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Original poster

Cambridge college choice - tactical

277 replies

eggsbenedict23 · 11/09/2023 15:52

Is there any point looking at admission statistics for Cambridge colleges to see where is more likely to get in?

Is it worth choosing colleges tactically or does the pooling system eliminate this need?

My idea is that for Economics Trinity and Kings would be very very popular choices.

OP posts:
NoNoNoNotMe · 21/09/2023 13:14

Newnham’s gender recognition policy.

mondaytosunday · 21/09/2023 13:39

Yes we know about that and it's interesting. But also that just because it's a women's college that doesn't mean no overnight male guests (as the tour guide said it is always interesting to see who appears during the middle of the night fire alarms)!
She's not anti male. Interesting that Newnham requires official recognition of gender, which I think is appropriate.

Original poster
eggsbenedict23 · 21/09/2023 14:55

Hmmm. Did your DC ever have home/school friends in their college?

Obviously people from the same school end up getting in Ox&Cam but I'm asking about same college.

OP posts:
ErrolTheDragon · 21/09/2023 15:23

mondaytosunday · 21/09/2023 13:39

Yes we know about that and it's interesting. But also that just because it's a women's college that doesn't mean no overnight male guests (as the tour guide said it is always interesting to see who appears during the middle of the night fire alarms)!
She's not anti male. Interesting that Newnham requires official recognition of gender, which I think is appropriate.

ME has (afaik) always had mixed sex academics so it's never been fully 'all female'.

ofteninaspin · 21/09/2023 16:35

@eggsbenedict23 If I have understood you correctly, yes.
The two successful applicants from DS’s school when DS applied to Cambridge went to the same college. Very different subjects though.

When DD was at Oxford, a lad from the year below her at school attended the same college the following year for the same subject.

Happy546 · 21/09/2023 16:51

I was wondering about that - is there any reason why a college would avoid giving a place on the same course to someone from the same school a year later? Not the same year…

Original poster
eggsbenedict23 · 21/09/2023 17:32

Happy546 · 21/09/2023 16:51

I was wondering about that - is there any reason why a college would avoid giving a place on the same course to someone from the same school a year later? Not the same year…

This is a thing?

OP posts:
Malbecfan · 21/09/2023 17:33

There has been a steady stream of students from my/DD's school to DD's college: 2016 -1 Engineering, 2017- 1 NatSci, 2018 - 0, 2019 - 1 Theology, 2020 -1 English (maybe?), 2021 -1 Nat Sci, 2022 - 1 can't remember subject, 2023 -2 History & Engineering. It's a decent mix of subjects.

DD was the 2017 Nat Sci person. She knew the 2021 person so asked not to supervise him as she thought it wouldn't be fair. As it turned out, her housemate was his 1st year supervisor and raved about him.

Carleslireis · 21/09/2023 18:58

eggsbenedict23 · 21/09/2023 14:55

Hmmm. Did your DC ever have home/school friends in their college?

Obviously people from the same school end up getting in Ox&Cam but I'm asking about same college.

I don’t know any stats but when I was there there were definitely several instances of multiple students from the same school at my college although not for the same subject. It must not be uncommon especially for the larger colleges and the biggest ‘Oxbridge’ schools (eg, Habs, SPGS, Westminster, Hills road etc)

Theworried2 · 21/09/2023 19:24

Happy546 · 21/09/2023 16:51

I was wondering about that - is there any reason why a college would avoid giving a place on the same course to someone from the same school a year later? Not the same year…

I’m pretty sure this isn’t a thing as DS’s school has had several people apply for the same subject at the same college as students in older students successfully did and got in
for example in economics, one college has had a student from my DS’s school 3 years in a row.

and last year two people from the school got into the same subject at the same college.

NoNoNoNotMe · 21/09/2023 19:38

When DD was at O there were twins at her college. One did her subject, one a different one.

This was pre-BREXIT: they were from the EU but not the UK, and I imagine they had been at the same school.

ErrolTheDragon · 21/09/2023 19:44

Given that (as I understand it) each college is paired with a region of the U.K. for outreach/broadening access, I'd imagine there could be a bit of clustering because of that?

Hertsessex · 22/09/2023 08:29

I wouldn't say two from same school at same college for same subject is not allowed BUT on the margin can't imagine it helps. If only got say 6-8 people at a college for a particular subject it is natural to want diversity and I would say at the very least sub-consciously it could be a factor. The margins are so thin. I knew the tutor leading PPE admissions at my old college and over dinner/drinks he told me it's impossible to choose at the final stage and sometimes just a lottery as everybody is good enough.

Hope4534 · 22/09/2023 08:44

@Hertsessex do you mean in the same year or different years? My dc wants to apply this year to the same course and college as someone from school who was offered a place last year.

Hertsessex · 22/09/2023 08:47

Hope4534 · 22/09/2023 08:44

@Hertsessex do you mean in the same year or different years? My dc wants to apply this year to the same course and college as someone from school who was offered a place last year.

Sorry I meant in the same year so applying at the same time. I think less of an issue if different years.

Whenwillglorioussummercome · 22/09/2023 12:38

Angeldelightful · 21/09/2023 11:27

I chose my college because it had been in a film and I thought it would be full of movie-star lookers

It was full of dweebs (not that the movie stars would have been interested in me anyway)

Don't choose a college like I did

I chose my college because a famous person I had a crush on at the time had gone there.

TBH proximity to food outlets would have been more sensible.

Angeldelightful · 22/09/2023 12:55

Whenwillglorioussummercome · 22/09/2023 12:38

I chose my college because a famous person I had a crush on at the time had gone there.

TBH proximity to food outlets would have been more sensible.

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I'm glad i wasn't the only one!

Looking into the college accommodation and catering arrangements would have made more sense for me as I disliked both, plus what the majority of students studied (not my field). In fairness, there was no internet then

Whenwillglorioussummercome · 22/09/2023 13:23

No, not for me either. Just the paper prospectus. I think I'm almost glad as I would have been overwhelmed by information had there been so much available then.

I think people at schools or social circles where Oxbridge was the norm would have benefitted from an awful lot of anecdotal information that people like me had no idea about. At least now there's a far more even playing field in terms of access to that sort of thing.

User11010866 · 22/09/2023 13:32

Hertsessex · 22/09/2023 08:47

Sorry I meant in the same year so applying at the same time. I think less of an issue if different years.

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It depends on applicants not school. I know at least two got offers from Trinity Maths this year.

Hertsessex · 22/09/2023 13:50

User11010866 · 22/09/2023 13:32

It depends on applicants not school. I know at least two got offers from Trinity Maths this year.

Show quote history

Of course it doesn't preclude it. Just another factor into the mix when looking at the probability of getting in somewhere which is already low. Possibly also more a factor in arts type subjects where generally a mix of backgrounds can be useful.

Original poster
eggsbenedict23 · 22/09/2023 14:31

Now I'm wondering about the practicalities of tutorials? How are they submitted etc?

Do you just turn up on the day with your work, do is it a submit online beforehand kind of situation?

OP posts:
Carleslireis · 22/09/2023 14:39

When I was there (graduated 6 yrs ago) it was email your work over to the supervisor, or in rare cases leave it in their pigeonhole (either in college or department). Bring it with you on the day if you were having a crisis and hadn’t been able to submit in advance.

ErrolTheDragon · 22/09/2023 15:10

I got the impression from dd that for her stem subject, they took their problem sheets to the supervision to discuss rather than having to submit them before.
(Cambridge calls tutorials supervisions aka supos )

NoNoNoNotMe · 22/09/2023 15:36

It depends on applicants not school. I know at least two got offers from Trinity Maths this year.

Trinity may be unusual, in that it admits about 40 students for Maths each year.

Other colleges which take fewer students in each subject may be less likely to take two from the same school for the same course.

(Sigh. I went out with a Trinity mathematician for while. My best friend married his friend, also a Trinity mathematician. They are still together, decades later.)

I do not know if a college will discuss internally across subjects from which schools their likely acceptances come. They must do some discussion, eg because Trinity says it takes about 200 students but there are no fixed quotas for individual subjects. Also there may be pressure to have a balance of state/independent/international students overall.

Someone on here may well know.

IThinkIMadeItWorse · 22/09/2023 17:13

The specific question of students from the same school applying for the same course at the same college was covered in this parents and supporters webinar

Applicant Webinar: for parents and supporters

This session took place on 20 September 2023 as part of our Applicant Webinar series, designed to support those applying to Cambridge in 2023. Disclaimer: T...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eeAqdNk8-l8