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cambridge colleges for med

Hi!

I'm an upcoming year 13, aspiring a career in medicine.

My predicted grades are high, and my UCAT is above average, so I'm considering applying to Cambridge University!

I'm quite new to preparation for Oxbridge here, so I've recently found out there are different colleges in Cambridge.

I'm quite confused about how the applications work now.. do I directly apply for the college or get allocated one?

I'm confused! please give me a brief explanation of how the college systems at Cambridge work D:

Reply 1

melancollege

Universities Forum Helper

Colleges are primarily residential and pastoral. They're where you'll live and where a lot of your socialisation will be. Some teaching is organised by the college but what you actually learn and how will be the same regardless of which college you're at. Lectures, exams, labs (I think) are all done at department level so will be done with people from other colleges as well.

You apply directly for a college or you can have an open application. I would advise against an open application as it provides no benefit in terms of getting in but means you can't choose any aspect of what you want.

You should choose a college based on where you want to live. Do you want a large or small college, do you want to live in the city centre or further out, what sort of facilities do you want, etc. It is advised not to choose a college based on admissions statistics as the colleges work together to ensure that the college you apply to doesn't affect your chances of getting into the university as a whole.

I would advise coming to Cambridge for the open day 13th September and looking at a few colleges. There are quite a few so it may be worth narrowing down a few before you start. I can give some guidance based on the following:
> Do you want a large college or a small college or something in the middle? Some colleges are larger or smaller than others but most have about 80–200 undergraduate students coming in each year. Some mature colleges (see below) have fewer.
> If you identify as female, do you want a women's-only college? Two colleges are women-only and the rest accept students of all genders. There are no male-only colleges.
> Will you be over 21 when you start? I'm assuming you're not but there are three mature colleges that are only open to those who will be 21 or over when they start the course. All other colleges accept all ages.
> Do you want to live in the city centre or would you rather live near it (but not in the centre) or much further out? Some colleges are really central whereas some are a decent cycle away. There is also the distance to lectures and labs that may factor but I don't do Medicine so I can't advise you on this specifically. Note that not all department teaching will be at the department.
> What facilities are important to you? Some colleges have gyms, some have 24/7 libraries, some have student gardens where you can walk on the grass (some have only courts which you can't walk on). Some also have various sports pitches and music practice rooms.
> Do you want an old college or a newer college? Some colleges are several hundred years old whereas some are much newer. This is often reflected in their architecture but also in their rooms and facilities.
> What sort of atmosphere do you want? This isn't something I can't necessarily help with and I would advise that you visit the colleges to get a feel for them.

I would very strongly advise against picking colleges based on admissions statistics, the specialisms of their fellows and / or long-dead alumni. Pick things that will affect your daily life.