The Student Room Group

i dont know what i want from a cambridge college

hi! i am applying for cambridge in october 2024 and i am at the stage of deciding on a college. So far, i genuinely dont have a clue where to apply, mainly because i dont really know what i exactly WANT from a cambridge college; as long as i can make friends there i really dont care. can anyone currently at cam tell me about their own college and what its like? Might help sway me in the right direction. Thanks!!

also the subject i am applying for does not have any college which has a particular specialty so i dont need to worry about that.
Original post by Anonymous
hi! i am applying for cambridge in october 2024 and i am at the stage of deciding on a college. So far, i genuinely dont have a clue where to apply, mainly because i dont really know what i exactly WANT from a cambridge college; as long as i can make friends there i really dont care. can anyone currently at cam tell me about their own college and what its like? Might help sway me in the right direction. Thanks!!
also the subject i am applying for does not have any college which has a particular specialty so i dont need to worry about that.

Sure, I can help recommend a college. I've written this on another thread so I'll just copy it and explain.

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.

For me, my thinking process was the following (I applied to and go to Sidney):
> Fairly small but not suffocating. I like to know most people in my year and around 110 seemed about right.
> N/A, am male.
> N/A, was not applying as a mature student.
> I wanted to live in the city centre. It is so convenient having shops, clubs and everything less than a few minutes walk away. We are also literally opposite the Sainsbury's and within a few hundred metres of the theatre, two clubs, the Cambridge Union and multiple large parks. My college has enough green space so that I don't have to feel like I'm in a city centre all the time whilst having all the conveniences of being in the city centre. Also, for the first two years, Maths lectures were not done at the CMS but rather in the city centre so lectures were very close, too.
> Gym and sports fields were completely irrelevant to me. I've never used them. Apparently we have both but I didn't care about either when I applied. Student garden was a must as was a 24/7 library. My sleep schedule is really bad and I often get a strong desire for a midnight walk and the gardens are such a nice and safe place to walk around, especially in summer. We also do have music practice rooms but this wasn't important to me.
> I wanted an old college with the pretty architecture to match. Not all of our buildings are old, though, so so far I've always had a kitchen and could choose an en-suite in my third year. I chose not to have in my second year as I wanted a very large and sociable kitchen instead.
> Sidney was reputed as being very friendly. I read this online a lot (I applied in 2020 so I couldn't really visit) and it's definitely kept to this. It's one of the best parts about it.

Ultimately, I would advise narrowing down a few and then, if you're able, visiting this Friday for the open day.
This is fantastic advice vibes are very important, honestly! It’s nice applying somewhere that you’ll feel at home. Something that influenced my decision personally was having an inperson interview I don’t live miles away from Cambridge and I felt I’d perform better if I did it in person. Online felt risky to me too much risk of tech issues!
Original post by Anonymous
This is fantastic advice vibes are very important, honestly! It’s nice applying somewhere that you’ll feel at home. Something that influenced my decision personally was having an inperson interview I don’t live miles away from Cambridge and I felt I’d perform better if I did it in person. Online felt risky to me too much risk of tech issues!

Also, if you can’t afford to travel to Cambridge for an interview, I believe all colleges conducting them face-to-face can accomodate you in college overnight and the wealthier ones will likely be able to pay for any travel expenses.
Reply 4
Original post by melancollege
Sure, I can help recommend a college. I've written this on another thread so I'll just copy it and explain.
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.
For me, my thinking process was the following (I applied to and go to Sidney):
> Fairly small but not suffocating. I like to know most people in my year and around 110 seemed about right.
> N/A, am male.
> N/A, was not applying as a mature student.
> I wanted to live in the city centre. It is so convenient having shops, clubs and everything less than a few minutes walk away. We are also literally opposite the Sainsbury's and within a few hundred metres of the theatre, two clubs, the Cambridge Union and multiple large parks. My college has enough green space so that I don't have to feel like I'm in a city centre all the time whilst having all the conveniences of being in the city centre. Also, for the first two years, Maths lectures were not done at the CMS but rather in the city centre so lectures were very close, too.
> Gym and sports fields were completely irrelevant to me. I've never used them. Apparently we have both but I didn't care about either when I applied. Student garden was a must as was a 24/7 library. My sleep schedule is really bad and I often get a strong desire for a midnight walk and the gardens are such a nice and safe place to walk around, especially in summer. We also do have music practice rooms but this wasn't important to me.
> I wanted an old college with the pretty architecture to match. Not all of our buildings are old, though, so so far I've always had a kitchen and could choose an en-suite in my third year. I chose not to have in my second year as I wanted a very large and sociable kitchen instead.
> Sidney was reputed as being very friendly. I read this online a lot (I applied in 2020 so I couldn't really visit) and it's definitely kept to this. It's one of the best parts about it.
Ultimately, I would advise narrowing down a few and then, if you're able, visiting this Friday for the open day.

this is so helpful! thank you sm

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