Choosing an Oxford College

Dan1607

Hi, could someone tell me which college's are best for Philosophy at cambridge? I don't care about anything else, only maybe if some college's are more 'racists' than others.
Also i have some social problems, so i want to live on my own, in addition i have learning disabilties, which college's are more supportive for this?

Firstly, none of the colleges are 'racist'. Yes, there isn't exactly a huge amount of ethnic minorities studying at the university, but that's because they don't apply in the first place. Discrimination of any kind is a) not allowed and b) rare. It shouldn't be something that concerns you when you apply to a college, anyway.

If you want to find which colleges have the best results for Philosophy, search around on the Cambridge website. But really, I don't think the college makes a huge amount of difference for teaching. In Philosophy a lot of the teaching seems to be faculty based anyway. But there are other members here who will know more about this than me. :smile:

Re living on your own: the collegiate system is so that students live together in a tight community, and it's an integral part of the university. Your college won't be too keen on having you move out in your first year, especially as having 'social problems' isn't a strong reason to live out of college. I'm not even sure you can live out of college in your first year. You won't be forced to socialise if you don't want to, however - it's perfectly acceptable to just hide in your room, and some students do.

As for learning disabilities, I suspect it depends on what kind they are. Your best bet would be to e-mail colleges specifically and ask what kind of support they have. I'd guess that the richer the college, the more facilities they'd have. However, bear in mind your LEA will also have funds if you need special equipment.

Reply 801

Huw Davies

11

There is an autistic first-year who was put in third-year accommodation on request in order to avoid feeling forced to interact socially.

Reply 802

Craghyrax

17

Dan1607

Hi, could someone tell me which college's are best for Philosophy at cambridge? I don't care about anything else, only maybe if some college's are more 'racists' than others.
Also i have some social problems, so i want to live on my own, in addition i have learning disabilties, which college's are more supportive for this?

The University has a Disabilities Resource Centre on Trumpington street which liases with colleges to ensure that special needs are accomodated. Whichever college you're at, its extremely easy to go to the DRC and request that they mediate on your behalf or advise your college, if you college doesn't already know how best to accomodate you. Also, they're very efficient and organised, so it isn't a pain trying to get things sorted out.

Reply 803

theultimate

College in Cambridge:
-Looking to study maths (undergraduate)
-From a state school
-Male
-Want a college near the centre e.g. not Girton/Homerton
-Gym in the college hopefully
-Good cricket/general sports facilities
-Any size

Anyone recommmend a few?

Reply 804

priya

14

theultimate

College in Cambridge:
-Looking to study maths (undergraduate)

-From a state school - apply wherever you want - despite rumours, no college holds a preference over private/state. You'll fit in fine wherever you end up.

-Male - most colleges are split evenly, so don't worry about this

-Want a college near the centre e.g. not Girton/Homerton - Trinity, Johns, Sidney, Christs, Queens, Kings, Magdalene, Jesus, Pembroke, St Caths, Caius, Trinity Hall, Downing, Emmanuel, Clare - all within 5/10 mins of the town centre.

-Gym in the college hopefully - Johns, Queens, Sidney....pretty much all of them have some form of gym. Have a nose around JCR websites to check this though.

-Good cricket/general sports facilities - very central colleges can't have sports grounds on site. Ones with their own sports pitches attached = Johns, Churchill, Jesus. Most colleges share cricket pitches etc with Johns or Churchill pitches. Johns' pitches are the nearest to the centre of town.

-Any size-

Anyone recommmend a few?

Basically, pretty much every college is open to you, for the criteria you give. Have a look at JCR websites, and try and visit colleges if possible.

Reply 805

lavalse

10

oeij

hi guys. im thinking of applying to oxford E&M later this year. I've been reading through all the college admissions criteria and most specify and A level equivalent of math.

I took the IB and only took math at Standard level. Is that equivalent to an AS level math? and should I still try applying?

Are there any colleges that are a little less insistent on the math? (i know some wouldn't even consider you without the A lvl math)

hey

maths SL is roughly equivalent to Maths A-level, although from what i understand it is slightly easier. you will need therefore to be predicted a 7! obviously its a shame you're not taking HL but don't let it disuade you from applying to oxford if thats where you want to go

Reply 806

Musty_Elbow

2

Im 16 and just about to enter 6th year in Scotland (final year). My birthday is in February and i am thinking of applying for 2009 entry to medicine at Cambridge . Am i too young to apply?
I am also unsure of college option. I am thinking between Queens, Corpus and emma.

It would be helpful if some people could give me their own experiences.
Thanks, matt

Reply 807

priya

14

mattbroon

Im 16 and just about to enter 6th year in Scotland (final year). My birthday is in February and i am thinking of applying for 2009 entry to medicine at Cambridge . Am i too young to apply?
I am also unsure of college option. I am thinking between Queens, Corpus and emma.

It would be helpful if some people could give me their own experiences.
Thanks, matt

University official policy:

"Age

There is no age requirement for admission to Cambridge, although the vast majority of undergraduates are 18 years or older when they come into residence. All applicants will need to demonstrate that they have the maturity and personal skills to cope with university level study."

There are plenty of people from Scotland in a similar position to you who are at Cambridge, and have coped fine. Just to be on the safe side, check with the college you want to apply to. But 99% sure it should be ok.

Colleges- well Queens', Corpus and Emma are all the same in that they're reputed to be friendly, sociable etc. Queens' and Emma are both quite large colleges, have amazing bars and ents, good mayballs and nice grounds (Queens' wins on this as the old site is beautiful and it has the river too)

Corpus - very small, but that can be a great thing, as you'll know pretty much everyone in college. In the centre of town, near clubs, restaurants and lots of pubs (which corpus students live above). Emma and Corpus are probs the closest colleges to the babbage site (medicine lectures) and to the chemistry dept.

Reply 808

Musty_Elbow

2

Thanks priya. Do all of them have good reputation? I heard that Emma is very difficult to get into. Is it any harder than the others?

Reply 809

*stars and stripes*

6

If you want any info on applying for Medicine/ to Emma then I can try and help :smile:

I'm no expert (seeing as I'm not there and I'm waiting nervously for grades) but if you drop me a PM I'll attempt to be useful!

Reply 810

priya

14

mattbroon

Thanks priya. Do all of them have good reputation? I heard that Emma is very difficult to get into. Is it any harder than the others?

they're all pretty difficult to get into, this is cambridge. the bottom line is, if you're good enough, you should get a place, if not at the college you applied to, at somewhere else through the pool system (the website explains this in more detail).

I can understand you wanting to be tactical, but playing the stats game just won't work - I still don't know what academics saw in me when they interviewed me, and you have no way of knowing what the other applicants will be like, or how they'll be received by the tutors.

Reply 811

peanutbutternjelly

1

I'm now pretty sure about applying to Wadham, having gone to take a look at it earlier this week :biggrin:

Reply 812

dig_the_pony

Hi everyone. I've already posted this in the Cambridge college thread but no response so I thought i'd post it here. As far as i'm aware this applies to both universities.

I've been reading up on the colleges over the past couple of days and was wondering how much of an impact having an external director of studies makes on your course? I can imagine it's not huge otherwise it wouldn't be done, but is it slightly annoying and from your experience would you recommend applying to a college with an internal one? Also, for courses that incorporate different disciplines (i'll be applying for Archaeology and Anthropology) do you think it's best to go for a director of studies in the area you intend to specialise in? For instance would an interview with a director of studies who is a biological anthropologist perhaps not give you as much chance to shine if your main interest is archaeology or put more emphasis on their side of the course?

Sorry if these questions seems a but fussy, i'd just like to make as informed decision as I can. Thanks for any answers you can give.

Reply 813

lavalse

10

on a cambridge open day for oriental studies in March 2007 i was told to definitely apply to a college with an internal director of studies by the head of the faculty. he said its because the college is more likely to have the right resources for you and an internal dos is more likely to push to give more applicants places than an external one.

disclaimer: obviously its all subjective, and it wont make that much of a difference

......but seeing as theres so many collges to choose from then pick one with an internal dos. although having said that i did, and was pooled to a college with an external dos. i dont think it will actually have an impact on my learning though. all necessary books can be taken from the departmental library anyway

Reply 814

Rudrax

12

mattbroon

Im 16 and just about to enter 6th year in Scotland (final year). My birthday is in February and i am thinking of applying for 2009 entry to medicine at Cambridge . Am i too young to apply?
I am also unsure of college option. I am thinking between Queens, Corpus and emma.

It would be helpful if some people could give me their own experiences.
Thanks, matt

If in doubt, the answer is always Queens'.

Reply 815

Waheyyyy

1

I'm applying for E&M for 2009 entry, but have no idea which college to go for. I've literally just decided I'm applying (long story), so am in a slight panic :biggrin:

Anyone got any tips? I'm from a state school, not really into sport/drama etc. Thanks a lot.

Reply 816

praying

Hello everyone!
I'm absolutely dying trying to choose between all the amazing colleges at Cambridge. I know everyone asks the same question, but wondering if anyone could advise me -
I'm applying from a state school for Natural Sciences (2009)
GCSEs: 10A* 1A 1B
A levels: A at French (took early)
AS levels (UMS/300): Chemistry(300), Biology(282), Maths(292), Critical Thinking(279), English(290), Further maths AS module (99/100)
I'm not really into music, drama or sport, but I do like debating.
I like the look of Clare, Queens', King's .. (I have pressure from family to apply for Clare due to family history etc. but have heard that the food is bad, and the guys not very good-looking.. is this true? I'm not exactly boy-mad but I don't want somewhere depressingly awful...)
Any other suggestions? Or comments about those 3? Also, is it really true that it makes no difference as to how likely it is to be accepted to the university depending on which college you choose (sorry, very badly phrased)?
Also, I did well on the practice TSA paper online so am quite keen to apply somewhere that asks for that. Is this a good strategy or should I ignore this? Ummmm, about the personal statement, how important is it to mention extra-curricular activities? I keep getting mixed messages about this..
Lastly.. I don't want to go somewhere really snobby, but I'm not socialist-mad either (I'm aware that this is a big thing at King's).. although I think I could cope with it better than the alternative.
Thanks in advance to anyone who has anything to say at all in response!!

Reply 817

Excalibur

15

praying

Hello everyone!
I'm absolutely dying trying to choose between all the amazing colleges at Cambridge. I know everyone asks the same question, but wondering if anyone could advise me -
I'm applying from a state school for Natural Sciences (2009)
GCSEs: 10A* 1A 1B
A levels: A at French (took early)
AS levels (UMS/300): Chemistry(300), Biology(282), Maths(292), Critical Thinking(279), English(290), Further maths AS module (99/100)
I'm not really into music, drama or sport, but I do like debating.
I like the look of Clare, Queens', King's .. (I have pressure from family to apply for Clare due to family history etc. but have heard that the food is bad, and the guys not very good-looking.. is this true? I'm not exactly boy-mad but I don't want somewhere depressingly awful...)

No idea about the food, but I highly doubt the thing about the guys. That will depend on the intake that year, which will fluctuate and vary each time, and I don't think Clare attracts all the bad-looking ones lol. When I went to the open day the people were basically the same as all the other colleges.

Any other suggestions? Or comments about those 3? Also, is it really true that it makes no difference as to how likely it is to be accepted to the university depending on which college you choose (sorry, very badly phrased)?

King's is very big, grand, right in the centre and has the famous (and imo ugly!) chapel. It's liberal and different to the others, in that they've abandoned some of the Cambridge traditions, so that they don't have May Balls (they hold an Event instead), and I don't think they have formal halls. (King's students can correct me if I'm wrong!) It is allegedly the most friendly to maintained-school/state school applicants.

Queens' is nice, although the ugly '70s building put me off when I was there :p:

It's got a nice location and a nice old court, though, and I think they guarantee 3 years on-site accommodation.

Clare is lovely. Their first year accommodation is very good, it's got really pretty gardens and it's got a cool bar in the cellars. It's probably one of the most competitive, but that shouldn't put you off if you want to apply. Conversely, if you don't want to, don't let your family pressurise you into it!

They're all about the same kind of distance from the Downing and New Museum Sites, where the lectures are held if that's important to you.

As for competition, if the college thinks you're good enough but they just don't have enough space for you, they'll put you in the pool early January. Then other colleges may give you an offer (with or without interview) - so technically, you have a similar chance getting into Cambridge whichever college you apply to. Most people get pooled to the less popular colleges (the new/far away/women's ones), so if you desperately don't want to go to one of these, then it may be a better idea to apply to a college which is only moderately competitive to allow you the best chance to get in where you want - but that's up to you, and colleges are more similar than they are different. Your education will be the same wherever you are.

Also, I did well on the practice TSA paper online so am quite keen to apply somewhere that asks for that. Is this a good strategy or should I ignore this?

If you're confident with the TSA then go ahead. (I was the opposite, so I took into account that I'd rather go for a college without it.)

Ummmm, about the personal statement, how important is it to mention extra-curricular activities? I keep getting mixed messages about this..

Not really. If they're not relevant extra-curriculars (i.e. things like Gold DoE) they really don't care. If they are relevant (e.g. work experience/lab work/Nuffield project etc) then they may be more interested, but they're above all most interested in your academic potential and ability. At my interview they asked me one question about my work experience but I think that was as an ice-breaker rather than anything significant.

Hope that helps.

Reply 818

praying

Wow thankyou so much for all the advice! I've been consistently amazed by the helpfulness of so many people in offering such useful information about the application system etc. These websites really are great for people like me who know pretty much no-one who's been through it all before.
Anyway, thanks for clearing up that silly point about boys at Clare for me! I doubted that there was much evidence behind it and completely see what you mean about new people coming in each year etc. I think I can scrub it off my list of criteria now lol. As for King's, about the May Ball and Formal stuff- I didn't know any of that and I guess I'm quite attracted to those parts of Cambridge life, so I think maybe it's narrowed down to Queens' and Clare now. Thanks also for the advice on the personal statement- clears up quite a lot.
Other than that, I'm assuming you're starting Cambridge this term? Have a wonderful time! (Downing looks sooo amazing- I'm sure it'll be Fantastic!)

Reply 819

Excalibur

15

praying

Wow thankyou so much for all the advice! I've been consistently amazed by the helpfulness of so many people in offering such useful information about the application system etc. These websites really are great for people like me who know pretty much no-one who's been through it all before.
Anyway, thanks for clearing up that silly point about boys at Clare for me! I doubted that there was much evidence behind it and completely see what you mean about new people coming in each year etc. I think I can scrub it off my list of criteria now lol. As for King's, about the May Ball and Formal stuff- I didn't know any of that and I guess I'm quite attracted to those parts of Cambridge life, so I think maybe it's narrowed down to Queens' and Clare now. Thanks also for the advice on the personal statement- clears up quite a lot.
Other than that, I'm assuming you're starting Cambridge this term? Have a wonderful time! (Downing looks sooo amazing- I'm sure it'll be Fantastic!)

You're welcome, and thanks. :smile:

If you have any more queries about your application feel free to PM!

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