h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

I'm hoping to apply for Cambridge next year (which shocked most of my friends), and I have no idea what college to choose. I've looked at the prospectus, which didn't really help, and our school doesn't seem to have the alternative prospectus. So, how did any of you pick a college? And if I make an open application, am I likely to be sent to an all-female college? And on the open days, can I visit more than one college on one day? Please help.

~~A~~

My advice is actually visit Cambridge. Thats how I made my final decision.
First though I knocked off colleges that I wasn't interested in from my list because of their
a) location e.g. Girton is actually about a mile outside the city centre and you have to have a bike if you want to get to lectures, supervisions etc. Hate riding bikes so places like Girton were taken off my list.

b) director of studies. I'm doing Arch and Anth so I tried to avoid colleges with a heavy Anthropology bias as I'm much more interested in Archaeology.

c) size. If you want to go to a huge college fair enough but I didn't want to at all! Trinity just frightened me!

d) male/female ratio. Didn't want to be in an all girls college because spent 4 years at an all girls school up til end of GCSEs. Besides I felt a lot of the girls colleges were a bit too far out for my liking

The truth is that the all-girls colleges do tend to get fewer applicants so there is a chance if you put an open application in you'll get offered a place at one of them.

Hope this helps!

Well... I chose Emmanuel because it was the college that Graham Chapman (of Monty Python) was at. Not much of a reason, but as good as any...

I think Res.194607 has the right idea - visit Cambridge. Have a look round some colleges - you'll be spending 3+ years there, so choose a place that you can see yourself living/working/socialising. If you go to an open day, there's nothing to stop you visiting other colleges while you're there.

The big colleges - Trinity, St Johns - can offer advantages in accommodation and possibly finance (book grants etc.) but they can seem intimidating. A smaller college may be more immediately 'friendly', but you may find yourself living out of college for at least 1 year.

Also your subject may be important - in Medicine, for example, Caius has a lot of Medics and generally gets good results, but their Medics seem to be worked harder than those at some other colleges. Or maybe that was just me

You can probably get an Alternative Prospectus by writing to the Students' Union - their address will be somewhere on the University website: http://www.cam.ac.uk

Any more questions, just ask - there are a few 'Cantabridgians' hanging around H2G2.

And good luck...

Thanks for the advice. I'm going to Robinson for the open day, but I'm going to have a look round as many colleges as I can on the day.

~~A~~

When is Robinson's Open day? So long as I'm not in the middle of exams or back at home I'd be happy to meet up with you if you wanted me to show you round Christs, the Arch and Anth dept., or show you where Kings, Sidney Sussex, Newnham, Magdalene(sp?), Trinity, Pembroke, Downing, Queens, St. Johns (including where they stick the 1st years in Johns) are (think thats all the places I've been to!). Could probably show you the Mill Lane Lecture rooms too (I think only a few subjects use them, not all!). Also I'd be happy to introduce you to the Mill, where everyone goes in the summer.

It's a good idea to write to or email colleges you might be interested in, and get them to send you their own prospectus. As well as telling you about the college, they give you details of the individual admissions policies. These include things like how they interview you, whether they give you extra tests or exams, and typical offers. You might not want to apply to colleges that make you take STEP exams, or have 'cruel and unusual' interview techniques.

Worth noting is that for some subjects, Engineering expecially, some colleges are very keen on you taking a gap year - the Subject websites have more about this kind of thing.

I chose Emmanuel mainly because of the way it came across in their prospectus, and haven't been dissapointed yet (shameless plug), though it is now the hardest college to get into.

So, how many H2G2ers are at Cambridge university at the moment, or live in Cambridge?

I'm at Cambridge University, at Jesus College, alternatively known as 'The College of The Blessed Virgin Mary, St John the Evangelist and the Glorious Virgin St Radegund, near Cambridge'. Well, the latter's its official name at least.

Celebearel

We didn't have a look round Jesus College at the open day, but my darling mother was being very annoying afterwards, telling everyone "I saw Jesus in a taxi!"

Robinson rejected me, by the way. But I was put in the pool and I now have a conditional from Girton, so that's ok. I won't find out if I'm in until the 12th of August. Until then, feel free to tell me all the Girton horror stories.

~~A~~

I'm at Churchill College, and I love it. Syndey Sussex looks nice

Yeah Churchill is fab, not bang in the centre of town but its so friendly and its a gorgeous place to be in the summer (after exams ) If i had to choose anothr college though I'd go for one by the river. pembroke's really nice too.

Emmanuel has lots of ducks - what more do you need? (what? no duck smiley?) We've got cute ones, rare ones and evil looking ones - something for everybody. Being off the tourist trail helps too - though still probably more than at Churchill