Choosing a Cambridge College

[terry4]

I'm planning to apply to Cambridge. May I know which college should I be choosing if I am not going for Open applications? I'm interested in either Economics or Mathematics. Any advice from Malaysian students who are studing in Cambridge?
Where can I find the international students admission rates? And which college is better for the course (either Econs/ Maths)?

[yhc]

any senior has opinion regarding terry4's doubts??

i would like to know how should we choose the college in cambridge as there are 31 altogether if not mistaken. i have the intention to aim cambridge for my further studies, thus it's better for me to get some knowledge about this too.

ur points of view would be appreciated, thank you.

[bush]

The university, as always will try to admit the best students. Applying to a 'lesser' college will not increase your chances of admission.

[revan89]

i think there is a choice between choosing a college or opting for the 'open' selection. Either u state which college u prefer, or select the 'open' option and they will allocate a random college for you

[bluez_aspic]

You might find these websites to be of assistance in your preparation for the Cambridge interview:

https://nrich.maths.org/discus/messages/2069/6381.html?1062847324

http://www.thestudentroom.co.uk/showthread.php?t=171503


University level mathematics differs vastly from high-school mathematics. If you'd like a foretaste of that, these two books should be made compulsory reading:

1. Mathematics: A Short Introduction - Timothy Gowers

2. What is Mathematics - Richard Courant

Both books are recognized classics and can be purchased over Amazon.


As for economics, I heartily recommend The Economist's "Economics: Making Sense of the Modern Economy" (both Kinokuniya and Borders should be carrying it). There's also Commanding Heights (http://www.pbs.org/commandingheights), a wonderful documentary which surveys the development of various schools of economic thinking in the past century.

[revan89]

if im not mistaken, everyone from every college will attend lectures conducted by the university at the maths faculty.

then, ur particular college conducts its own supervision, that's what they call it, some sort of tutorial to help you understand more about the lectures, gives you the opportunity to mingle in a group discussion of 3-4.

[TheArtOfMedicine]

Emma seems to be one of the most academically vigorous College in Cambridge, might worth giving it a shot.

[sue89]

Which college is best for medicine?

[Tasslehoff]

I'm planning to apply to Cambridge. May I know which college should I be choosing if I am not going for Open applications? I'm interested in either Economics or Mathematics. Any advice from Malaysian students who are studing in Cambridge?
Where can I find the international students admission rates? And which college is better for the course (either Econs/ Maths)?

Applying to Cambridge can be a very mind boggling task.. esp if you're thinking in terms of 'applying to xxxxx college so that your chances of getting in are improved' or 'xxxxx college is 'better' for xxx subject'

when applying for cambridge, take a look of each college... although there are 31 colleges, there are some that are only for graduates (eg, wolfson, st edmunds, hughes hall) and some womens' colleges (newnam, newhall).. each college has its pros and cons (small college, big college... poor college, rich college... far from city... near to city.. ect) think about what your ideal living place would be.. would you like to be surrounded by inquisitive annoying tourist everyday, yet live in one of the biggest colleges in cambridge? or would you rather live in a quite college.. somewhere near the city? or would you rather be in a college which is suited quite far from the city.. yet has everything nearby to sustain itself?

in terms of best college for a certain subject.. this is rather disputed.. because you will be attending the same lectures at your respective departments TOGETHER with other students from different colleges.. the only difference is that if you study at certain colleges, you may have supervisions which are supervised by some well-known/great lecturer or graduate. To correct the post above, the number of people in a supervision may differ from each subject.. usually in the sciences its 1-2 people per supervision. in arts/humanities.. it may be a 1 on 1 supervision.. and sometimes a supervision with a group of 3-8 people.. (like a discussion group/forum) league tables for each subject per college is a good indicator for which colleges are the best for a certain subject.. but they are by no means the only indicator (because they only show how well students in each college fare.. but do not indicate whether it is because these students are SUPER smart, or they have excellent supervisors... so be wary when using the league tables..)

while bush may be right in terms of applying to 'lesser' colleges will not increase your chance of admission.. this is only the case of those who are just mediocre..

for those who are in the scale of 3.9-4.4 (on a 5.0 smartness/greatness scale) applying to a 'lesser' college / college which favors internationals, will increase your chance of admission by a tiny tiny factor.. For ladies, it is a well known fact that if you apply straight for the womens' colleges, you have a better chance for admission.. because they go through your application first.. before looking at the 'pool' (and that the number of people that apply straight to those colleges are FAR FEWER than the places offered). there are a few colleges which also have very low closed applications.. eg Girton & homerton... (and i've spoken to medics from girton & homerton who applied directly, and the reason they gave was 'higher chance'... and it worked to thier advatage as those who had the same achievements were rejected at other famous colleges)... there are some colleges which favours internationals as well...(eg Fitzwilliam, Robinson, Churchill..) Fitz's admissions' director is known for his efforts in encouraging internationals, asians in particular, to apply to Fitz... (if you looked closely when you attend lectures here... you'll see that for sciences, people from Fitz & Robinson consist mainly of asians... where as groups from other colleges.. are widely mixed.. and some dont even have internationals in thier groups.. but then again i've only observed the science groups.. I can't say much about arts/humanties.. eg economics, law, land economy..)

I hope this gives you a rough idea on where to start to look.. but by all means there is no ' the one and only' college.

good luck!

[TheArtOfMedicine]

Which college is best for medicine?

Emmanuel tops the Colleges' ranking in Cambridge this year in terms of academics. Therefore, Emma can presumably be considered the best for medicine. However, all the colleges in Cambridge are equally good so..you might offend some people for saying things such as'' oh, so emma's the best etc. A Caius' student might just flame you within minutes''

[herm]

How about dentistry?Which U is the best for dentistry?

Oxford,Cambridege and London....these ive leagues okay or not?

[Glassylicious]

Er, uh, I don't think Oxford and Cambridge offer Dentistry? Same goes for Pharmacy, if I am not mistaken.

One thing a lot of people don't realize is that Oxford and Cambridge are incredibly traditional in their courses, so one can't expect to find courses like Mass Communication, Drama, etc. So, I'd recommend prospective students to first do a bit of research to see if the universities they are interested in offer the courses they want.

[herm]

Er, uh, I don't think Oxford and Cambridge offer Dentistry? Same goes for Pharmacy, if I am not mistaken.

One thing a lot of people don't realize is that Oxford and Cambridge are incredibly traditional in their courses, so one can't expect to find courses like Mass Communication, Drama, etc. So, I'd recommend prospective students to first do a bit of research to see if the universities they are interested in offer the courses they want.

Are you studying in UK now?mind to tell me which U in UK is good for dentistry? I have no idea totally.

[Glassylicious]

Are you studying in UK now?mind to tell me which U in UK is good for dentistry? I have no idea totally.

No, I'm not studying in UK now, but I intend to go there for university this September.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid most of my knowledge is concentrated on Law courses in the UK. >_< I'm so sorry I am not able to provide much help with respect to Dentistry.

[herm]

No, I'm not studying in UK now, but I intend to go there for university this September.

Unfortunately, I'm afraid most of my knowledge is concentrated on Law courses in the UK. >_< I'm so sorry I am not able to provide much help with respect to Dentistry.

Oh,nvm.hehe.
COz i will only go to UK after two yrs of A level here.Jz wanna noe a lil bit first.Btw,thanks:)

[starlemon]

Between UK and US, which one is harder to get into admission of top uni?
i heard that to get into US uni we hv to take SAT 1 and 2 as well as TOEFL.is that apply to UK as well?
sorry if my question seems a lil out of topic..

[TheArtOfMedicine]

To herm: I think i'll be the most appropriate person for you ask on dentistry, at the moment, at least. As you can see from my signature, i applied for Medicine and i have quite a few friends applying for Dentistry too. For your information, Cambridge doesn't offer Dentistry as it's considered a ''non-traditional'' course, so are other courses like Drama, Speech Science etc. I can't speak for Oxford but i don't think i've seen Dentistry in their list of courses. Generally speaking, King's College London and Queen Mary are excellent for Dentistry. Bristol isn't too shabby either but somehow, most of my friends were rejected without an interview.Two were given an interview at King's and Queen Mary but only one went for it.(don't ask me why, because i'm yet to know too).By the way, There is NO such thing as Ivy League in the UK so please do use the term properly. In the UK, Russell Group is an alternate term to Ivy League in the US. Most of the red bricks are in the Russell Group. There's another group of universities(but unfortunately, i've forgotten the name of it)which quite a few prestigious colleges such as LSE belong to. P/S: Please spell Cambridge right next time, it sounded weird when i tried to pronounce according to what you wrote, =)

To starmelon: To get into a US University, SAT is perhaps compulsory(that's what the people from the US education fair told me), it works just like A levels in the UK. For the Uk Universities, you need to sit for IELTS(but TOEFL is also accepted by certain Universities)and A levels. However, most of the colleges are quite flexible on the qualification that you're presenting.For example, STPM is widely accepted by the UK Universities, the same thing applies to Australian matriculation, French Baccaleaurate etc.Hope that helps. The best way is to ring up the admissions office of the University that you're interested in. Different Universities work in different ways.

Hope this helps to both of you.

[herm]

To herm: I think i'll be the most appropriate person for you ask on dentistry, at the moment, at least. As you can see from my signature, i applied for Medicine and i have quite a few friends applying for Dentistry too. For your information, Cambridge doesn't offer Dentistry as it's considered a ''non-traditional'' course, so are other courses like Drama, Speech Science etc. I can't speak for Oxford but i don't think i've seen Dentistry in their list of courses. Generally speaking, King's College London and Queen Mary are excellent for Dentistry. Bristol isn't too shabby either but somehow, most of my friends were rejected without an interview.Two were given an interview at King's and Queen Mary but only one went for it.(don't ask me why, because i'm yet to know too).By the way, There is NO such thing as Ivy League in the UK so please do use the term properly. In the UK, Russell Group is an alternate term to Ivy League in the US. Most of the red bricks are in the Russell Group. There's another group of universities(but unfortunately, i've forgotten the name of it)which quite a few prestigious colleges such as LSE belong to. P/S: Please spell Cambridge right next time, it sounded weird when i tried to pronounce according to what you wrote, =)

To starmelon: To get into a US University, SAT is perhaps compulsory(that's what the people from the US education fair told me), it works just like A levels in the UK. For the Uk Universities, you need to sit for IELTS(but TOEFL is also accepted by certain Universities)and A levels. However, most of the colleges are quite flexible on the qualification that you're presenting.For example, STPM is widely accepted by the UK Universities, the same thing applies to Australian matriculation, French Baccaleaurate etc.Hope that helps. The best way is to ring up the admissions office of the University that you're interested in. Different Universities work in different ways.

Hope this helps to both of you.

Thanks to you for clearing my doubts,at least coz i still hv many at the moment:P and for correcting me somehow.Hehe...
I didin't notice that i actually spelt Cambridge incorrectly:P
Do you know anything about Dundee School Of Dentistry?

[TheArtOfMedicine]

Dundee medical school seems to be doing extremely well and Guardian/the Independent even rates it as the TOP medical school in the UK, ironically beating Oxbridge. Anyway, most of the Scottish dental/medical schools are very good, they seem to take pride in those courses too. However, most of those schools' ranking are skewed quite a bit as their entry standards(in UCAS tariff)are extremely high, as a result of the Scottish Higher being given much more points compared to A levels). Now..so far, Queen Mary and King's College London have been doing well in ranking tables..and well, you'll never go wrong in choosing King's College London(though i personally hate that idea)IF(i'm emphasising this)you have lots of money to spare.

Lots of baffling from me huh? I would say go for Dundee, there are only a few dental schools in the UK(much lesser than medical schools)and everyone of them is part of a well established University.Just a reminder: Bristol is very notorious for its dental and medical admissions system..no one knows who'll get in so i would suggest against applying there unless you're in love with its reputation/prestige.

[duke23]

any tips as to what are the criterias i would need to consider before chosing a cambridge college to read medicine

[TheArtOfMedicine]

It depends on what you want. If you're the ambitious type, i'd suggest Emmanuel College, Christ's and Caius. Bear in mind that Caius takes in most medical students among all the Cambridge Colleges so you might want to think that you'll have a greater chance.(but i doubt that's right). Emmanuel College is probably one of the best Colleges in Cambridge and it's quite hard to get an offer from them. However, the choice of College doesn't really affect your application since those who wish to go for open application will be pooled to a College anyway. Generally speaking, all the Colleges are excellent but if you like ducks, choose Emmanuel. =)

Do note that:
1. Certain Colleges are much smaller in size, for example Corpus Christi while others such as Caius is a considerably large College with about 400 undergraduates.
2. Location. King's College, Cambridge is situated right beside River Cam and so, has a picturesque scenery.
3.Looks/Architecture: Caius is one of the oldest Colleges while Fitzwilliam is one of the modern Colleges. If you like those ancient architecture like me, choose the old ones.
4. Tradition. Some of the Colleges have weird tradition and you might not like it. But i think this isn't really of great importance in deciding which College to apply to.

[duke23]

so u suggest i submit an open application then?

what abt downing?im going down end of this month to take a peek..lol

[TheArtOfMedicine]

Downing is a very good College too. Others such as Magdalene and New Hall tend to be slightly lower in that table.

If you really can't decide between the Colleges, an open application would perhaps be most appropriate. However since you will be visiting the Colleges yourself, it shouldn't too hard for you to decide. I have a feeling that you might fall in love with King's College. It's beautiful!

Here's the link :

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tompkins_Table

Someone has given a very good insight of the Cambridge Colleges on the first page. Take a look at that. Remember to thank him/her for the write-up.

[Tasslehoff]

Downing College has not been known to be keen on recruiting Malaysians.. tho the 2007 intake was the first time they've admitted Malaysians. 5 people were admitted; 2 in maths, 1 enginering, 1 natural science, 1 Medicine. (4 accepted the offer, and 1 rejected the offer). For medicine, Downing is fairly known in the field, and have been said to be one of the hardest colleges to get into (due to the high number of closed applications), which is also the same for Caius, Christ's and Emanuel. While the Tompkins table do give some idea of the overall rating of each college, it does not necessarily reflect the performances for individual subjects. Some colleges are strong in different subjects, whilst weaker in others. Since you'll be coming down to Cambridge, I suggest you take a look a the the few colleges you're interested in (because those are the places you're gonna be living in for the next 3 years) and also talk to the people/students studying the subject you are applying for (to get more insight into the support provided by each college for the subject which you would be studying).

Hope this helps

[duke23]

how important is voluntary work if one is applying to read medicine in cambridge?

im kinda worried because of time constrain i only manage to do a 15 day stint in zanzibar with my brother who is a doctor under the roger federer foundation and i was a volunteer at a local hospital day care.

and does cambridge take into account hospital exposure very seriously?
Im going NUTS!!

[TheArtOfMedicine]

I don't think the amount of voluntary work etc will have a very huge influence on your application, Cambridge, in particular. It's the experience that you gain and the exposure that matters. One can spend one year in a hospital and not learn anything but others might gain far more by spending a decent week observing and talking to the healthcare workers.

Besides, Cambridge cares about your brain the most. Interview is extremely important as that is the chance for you to show them how smart you are. BMAT comes next, most of the Cambridge offer olders have at least 6+ or even 7+ in the first two sections. Many have argued that the third section doesn't really carry any weight, this is not the case for UCL though.

[duke23]

yeah actually i kinda figured that..how smart am i?im going to write i skipped one year of kindy and 1 year of school(PTS)..haha..omg sounds so stupid.

anyway i'll PM u the art of medicine

i know there are two arteries and a vein in the placental cord!!:)

[duke23]

anyone else in this forum applying to cambridge(medicine) for entry in 2009 ,feel free to share your thoughts!im spazing out!

[senksiang90]

well i dont know about other colleges but i can assure u.. if u come to taylor's u will surely not regret it... expensive... but worth the money.. that's wad i think at least..

[duke23]

huh..hahah..talking abt cambridge colleges not taylor's college !!

btw i dont like taylor's..haha..you think its worth?i think its useless..maybe its the best among the worst

[fishnet]

huh..hahah..talking abt cambridge colleges not taylor's college !!

btw i dont like taylor's..haha..you think its worth?i think its useless..maybe its the best among the worst

why do u say that? are u studying there?

[duke23]

offer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

trinity:AAA
medicine

[Sillyboy]

offer!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

trinity:AAA
medicine

Congratulation!!! =D You deserve the offer!

[duke23]

what makes u think so sillyboy
lol
thanks!

[zingkov]

Congrats! Trinity!! Welcome to Cambridge~

[duke23]

are u in cambridge?

im actually considered a home student..lol...so yeah i dont go under the intl quota

[Sillyboy]

what makes u think so sillyboy
lol
thanks!

Oh I am sure you are! :D

Ah! You are a home student!! You are not Malaysian then?

PS: Absolutely fantastic! You save so much on college and tuition fees!

[zingkov]

are u in cambridge?

im actually considered a home student..lol...so yeah i dont go under the intl quota

Yes I am. I just witnessed the first snow of the year~

[duke23]

which college?what course?

[ALICIA21]

I'm planning to apply to Cambridge. May I know which college should I be choosing if I am not going for Open applications? I'm interested in either Economics or Mathematics. Any advice from Malaysian students who are studing in Cambridge?
Where can I find the international students admission rates? And which college is better for the course (either Econs/ Maths)?
I really enjoyed this. where can I find more info about this. email me..

[Glassylicious]

Oh I am sure you are! :D

Ah! You are a home student!! You are not Malaysian then?

PS: Absolutely fantastic! You save so much on college and tuition fees!

Psst. Non-UK citizens who hold PR status are considered home students. Also, I think if you've studied for a certain number of years in the UK, even if you're not a PR holder, you get counted as a home student. Correct me if I am wrong though.

[Sillyboy]

Psst. Non-UK citizens who hold PR status are considered home students. Also, I think if you've studied for a certain number of years in the UK, even if you're not a PR holder, you get counted as a home student. Correct me if I am wrong though.

Ah I see! Thanks you for clarifying Glassylicious. :)

[duke23]

no.if 1 parent is british or EU citizen..child will automatically qualify for home student status..

You have to be reciding in the UK NOT for the sole purpose of studying for a couple of years to be categorized as Home student

[Glassylicious]

Ah. I stand corrected. =)

P.S. OMG congrats, pri! =D

[zingkov]

which college?what course?

Fitz. Engineering.

[sugarspice]

BRAVO, duke23!

TheArtOfMedicine, I PMed you.

[candyaddict]

Thanks to you for clearing my doubts,at least coz i still hv many at the moment:P and for correcting me somehow.Hehe...
I didin't notice that i actually spelt Cambridge incorrectly:P
Do you know anything about Dundee School Of Dentistry?

Herm, from what I know, Dentistry in the UK is INSANELY competitive. For instance, King's College offers 20 places for Medicine, but only 2 for Dentistry. I know that Bristol has possibly the largest number of spaces for international students applying for Dentistry - 20.

Also, if you're applying for Medicine/Dentistry/Vet. Science, you probably have to sit for BMAT or UKCAT, depending on which universities you apply to. In UCAS (the program through which you apply to UK universities), you can only pick 4 universities for medicine/dentistry/vet. science.

[sugarspice]

Manchester is worse. Dentistry is not even open for international applicants!

[tsar]

I think Cambridge and Oxford don't even have the Dentistry course right?:)

[Glassylicious]

Can't vouch for Cambridge, but you're right about Oxford at least. Oxford doesn't have Pharmacy either.

[tsar]

Cambridge doesn't either, at least not in 2009. Oxbridge universities are very traditional, so the more modern ones like Dentistry, Pharmacy, Biomedicine, Pharmacology and whatnot are all not offered. =D

[Charlie131]

I found a oxbridgecolleges.com to be quite handy in letting you narrow down the options - by courses, size, location and so on. It's also says what some current students think about their colleges.

I think wherever you go, essentially you'll have a fun time. People in cambridge are v friendly!

[sonatinalai]

Hi!
I'm applying to Cambridge to read Natural Science in the 2010 entry.
Current typical offer is 'A*AA', where A* is the new grade introduced in 2010 examinations. Could anyone shed some light on the criteria on meeting the grade A*?
According to TSR forum, it means overall UMS of 80% for A levels, and UMS of 90% for A2 units (for UK A-levels). How does it apply to CIE then?

[hungry_Bee90]

As far as I know the A* grades will only be implemented for examinations starting from June2010 onwards so if u have already completed ur A-levels(like yours truly),typical offer would be AAA for good universities such as Cambridge=)hope that helps......

ps-i was referring to CIE aka GCE A-level which is what i did^^

[Johnivan]

Urm sorry, but I'm a little confused here...

Let's say, I just finished my STPM weeks ago. Is it too late to apply to cambridge NOW? Should I have applied earlier (September 2009), or should i apply September 2010? If I were late, I should have used my forecast results to get in? If I were late, can i still apply during september 2010, and wait till the next year to get admitted? And which part of the year does Cambridge starts school?

Does the same rule apply to all other UK Universities?? (like applying a year before, or after STPM results are out...)

I may look dumb here, I'm a kundu about these applying stuff, so please enlighten me... Thanks.

[tsar]

Johnivan

You should have applied in September 2009, for admission in October 2010. Applying in September 2010 will see you admitted in October 2011, which translates into almost 2 years of doing nothing!

The application window (for other UK unis) may still be open I think, but not for Oxbridge and courses like Medicine/Dentistry. If you still want to apply, apply as soon as you can, with your trial/forecast results. Check UCAS for more details.

Edit:

If you really want, you could use the 2 years for something (travelling, volunteering, working) and put that in your personal statement. It may contribute towards your application.

[strategist]

I'm applying for 2012 entry, and I wondered- should I choose a college with higher international students ratio? would it make any differences?

[Nicholasng925]

I'm applying for 2012 entry, and I wondered- should I choose a college with higher international students ratio? would it make any differences?

Heard that St.John is not that friendly towards international students, so be wise.

Anyways people, I'm wondering about which college should I apply too for Cambridge if I want to pursue Mathematics. Now the colleges I have in mind are King's College, Queens College, Peterhouse, Pembroke and the hardest of all, Trinity College. Kindly give me some ideas ?

[holyzshit]

are u guys getting ur interview here in malaysia or cambridge?

[Nicholasng925]

are u guys getting ur interview here in malaysia or cambridge?

Malaysia. Going to Cambridge for interview isn't going to make any significant difference anyways, and it's more expensive.

[holyzshit]

nic, any suggestion on any colleges that favors international students?

[Nicholasng925]

nic, any suggestion on any colleges that favors international students?

No, there are some colleges that don't favor international students, but there is no any college that favors international students. Every college is equally hard to get in.