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Cambridge colleges that allow you to live outside

Living out in first year would be a really bad move, just because that's the best way to get to know people and you can have some seriously good times in freshers accomodation. During my freshers year there was a flooded room so one fresher had to live in a room that wasn't in Cripps, and even though it was literally a minutes walk away they felt so isolated.

However, a lot of my friends live out in their own accomodation in 2nd and 3rd year. This is mostly because they either did badly in the room ballot and want a really nice room, have requirements like they need on site cars, or just want to do their own thing without the constraints that college place upon accomodation. Popular sites are Emma Road and Storey's Way. Most of these people though do have a bit more money than the average student.

Reply 21

JohnStuartMill

8

Odaik

hello,

I visted cambridge last month, and just thought I'd be better off in private accomodation. I didn't find rooms comfortable, plus I'd like to be able to cook for myself. The cooking facilities at the college are very limited.

Regarding the whole socialising thing, wouldn't there be students living all around anyway?

Thanks for the advice guys!

Which rooms did you see?

First year cooking facilities at Emma are poor but they're better in second and third year. Equally, there are other colleges where you at least have a hob every year - I think Corpus may be one but there are definitely a few.

Most students live in college and do most of their socialising in college which makes it difficult if you're living in. Also, the areas of Cambridge where you'd be able to find cheap private accomodation probably wouldn't be the areas most students were living in - the student population is fairly concentrated so they're not really 'all around'.

Reply 22

Andy H

6

Corpus was forced to remove hobs in large areas of first year accomodation due to Cambridge Council fire regulations. This affected a lot of the other colleges also however (notably King's got Varsity attention on this)

However in Corpus, as I am sure it would be with most colleges, the facilities in later years are better complete with hobs, ovens and even freezers if you choose to live in T-Street; and you could probably request a room with access to a good gyp room in your first year if it is your desire to cook.

Reply 23

FadedJade

15

Odaik

hello,

I visted cambridge last month, and just thought I'd be better off in private accomodation. I didn't find rooms comfortable, plus I'd like to be able to cook for myself. The cooking facilities at the college are very limited.

Regarding the whole socialising thing, wouldn't there be students living all around anyway?

Thanks for the advice guys!

Well, as someone who actually lived in private housing instead of college - i can say that you are pretty much wrong on all accounts there. There are so many different rooms, and different kinds of rooms, available in the different colleges - you need to find one that suits your (apparently high?) standards.

Private accommodation is very, very expensive. I lived in the cheapest place I could find which was £540 a month excluding bills (and it wasnt exactly a great place!). You can cook for yourself. I barely ever ate in hall and cooked for myself nearly every night, we had no oven - i just bought a george foreman and it was fine. It is perfectly possible to cook in college, that shouldnt be an issue.

As for other students being around - NO. They wont be. Students do not tend to live out of college accommodation at all, and those that do certainly wont be first years. You will be very isolated.

Reply 24

Odaik

OP

hello,

Thanks for your advice Nina. By private housing, do you mean your own house or housing owned by the college?

Reply 25

Supermerp

2

Odaik

Thanks for your advice Nina. By private housing, do you mean your own house or housing owned by the college?

She means privately-owned (not college) accommodation that she rents.

A friend of mine lived out last year (it was her 4th year) with two others in a 3-bedroom house she found through an agency and she paid something between £300-400 a month (the others were paying a similar amount). It was pretty skanky.

Reply 26

Odaik

OP

hello,

I was told in an email from Cambridge admissions office that the colleges have accommodation that is privately owned. Are these large blocks of buildings dedicated for students? If that is the case, wouldn't there be plenty of students around?

Reply 27

--

3

Odaik

hello,

I was told in an email from Cambridge admissions office that the colleges have accommodation that is privately owned. Are these large blocks of buildings dedicated for students? If that is the case, wouldn't there be plenty of students around?

No, they can be normal houses which are owned by the college - I'm living in one next year, which is a 6 bedroom terraced house, with a kitchen and living room. However, these are almost exclusively limited to second and third years, and all the best houses will have been filled in Lent term of last year. They don't make the provisions for freshers to live in houses, they're all just stuck in one court in my college. If there are any places in a house left they will probably be graduate housing, which can be of a lower standard, and which isn't even remotely as close to the college itself as undergrad accomodation (at mine, anyway).

And ditto to the rest, your social life will be pretty much zero if you decide to live out on your own in your first year. If you're that committed, you should just spend the first year in college and then move out with the friends you'll make for the second and third years.

Reply 28

FadedJade

15

Correct. I lived in private accommodation as in anybody could have gone and rented it.

There are college owned houses but you wont have the opportunity to be in one until second year. Colleges fill the houses with second and third years first as it means there are more rooms in college for first years. ie no rooms left at the inn.

I really dont understand why you want to live out in your first year - I understand your reasons, but they do not match up with reality.

Reply 29

camstudent123

There isn't a single college where first years live in houses. In fact I think for almost all colleges they either live on the main site or dedicated courts/blocks (ie Gonville and Caius, Mem Court in Clare). If (and that is a big if) you were to manage to persude the college to let you live in a house you would be living there with second and third year students who I'm sure would be friendly but will have been through the freshers experience, formed social groups etc and would probably find it a bit weird that you've chosen to be different to everyone else.

My advice would be to live in the place where all the first years live and just apply to a college where they do have okish cooking facilities in the first year. There will be a few that have decent cooking facilities for at least part of their first years. If you hate it you have to manage one year (24ish weeks) and just make some friends with some decent cooking facilities. I know in my own college there were freshers who would often spend time at friends houses doing some cooking

Reply 30

Supergrunch

10

camstudent123

There isn't a single college where first years live in houses. In fact I think for almost all colleges they either live on the main site or dedicated courts/blocks (ie Gonville and Caius, Mem Court in Clare). If (and that is a big if) you were to manage to persude the college to let you live in a house you would be living there with second and third year students who I'm sure would be friendly but will have been through the freshers experience, formed social groups etc and would probably find it a bit weird that you've chosen to be different to everyone else.

My advice would be to live in the place where all the first years live and just apply to a college where they do have okish cooking facilities in the first year. There will be a few that have decent cooking facilities for at least part of their first years. If you hate it you have to manage one year (24ish weeks) and just make some friends with some decent cooking facilities. I know in my own college there were freshers who would often spend time at friends houses doing some cooking

There is one four person house (complete with proper kitchen) that they put freshers in at Magdalene. It's right next to Cripps court, which only houses second and third years, so the people there feel a bit isolated.

Reply 31

camstudent123

Supergrunch

There is one four person house (complete with proper kitchen) that they put freshers in at Magdalene. It's right next to Cripps court, which only houses second and third years, so the people there feel a bit isolated.

I should know not to make blanket statements when talking about different college policies. OK well this is the exception that proves the rule :biggrin:

Reply 32

Craghyrax

17

camstudent123

I should know not to make blanket statements when talking about different college policies. OK well this is the exception that proves the rule :biggrin:

And I lived in a designated house two streets from the main Fresher housing last year. It was mostly Freshers, but still a house outside college.

Reply 33

epitome

11

To the OP:

Unless you have better/more substantiated reasons not to live in college in your first year, I'd strongly recommend you do not "live out" (which is what we tend to call living away from designated college accommodation). You will be isolated, and that's really difficult for the first year. 2nd & 3rd year it's a bit different, because you've already made friends, and also know where you can go, and what you can do, to make more! :wink:

It's strange how much of a difference just being a little way away from the main hub of activity is -- but it can be very influential.

Seriously, unless you're a sociopath, go with the crowd in this case. If you don't like it, you will have more choice in the subsequent years. :smile:

Cambridge colleges that allow you to live outside

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