Which Cambridge College for Economics?

[SophiaLorenxoxo]

DD is hoping to apply to Cambridge to do Economics next year. It seems that several Colleges within Cambridge offer Economics and you have to apply to the specific College you want to go to. What are the factors that need to be taken into consideration? We have no knowledge whatsoever about the Oxbridge system.

Thanks for any advice.

Open applications are given to colleges that are under applied to, not evenly distributed.

As you can see from the table above, the modern colleges have fewer direct applications and therefore get more of the Open applications assigned to them. The older, more beautiful colleges are clearly more popular. However you can also find online the percentage of students each college takes from their own applicants vs. ones from the Pool.

Many students try to game the system by applying to one of these newer, less popular colleges. However this strategy is not that successful as you will find these colleges take most of their students from the Pool.

My DS was pooled and selected by Robinson College. He only knows 2 students there who applied directly there as the rest came from the Pool. Btw, he has been very happy there and can’t imagine being anywhere else.

Isn’t Robinson the one with the truly amazing chapel window, Jeanne?

There were some really interesting stats I saw once about applications/pool…basically seemed that for the newer/less popular colleges there was more chance someone accepted had come via pool than directly. Basically if you’re not good enough to get in to a “top” college a “lower” one won’t take you just because you chose them - they’d rather have the ones that didn’t quite make the cut at somewhere like trinity.

I will say don’t get hung up on college rankings…lectures are done at university level, and those Nobel prize winners can’t always teach worth toffee!!!

I’m surprised Sidney takes so many open - (ie so few relatively apply direct) it’s utterly beautiful!!!

@FlyingSquid

Mmm, yes, and then she can forget the deadline to make any other applications, in a spectacular ‘eggs in one basket’ manoeuvre.

Not that I’m thinking of anyone in particular here, of course. Certainly not.

@FlyingSquid OMG! I can easily imagine doing that. Did you get accepted?

@Daisysway

Cambridge is small and well served by Park and Ride so my advice would be to find somewhere to stay outside the city if you are looking around and then use p/ride. I live about 30 mins from city and I think its an amazing place for students to study...

My friends dd graduated from Pembroke college (economics) last year.. Highly competitive ...she was given a tough target in terms of offer (IB high score with 7 in Maths), she has managed to get a fab job after graduation 2:1(global company with a very good salary).

This is great advice!

Weetabix - not me but close family. And yes!

JuneJustRains. Robinson College does have a beautiful chapel window plus gorgeous grounds. The building itself is so-so although not as ugly as Churchill IMO.

I think it is not worth getting too worried about which college you apply to. Most students like the one they end up in.

@FlyingSquid

Weetabix - not me but close family. And yes!

Oh god. Thank goodness they got into Cambridge then!

@DorotheaDiamond

I’m surprised Sidney takes so many open - (ie so few relatively apply direct) it’s utterly beautiful!!!

I am surprised too! I think Open Days are so busy, maybe people don't make it round there. A hidden gem? And definitely undersubscribed by direct applications. A great choice if you like the team teaching your subject there.

Sidney has had really major building work going on since 2017. It has spilt into the lovely gardens at points. That may have put some off back when looking around in person was a thing!

DS is a Cambridge fresher. In the summer before applying, he chose six colleges to visit. DS and I actually stayed overnight at one of his choices, Sidney Sussex, booked through uni rooms. Pretty as it is, DS found it too noisy at night (it’s on the high street) and was underwhelmed by the food so he crossed it off his list! After visiting, DS was clear about his first choice after visiting, luckily was accepted and is very happy there.
There’s a lot of info on the University website to help your DD with her research re course and colleges. Just a note regarding offers, check the typical offer by college. They do vary.

Cambridge economics is very competitive, but so too are the obvious alternatives, especially Warwick, UCL and LSE. Some make the mistake of assuming that if a strong applicant is not offered a place at Cambridge they will automatically be offered one of the others. It is worth considering your approach. Indeed it is very possible to be offered Cambridge (especially if you interview well) and be rejected by one or more of the others.

Dh was at Sidney and loved his time there. He doesn't remember it being noisy at all, and it's v handy for Sainsbury's (hence the nn Sidney Sainsbury's )

The noise came from the High Street rather than the college itself. We live in a very quiet village so are perhaps very sensitive to "normal" levels of night-time traffic and late-night revellers.

DS went to a taster thing at Sidney Sussex. Absolutely beautiful and very friendly. Opposite a Sainsbury’s too. He did take apply in the end because he didn’t think Cambridge would suit him.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/06/17/revealed-best-state-schools-getting-place-oxbridge/amp/

Does this help at all? I know it’s pitched as ‘best schools for Oxbridge’ , but if the link work, you can click through to see how many of each college’s intake are from which kind of school or sixth form college.

Not economics so I have no advice there, but DD has an offer to start this year.
Pretty much all colleges seen to offer all subjects (I just saw above that one doesn't offer economics) so we literally looked at all of them (they all do offer her subject). We couldn't visit because of covid so all impressions were online. She had some criteria - she wanted central, old and not too big; she also wanted good options for college music. Their online open days were very useful. There's also an "alternative prospectus" which was quite helpful to look at. She narrowed it down to 4 I think quite easily and then had to be ruthless.
But in the end she got pooled anyway. So I would suggest not getting too attached to college selection as, of the 9 people she knows going this year, 7 were pooled.
She's lucky in that she got old and central but it was one of the bigger ones.
But she's very much looking forward to starting and the fact that she didn't choose it but it chose her doesn't seem relevant any more.
I did look at economics though as a younger sibling is interested and it seems as though applications have increased significantly in recent years so the application to offer ratio is very high - though that shouldn't put him off.
Don't play the numbers game, just get him to decide where he can imagine himself living and then try and relax about the outcome.

The catering points made upthread are valid. My DD was adamant that she didn't want to eat 3 meals per day in college as she's quite fussy/intolerant. When she started at her college, there was a minimum catering spend per term but that was ditched in either her 2nd or 3rd year. In the 1st year accommodation, there are small kitchens on each floor with a hob, toaster, microwave & kettle. DD managed fine with that. Then in her 2nd year she was in the older part of the college with a slightly bigger kitchen. Her floor clubbed together to buy a tabletop oven and use it sometimes. In her 3rd year she was in an old house on the college site which had proper ovens and a freezer. She loved that. Now she's in the 1st year block again.

As others have said, don't get too stressed by the college. DD sings in a chapel choir, but not in her own college. It's perfectly possible to do that. This other college gives her a free formal every week for it.

One of my students applied to a large central college this year, was interviewed and on offer day received an offer from Churchill. Because she knows DD, she asked if I knew the place. This girl doesn't give 2 hoots about the architecture, she's just thrilled to get an offer. Having taught her for 7 years, I knew what to say to appeal: it's handy for West Cambridge (she's a scientist) and there is an excellent lactose-free section in the large Sainsburys there. She's now hoping she gets the grades!

The allocation of open applications table makes interesting reading. Although I am far from an expert, it looks as though the colleges receiving the fewest open ones (Kings, Johns, Trinity) are those that are the most historic/prestigious and probably have more than enough applications. Girton, being a distance outside the city centre, will possibly put some students off. DD was adamant that she didn't want to go there, but an autistic family friend has had a wonderful time there; in his case, its quieter location was a pull-factor.

Sidney Street Sainsbury’s = Mainsbury’s
Eddington Sainsbury’s = Farawainsbury’s

Good luck to your student @malbecfan 🤞

Lol and thanks @ANutAsBigAsABoulder but the Eddington one is local if you are based at West Cambridge

Marking my place as DS is also applying for Cambridge to study Econ and I know nothing about it!

My DC would say definitely choose a college where you think you might be happy but try not to get too invested.
DD (O) was certain that the course was right for her but gave little thought to college choice. She chose on the basis of the number admitted for her subject but regretted her decision after staying in Oxford for interviews. By a twist of fate, she got an open offer and was placed at a central, old college which she loves.
DS (C) simply picked the college he liked the most. I was worried about the stats for his subject/college combo but he put his faith in the admissions process and it worked out ok for him.