Cambridge colleges - geography

[Candlescandles]

Hi all,

Been on here before asking about courses and got some great advice - thank you again.

dd has Cambridge open day next week and needs to work out which colleges to visit. She’s got the times book but has been crazy busy on a school trip and now hosting a French exchange, so a bit pushed for time and I was wondering if anyone had recommendations ?

She’s coming from an Independent school - aware some colleges less keen on this! Any thoughts much appreciated ….

We’ve been told Magdalene and Caius so far…thanks x

It’s a myth that some colleges are less keen. Cambridge is generally trying to redress the imbalance which means that there is a greater proportion of independently educated students. She should choose a college by looking at who the subject specialists are, how many students are accepted for her chosen subject and whether she likes it. Some colleges such as Churchill and Robinson are more modern and less stuffy- others more old school. Some still interview in person rather than online and she might prefer this.

I grew up near Cambridge and I loved going into Cambridge with my mum shopping. My mother had very strong opinions about everything and she said if she was going to be a student in Cambridge she would pick a centrally located one. Her top picks were Gonville and Caius and Christ's. She said Pembroke was poky which I think is harsh and Emmuel was basically part of the bus station, which is actually true.
And she didn't like King's as it was mobbed with tourists and film crews.
For myself I always liked Downing but Jesus felt a bit far away and near all those riotous festivals on midsummer common.
I know this is super frivolous but the title reminded me of my late mother's funny prejudices about Cambridge colleges so I thought I would share them.
Cambridge is all gorgeous I hope your daughter gets in, and if you visit stay at the Hotel Du Vin by the Fitzwilliam it's lovely.

DS read Geography at Emmanuel and was very happy there. Live in for first year and there was a ballot for housing in the second year. They automatically got first choice in third year.

Are you asking which colleges are close enough so she can visit them? Caius and Magdalene are about 4 mins walk from each other.

I love Churchill it's actually built in red brick in part which is funny. My mother remembered it being built though so she referred to it disparaging as " that eyesore on Madingley Road". Its not ugly at all but I think it is outside her preferred central zone by some way.

Oh dear. Its not a good morning for my brain! Just realised you mean your DD is planning to study geography. You're not interested in the geography of Cambridge. (Wanders off to get a grip...)

Colleges control admissions and some will have higher grade offers than others or will ask for tests etc so she should look at each college to check if they have any different requirements for admission.

Other than that she should consider fit, as that's what they are looking for. Is she sporty and wanting a bigger college with lots of team sport options ? Would she like an all female vibe? Does she want to be slap bang in the centre in an oldy worldy one or more modern? What accommodation options does it offer for the 3 years ie in college /out of college? Does she have any other hobbies that mean she'd want to go to other locations such as swimming so maybe wants to be nearer there ? Does she want a larger college or smaller college vibe? Is she wanting a highly academic college ? Etc

Has she looked at a map? There is a nearly solid row of colleges from Christ's to Kings that are all next door to each other.

I would try and get an overview of different types, larger, smaller, modern, older. It's not crucial which college you go to for a particular subject. For instance I was at a small, central, older college, I loved it and would recommend to anyone but I would probably have had the same experience at any of the other 7 or 8 small central colleges like Claire, Emma, Caius etc.

She should bear in mind that if she gets in, she will think her college is the best, regardless of it's location or if she even chose it.

Plus even if you get in to a 'convenient' college, you may find your second year accomodation is stuck out a bike ride away.

That's a good list of factors to consider.

But while it's worth picking one that they like the look of, don't forget quite a lot get pooled so its best not to get too attached to it. My DD was - to one of the women's colleges, she'd been adamant she definitely wanted mixed...you've never seen someone do a 180° turn so quickly to find all the benefits of it!

Wow thank you for all the feedback! She was thinking of narrowing it down initially as you put it @Notellinganyone - 'She should choose a college by looking at who the subject specialists are, how many students are accepted for her chosen subject and whether she likes it.' So anyone who might know which colleges are great for geography, particularly leaning towards human geography, would be great...

Re the private question, I've heard conflicting things and although intake must vary year on year and it's meant to be a level playing field, it does seem that some are more open than others, if that makes sense?

In terms of the vibe of college, she'd definitely want mixed rather than all female (she's at a co-ed school) and while she's academic, does enjoy socialising and having fun so a very studious quiet college probably not for her. She's not particularly sporty. She does cycle so very central location isn't vital.

Thanks again for all the brilliant advice. 😍

IME Cambridge are focused on academic achievements and fit with the tutorial system so there's no bias against indy students but just be aware that state schools are now turning out vast numbers of equally capable and qualified students. So the perception of indy school bias is more that the playing field has been levelled

By the sounds of it your DD should check out the centrally located colleges so Magdelene, John's, Trinity, Caius, Cats etc all good options for her

I'm not sure 'very quiet, very studious' applies very much. IME almost everyone was studious, but equally knew how to have fun. Those at all girls colleges still mix with male and female students in lectures / tutorials / socialising.

Definitely look through the list of colleges, and consider the places with most places for Geography.

on top of this, as others have said, consider:

1. old v modern
2. central v out of town
3. larger v smaller
4. where you get a good 'feel' for

Choose ones that she likes for whatever reason. I went to Downing which I picked because of the location/layout and that it had a women's football team. It's much easier to do well at interview if you have a reason for having chosen the college you've applied to other than I thought it would be easier to get in. This answer doesn't impress.

Thank you so much again. Very good point about having a ‘reason’ for applying for a particular college at interview…

I would actually not choose a college based on the tutors.

For a start, over the course of a degree, the subject will be revealed to you in much greater depth and it’s normal for students to find they are passionate about an area of their subject they didn’t know about or didn’t realise they liked at school level. With all respect, sixth form is too early to know which areas of a discipline is going to be your great interest.

Secondly, there is no guarantee that a given tutor will teach you - he or she could get a big grant and go on research leave for 3 years, get a job at a different uni, go on parental leave, take early retirement etc etc. If you’ve made your decision of where to apply on the basis of wanting to be taught by Professor X, you could be disappointed. Many tutors teach specialist subjects across colleges especially in later years, so if you have a particular interest you’ll be taught by the most relevant person anyway, regardless of whether they are based in your college.

I’d make the decision on factors about colleges that matter to you (accommodation, location, catering) and on gut feeling - liking the vibe of a college is a perfectly decent reason to apply.

Does she have a preference for in person vs online interview? The majority of colleges are interviewing online, the ones doing in person in 2024 are Emmaunel, Caius, Kings, Pembroke, Peterhouse, Selwyn and Trinity

@IThinkIMadeItWorse - how interesting, I had no idea the majority of colleges were interviewing online but some are in person. I wonder what the pros and cons of this are?

Personally if I have a stressful work meeting where I am meeting someone new (I have to make pitches a lot for my job), I am less nervous if I do it online. That said, it seems less easy to establish a real connection over a computer screen, so...

Does anyone have any further thoughts on this?

She should pick a selection of colleges that she can reasonably visit in one day and keep an open mind. My son wandered around 8-9 in a day. Some were instant turn-offs based on the attitudes of staff/students who greeted visitors. The one he eventually applied for just felt right on the open day - he spent about an hour chatting to one of the tutors about the mathematics of trying to break card tricks. They hit it off, he applied there, she interviewed him and ended up being his favourite tutor. My other son was interviewed by a college he hadn't even considered applying to and very gratefully accepted their offer of a place. Both were very happy with their colleges (this seems to be pretty universal), so I guess it doesn't really matter. Just pick one that appeals for whatever reason she likes. A place at any college will be just fine!

In person tends to work better for most students, although some prefer to be in their home environment and find it less stressful. Online is typically more tiring for the majority of interviewers who spend days onscreen:online. Students can get of feel for the place person that can have pros and cons. It is not like most people will turn an offer down so some prefer not to have their heart set on one place. Chose based on accommodation, food, location, bursaries if applicable. Don't discount welfare support either, the courses can be a pressure cooker. Be practical!

Thanks so much again everyone.

If you are looking at the central ones don't forget Sidney. The door is opposite Sainsbury's and doesn't look much from the road but it is deceptive. The grounds are really lovely and it ticks a lot of boxes.