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Cambridge college decision - economics

Hi I’m in yr13 and applying to Cambridge for economics.
I live in the uk but will be classed as an international applicant.
My predicted grades are 3A*s and an A, with A*s in maths and fm.

I’m trying to decide on which Cambridge college to apply to, but I haven’t decided yet.
My main priorities are decent accommodation (ideally ensuite but not too pricey), good catering, and being reasonably close to the Sidgwick Site. A larger econ cohort would be nice, but it’s not that important.
At the moment I’m looking at trinity, selwyn, or st john’s, but I’m open to other suggestions. Does anyone have any recommendations or advice?

Reply 1

If you're looking for a slightly more tight-knit community, i would recommend selwyn over the other 2. In my opinion selwyn also provides better value accommodation, with all 1st year rooms being en suite, fairly spacious, and some are as little as £180 per week which I'm fairly sure is better than what you can get at the other 2.

If you prefer the large, grand, and spacious colleges, I personally would recommend St John's just because I've been told it has a better overall atmosphere compared to trinity, but take this with a grain of salt. I've never seen the rooms at St John's but the ones I saw at trinity were huge, a little more pricey though.

When it comes to selwyn, keep in mind they tend to be a little harsh when it comes to admissions. It will naturally differ by course, and it's not much worse than any other college, but I was told during a subject talk at selwyn that they have a habit of giving A*A*A*A* offers to people who take 4 alevels. Idk if it was just to scare us but yeah, pretty intense.

I've heard good things about the food at Trinity, not much about John's, and supposedly selwyn is pretty well known for its brunch? A little subjective I suppose but it'll be difficult to find an objective difference between 3 colleges with decent catering.

Reply 2

Original post
by ConfusedPenguin1
If you're looking for a slightly more tight-knit community, i would recommend selwyn over the other 2. In my opinion selwyn also provides better value accommodation, with all 1st year rooms being en suite, fairly spacious, and some are as little as £180 per week which I'm fairly sure is better than what you can get at the other 2.
If you prefer the large, grand, and spacious colleges, I personally would recommend St John's just because I've been told it has a better overall atmosphere compared to trinity, but take this with a grain of salt. I've never seen the rooms at St John's but the ones I saw at trinity were huge, a little more pricey though.
When it comes to selwyn, keep in mind they tend to be a little harsh when it comes to admissions. It will naturally differ by course, and it's not much worse than any other college, but I was told during a subject talk at selwyn that they have a habit of giving A*A*A*A* offers to people who take 4 alevels. Idk if it was just to scare us but yeah, pretty intense.
I've heard good things about the food at Trinity, not much about John's, and supposedly selwyn is pretty well known for its brunch? A little subjective I suppose but it'll be difficult to find an objective difference between 3 colleges with decent catering.

4A* is crazy work omfg might as well pool the applicant

Reply 3

Original post
by Dauyefa
Hi I’m in yr13 and applying to Cambridge for economics.
I live in the uk but will be classed as an international applicant.
My predicted grades are 3A*s and an A, with A*s in maths and fm.
I’m trying to decide on which Cambridge college to apply to, but I haven’t decided yet.
My main priorities are decent accommodation (ideally ensuite but not too pricey), good catering, and being reasonably close to the Sidgwick Site. A larger econ cohort would be nice, but it’s not that important.
At the moment I’m looking at trinity, selwyn, or st john’s, but I’m open to other suggestions. Does anyone have any recommendations or advice?

Hi, I'm also applying to Cambridge Economics with 4A*s predicted. I'm probably going to apply for Selwyn, but I haven't 100% decided.

Selwyn is very competitive. As said above, they typically give 4A* offers to 4A* students, and A*A*A*A for Selwyn economics is slightly under par compared to almost all successful students. Plus they shortlist you for an interview heavily based off the TMUA - I think last year (very difficult paper apparently), the average TMUA score for a successful candidate was 7.5, which was the highest out of any of the Cambridge colleges, besides Churchill. This is a good 4/5 marks out of 40 higher than the average Cambridge economics offer holder. You'd ideally want to stand out in terms of quantitative ability. So just beware that to be even considered by Selwyn, you need a very high TMUA score. Just thought I'd let you know

St John's and Trinity have a similar story. Your three selected colleges are the three colleges that have the most applications for economics. Just bear that in mind.

I've heard St Catharine's is pretty decent - not bad for economics, little bit less competitive, close to Sidgwick, etc.

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