpus Christi.
Sidney is the largest of the 'small' colleges (it takes c.110 a year); it's the youngest of the 'old' colleges (1596) and is very central (opposite Sainsbury's!). It's buildings are perhaps what one would call handsome rather than beautiful but it has a unique double first court and some pretty cloisters out the back. it has lovely big gardens and the most wonderful wisteria in Cambridge (which is saying something). It's most famous alumnus was Oliver Cromwell (though Dorothy L Sayers, the crime writer, was convinced that Sherlock Holmes was at Sidney).
Corpus has two beautiful courts, including the oldest complete court in Cambridge or Oxford, dating from the 14th century, and it is properly medieval in style (with mostly modern fittings!). Plenty of winding staircases and a modern library on three levels in an old bank. It is small, though getting a bit bigger. it usually takes c.90 students a year but is pushing towards 100.
Neither Sidney and Corpus are particularly academically pressured (by Cambridge standards - you'll be expected to work hard wherever you go) and though Corpus has been pretty high in the Tompkins Table in the not very distant past both are lower mid table now.
Sidney is the largest of the 'small' colleges (it takes c.110 a year); it's the youngest of the 'old' colleges (1596) and is very central (opposite Sainsbury's!). It's buildings are perhaps what one would call handsome rather than beautiful but it has a unique double first court and some pretty cloisters out the back. it has lovely big gardens and the most wonderful wisteria in Cambridge (which is saying something). It's most famous alumnus was Oliver Cromwell (though Dorothy L Sayers, the crime writer, was convinced that Sherlock Holmes was at Sidney).
Corpus has two beautiful courts, including the oldest complete court in Cambridge or Oxford, dating from the 14th century, and it is properly medieval in style (with mostly modern fittings!). Plenty of winding staircases and a modern library on three levels in an old bank. It is small, though getting a bit bigger. it usually takes c.90 students a year but is pushing towards 100.
Neither Sidney and Corpus are particularly academically pressured (by Cambridge standards - you'll be expected to work hard wherever you go) and though Corpus has been pretty high in the Tompkins Table in the not very distant past both are lower mid table now.
When I saw your name next to the thread name on the homepage I thought you were selling Christ's, but nope!
This is really helpful for me too, thanks how impossible is trinity hall to get into for maths? i want to apply there if I have a chance... which I'm going to come back in august with my results and see if I have a chance of getting in otherwise probably applying to fitz
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