Help choosing a college

Depends what you're looking for, really. They're both nice tbh.

Trinity is obviously much larger, which is good in the sense that you have a wider social circle within which to find your crowd, but can equally be so large that you don't get the cosier feel of a smaller college. But then it is much wealthier which can radically alter your experience if you need research expenses covered etc. Trinity also has this unique policy where, if you get a first, they will completely fund your masters degree in the following year (if you want to take one, that is).

Caius is nice, great position but not too inundated with tourists considering how central it is.

I'd say your best bet is to compare accommodation standards and see which one best suits your needs.

That’s the problem - they’re both fantastic!! I love the kind of elegant glossiness of Trinity and the fact it’s riverside, but the secluded entrance to Caius is also really appealing. Accommodation is something I should look at though.

The master’s thing would be fantastic if I got a first - I’m interested in going into academia/research so an essentially free master’s would be fantastic. I also wonder if Trinity’s wealth influences accomodation/food? Caius isn’t one of the less wealthy colleges by any means (it’s about twice as rich as Pembroke, which is pretty wealthy) but I wonder if Trinity’s enormous endowment means that living standards would be any better. I also know that Trinity guarantees on site accomodation for the whole 3 years; does anyone know if Caius does the same, or do you get shipped outside?

Definitely consider accommodation as a main factor since it will form a large part of your life, and if you don't like the room or the location then it can really get you down and make studying harder.

At Caius, I believe first years go in the more newly built accommodation on their West Road site, second years tend to live in houses off-site, and third years live in college. Not sure about en suite provision, if that's important to you, so worth checking out.

Trinity accommodation is not, to my knowledge, substantially grander for its wealth - I've heard it's very similar to other wealthy colleges. It is cheaper than some other colleges because their wealth means it's more heavily subsidised, but it isn't very different in price to Caius. One of the main complaints I always heard is that the shared kitchens (gyp rooms) don't have ovens. I can't say that would annoy me too much, but if you plan on doing lots of oven cooking then it's obviously something to think about.

Trinity food is usually well spoken of, though Pembroke and St John's are generally considered to be the best. I think for undergrads Trinity's wealth mostly impacts stuff like research grants, scholarships, prizes etc.

Something I saw mentioned here a few days ago was that, because of its wealth/fame, certain Trinity courses (especially maths and economics) get huge numbers of applicants - so many that they have to reject lots of capable people without interview. That's a real issue since it means you miss out on the option of being pooled (you only get pooled if you've been interviewed). Generally I've always thought that you shouldn't pick a college based on its admissions statistics, since the pooling system tends to mean that capable candidates aren't disadvantaged by applying to a popular college - but in the case of Trinity it does seem to make a difference.

There are other riverside colleges too, of course, if that's something you're keen on - Clare is especially nice, as is St John's. Magdalene isn't technically on the backs, but it is river adjacent.

Thanks for the info on Caius accomodation and accomodation more generally; I’ll have a look at the locations and see. I’m not too worried about not having an oven; I’d probably miss baking but terms are short so if I got in I’d just bake at home! Good to know that the rent is decent for both. Do you have personal experience of either?

I’ve also heard the competitiveness thing about Trinity but luckily it isn’t something I have to hugely worry about - I’m definitely not applying for anything under the STEM umbrella, and both Caius and Trinity take quite a few for my course.

The research grants might be useful to me as well - I’ve heard that Trinity can give you quite a lot of money towards time abroad if it’s degree/research related.

I might do some investigation into accomodation to see 🤞 Plus 2023 statistics might be out now. I agree that they shouldn’t be too heavily scrutinised but it’s good to know what you’re getting into when you choose a college.