How does Cambridge uni work?

[gillybeanz]

Ok, I know you need to get really good A levels, GCSE's etc.
But what happens then, if you are offered a place do they give you a named college and what do they mean, how is each one different.
Do they all accept both sexes are some specific?
I can't seem to fathom it from the website.

I'm pretty sure you make your application to a particular college - not to the university in general.

It would take you ages to find the one that was the best fit.
Then you might not get in.
I can't imagine some poor sod having to visit/ apply for them all or at least a good amount.

Oxford and Cambridge both accept "open" applications, meaning you don't need to specify a college.

Ask DD's school which college (s) they recommend, or have experience of getting pupils into. They will be able to advise.
Or maybe as on HE board "which Cambridge college for"... and your requirements? (Music, no?)

ask sorry

www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/applying/ucas-application/making-open-application

Here.

Unofficial sources are a good way of figuring out the different colleges;

www.applytocambridge.com

www.thestudentroom.co.uk

Are you looking for a musical person?

This is also a good quick guide;

en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colleges_of_the_University_of_Cambridge

You select a college - or choose to make an 'open application' - as part of the main application process.

If you are accepted onto the course there is usually a short wait before (hopefully) your chosen college accepts you (for postgraduate). If your college does not accept you, you can be 'pooled' and will only gain a place at the university if another college selects you from the 'pool'. This is more common for undergraduate admissions.

Visiting the colleges is the best way to gain an understanding of what they have to offer - geography is important as some colleges are right in the city centre (with all the tourists...) and others further out. You can also check their facilities - gyms, clubs, sports teams etc. - as some have particular strengths in some areas. For others, there is a 'tradition' of students studying a particular subject to select a particular college. Sometimes the feel of a place is just right.

If you have any questions about individual colleges I'd be happy to help if I can!

All the men only colleges went mixed.

Newnham is single sex female.

Murray Edwards, previously New Hall, is also female only but there was some stuff in the news relatively recently regarding accepting trans.

The lectures are done university wide. However supervisions (usually 1-2) are organised by the college.

Yes, my dd asked me to look for music, doubtful she'd get the A* she'd require, but thought I'd take a look before letting her think it was a possibility.
I read about King's College, but it's a minefield trying to understand it all.
She has years to go, but she's one for planning years ahead.
Thank you for the info on pooling and the offer of a pm.
She has her heart set on a choral scholarship and singing in choirs.
An older girl has applied and she seems to like this girl so she's sort of following others ideas atm, but I'm glad she's looking.
Only still very young though, and I have absolutely no idea about uni's like Cambridge.

King's is awesome, including for music, but its famous choir is all male. I was going to say that that means she won't get a choral scholarship there, but this site says it has a mixed choir too and does not rule out women. Still, I expect it would be more fun to go somewhere where the main choir is mixed.
www.undergraduate.study.cam.ac.uk/finance/music-awards/choral-awards

I would also say that one can get a choral scholarship at some colleges even after graduation (from other universities), as my DB did so when working in Cambridge after university.

Mainly the allocating & pooling system exists to stop good candidates getting overlooked in favour of weaker ones and so that pupils who don't know much about Cambridge aren't disadvantaged.

1. So if you don't know enough about the colleges to pick one, the university will allocate one to you for application purposes

2. If the college you apply to doesn't offer you a place but still thinks you are a worthy candidate, it can put you in the pool for other colleges to consider.

3. Other colleges who maybe get fewer or less good applications may then choose to interview and offer to someone in the pool in preference to people who applied to them directly.

If wanting to do music & sing in choirs (& play in orchestras) I'd be tempted to start with ruling out colleges that don't have their own choirs / orchestras / chapels etc? e.g. Newnham doesn't have its own chapel, but 'shares' with Selwyn across the road.

Other things to consider

• anyone 'famous' in college faculty for music
• mix male / female (I think Girton is more 50-50 than any other college, but it is also furthest out)
• older colleges v newer colleges (?with better facilities)
• centre of town (& tourists wandering around), or further out
• size eg small like Trinity Hall v larger like Trinity
• location wrt where lectures will be
• can they 'live in' all 3 years, or only first year, or 1st&3rd
• level of self catering facilities available

If you are looking early, you can go up as a tourist and wander around to get a feel of the place.

Tell her to go to Clare, there's a wonderful mixed choir and it's next door to King's and much prettier

Seriously though, DD looked at the colleges that did her course, then looked at Directors of Study that had similar academic interests to her (hoping that would make interview easier) then visited those (I think there were 4) and went with her gut instinct.

It worked well.

Be aware, the choral scholars have do a whole load of rehearsing/performing. She decided not to apply because she wanted to do lots of drama/musical theatre and I think that was the right decision for her. It's tricky to do both and pass your degree

Gilly work out what's realistic for her grades-wise, then find a spread of several appropriate destinations and take her to visit them over the next couple of years.

Oxbridge is too competitive to let anyone "set their heart" on it.

Aw, thanks for the lovely responses.
I believe it's a Mr John Rutter, having gone to Kings that has given her this idea too. I believe he has filled her ears full of it

I don't want to piss on her chips as she's not very academic at all, hopefully, if I can get the facts she will look more realistically.
The thought of lots of practice and performing, with dedication to choral music is the big pull.

I imagine quite a number from her school go on to RNCM too.

Rutter went to Clare.
One possible consideration is that the very musical colleges (Clare, Kings) can be very fussy about standards of their orchestras - some Clare students I knew joined orchestras and choirs at other colleges as they didn't get into the main Clare ones.

Most students still seem to choose colleges on location (eg near lectures, sports grounds, theatre, or station) and location of 2nd/3rd year accomodation. There's a few colleges that don't have tutors in certain subjects but otherwise it's basically a glorified hall of residence.

don't want to piss on her chips as she's not very academic at all,

Then she’s not going to go. Don’t let her choose colleges etc if she’s got no hope.

I went to peterhouse by the way and loved it

Pottering

It's because she is stubborn, barely listens to reason that I was gathering info. If she sees it in black and white she can make her own mind up from that.
She asks me to look at these things, but doesn't usually listen to me, I'm mum and know nothing.

Very interesting about JR being at Clare, I thought it was Kings and that's why the singers were named.

I don't suppose they ever offer places to those with less than A* A A by any chance?

I don't know if choral/organ scholars still get very slightly lower offers, but if she's not highly academic, she won't be comfortable there.

Battleax and Pottering

Thank you for your honesty, I did seem to think this as I'd heard the reputation that you had to be very academic, but wasn't sure if this wasn't just for the academic subjects iyswim.
I've met a few people who went to Oxbridge, another recent influence but not knowing dd academic capacity, strongly suggested it for future consideration.
He has just graduated and was heavily involved choral wise.
I'll give her the info without sounding like I'm knocking her.

Anybody know if anywhere else offers choral music on the same type of basis?

Nottingham, Durham, possibly RHUL, St Andrews, maybe?

Does she want to study music as an academic discipline?

The people I know who studied music at Cambridge did a very academic/theoretical course with only a small component of performing as one element of it.

The rest of the performing was extra curricular (and there was a ton of it - loads of opportunities, both as official choral scholars, but also in the many many orchestras and choirs at all levels of ability and dedication). But it wasn't part of the course. It's based either at a university level, or at a college level (though you can often go to other colleges for that - obviously more convenient if it's your own). Many colleges have recital series etc for people to perform in as well. Clare has a very good reputation for music, but so do several others.

If she want to do a more performance based course, a conservatoire will probably have more what she is looking for.