Cambridge is made up of 31 colleges, which are autonomous bodies. Whilst this makes the government cringe thinking about the bureaucracy, it does make it easy to make friends, and you can tailor your choice of college to most suit your own personality. Though, in all likelihood you will be happy wherever you go. It also ensures college patriotism, and so most people tend to think that their college is the best.
Since the college you attend is in charge of all your academic and pastoral care, and it will likely feed, accommodate and entertain you for the duration of your course it is important to get one that suits you.
What follows is a biased opinion formed from wandering Cambridge and by the people I've met from each college. It is by no means necessarily accurate, it most definitely is opinionated and is not comprehensive except in its subjectivity. However, if you are applying and take everything with a hefty pinch of salt you might be able to pick out some salient points that will help your decision.
My own college, I'm bound to say that it is the best in all of Cambridge...
And indeed it is, for me at least. The second oldest college in Cambridge, previously called "Clare Hall" (not to be confused with the present day Clare Hall) it was founded by Lady Clare in 1326 as a college of theology. Referred to by some in Cambridge as "the small one next to King's" its oldest part is located in the lee of King's Chapel. With an undergraduate population of around 450 it isn't too small and has further student accommodation across the river next to the University Library and beside Castle Mound.
Academically Clare is usually rated fairly highly in the Tompkins table of Cambridge colleges, Clare is usually stronger in the Arts but in the last few years the Sciences have been beginning to perform to the standard they ought. The college is more relaxed about academic performance than might be expected, and to a large extent they expect you to drive your own studies. Clare usually has a above average applicants to place for Cambridge colleges, so may be regarded as being tougher to get into than some. Having said that - they took me - and I still have no idea why, perhaps I interviewed well.
Interviews are fairly formal, but usually on a one-to-one or one-to-two basis and the interviewers are fellows. Although they may not succeed they do try to make you feel at ease. It probably doesn't help having the interviews in the Memorial court rooms though, the two door handles can be frightfully confusing after 30 minutes of 'torture'. Being unable to open the door really must have shown my nerves ;).
The Clare JCR [Junior Combination Room] is located in the chapel crypt and is fairly atmospheric, if not stuffy on ent nights. It serves as a dance floor for ents, an area to chill when the bar is open or to just play table football in when you should be working. It's also the location of the annual innuendo-ridden Clare Actors panto' and the hilarious Clare Comedy. There is a pool table, table football table, a games machine and a quiz machine to waste your money on. The bar is fairly reasonably priced, and serves Asahi dry Japanese beer, which is a very good thing.
Accommodation at Clare is generally good, though only the first years get the possibility of en-suite. All rooms have network points, which is a massive bonus for a compsci like myself. Most second and third years live by Castle Mound, which is unfortunately a ten minute walk from the main sites. All first years live in Memorial court, which also houses the college library and is just across the river and through the gardens from Old Court. The distance of the second and third year accommodation from the main sites is a major downside of Clare, though it isn't as bad as some colleges and you do get used to it. Or you use it as an excuse to avoid the catered meals.
Buttery, is the almost appropriate name for our catered food. The excess of oil on lots of dishes makes it not very high on my list of preferences, and I usually cook for myself. However, credit where credit is due, I do recommend anything Italian, their chicken curry (even reheated) and their deserts.
Formal Hall is pretty much silver service at Clare, and gowns/suit is required. The food is usually a bit better than Buttery food, but not as nice as when they do a 'super' type hall. Fortunately it isn't a college that uses benches, so it's fairly comfortable. One notable thing is that you are limited to a bottle of wine between two people, this is apparently attributed to some mathmos getting very drunk and attempting to throw profiteroles at the artwork. Perhaps that is why I've never been served profiteroles at formal hall too?
The people at Clare are usually very friendly, and we have a reputation as a friendly college. Perhaps because it's so nice in Clare people tend to socialise a lot in college and not be as extroverted as people from some other colleges. Swapping Formal Halls is always a good way of rectifying this though ;).
If there's anything anyone thinking of applying to Clare would like to know let me know and I'll try to help. Their union site may also be of use: UCS, I'm currently also webmaster there.
The bar is comfortable, with the amenities such as table football and pool as one would expect in Cambridge and nicer seating than Clare. They also have a nice little coffee shop/sandwich bar next to the bar area, which serves good sandwiches and is somewhere pleasant to sit.
I'm told they do formal halls occasionally, but are not as keen on them as other colleges. Which is probably one reason why I haven't been there for formal yet.
Students aren't allowed on the grass until twenty years after they graduate, but the surroundings are lovely to wander through in the Easter term. Kings is also an excellent shortcut from Clare to the New Museums site in town.
The main site of Caius is very pleasant with a few little courts with trees and a tower with a sundial on. The bar is on two levels, with general seating and the bar upstairs and in the basement an area to watch TV and play table football. This must be a very welcome division for people who want to watch the TV away from all the really tipsy people. Unlike Clare they insist on regulations about not allowing people from other colleges to just arrive and buy drinks - it is reasonably priced through that though.
Of course, what is making Caius one of the more hated colleges at the moment is the decision by their Bursar to not renew the lease of 'gardies' - a local fast food establishment. Whilst the Bursar protests that there are ample alternatives, I must care to disagree. Gardies is open at times when 'the vans' are not open and the only other alternatives are expensive chains. I also know nowhere else in Cambridge to get my favourite dish of chip butty with houmous.
Catering at Caius seems generally quite unusual. The students are compelled to buy meal tickets for the term in advance, including guest tickets. The inclusion of guest tickets probably does encourage inter-college mixing, but it seems a rather unfair system on the students.
Especially as it is widely regarded as the worst food in Cambridge. To some extent I kind of agree and disagree, last time I went the mass produced chicken kiev they served me was fine and the potatoes were better cooked than you tend to get that sort at Clare. However, do you really expect that from a formal hall? The soups that are colours and not flavours seem everyone's favourite anecdote about Caius hall.
The oddness is even further compounded by there not being a booking system, so you can turn up and not be allowed in because it's full, despite the fact you've already paid for the meal tickets. I really don't understand why they have this system still. It does promote socialising in hall and actually going to hall if you've already paid for it I guess, though they must spend a fair amount of time walking between Gresham road and Caius.
Their formal hall is curiously served in the new area, which was a bit of a surprise, but the food was good although it was a bit quiet in a very large hall with only a few people dining. They are also civilised enough to have chairs, which is always a good idea at dinner. The bar has a new conservatory-like extension that has increased its size, but it is light and pleasant and usually due to the proximity to the entire college quite busy. The table football table was free last time I went in because the coin mechanism was broken, which is always a bonus.
They also have a large multi-purpose hall with retractable seating, this means it can double as a mini sportshall (I've played Badminton there) or a cinema. When they run it as a cinema you can always rely on them to get a fairly good sound setup going, probably better than most college cinemas in Cambridge - certainly Clare.
I'm told the ents they run are very good, and although I haven't been, I'm sure they are because a friend from school is involved in running them... Remember, I'm not biased ;).
As far as compsci goes, they have good cross year socialisation, much like Trinity Hall, that puts places like Clare to shame. I suspect this may be something to do with the Wednesday compsci formals, or their legendary director of studies. Either way, it would be a good college for studying compsci.
The food served at formal wasn't as traditional as I'd expected, but was very good. There was even a little counter to buy your wine from on the way in, and it was reasonable wine for the price too. The people were also friendly considering we'd basically just turned up, the friend of a friend who bought the tickets for us didn't go because he was busy revising.
The bar area was good, but seemed slightly small and required being signed in at the porters lodge by one of the nice people we'd just met at formal. The only room I've been in was reasonably sized and wood panelled, but the public facilities had slightly of a run down feel. One room isn't exactly representative though.
Well what can you say about Trinity, it's huge. Their porters wear bowler hats! I think one court must be the size of the entire Anglia Polytechnic University campus in Cambridge. There must be advantages to going to a college like Trinity, the surroundings are certainly impressive, not only by scale, most of their accommodation is situated on one long plot from the centre of town out towards the West Cambridge site. This means their playing fields are very close to college. It probably isn't as friendly and as close-knit community as the smaller colleges, but people seem friendly regardless of its size.
The formal was reasonable, and well attended considering it was almost exam season (although there wasn't much drinking occurring).
The students at Trinity have a reputation for being either really normal or ridiculously clever of the 'show the lecturer up' type.
Their first and second badminton teams are also really quite good ;)... as I found out the hard way.
Since the college you attend is in charge of all your academic and pastoral care, and it will likely feed, accommodate and entertain you for the duration of your course it is important to get one that suits you.
What follows is a biased opinion formed from wandering Cambridge and by the people I've met from each college. It is by no means necessarily accurate, it most definitely is opinionated and is not comprehensive except in its subjectivity. However, if you are applying and take everything with a hefty pinch of salt you might be able to pick out some salient points that will help your decision.
My own college, I'm bound to say that it is the best in all of Cambridge...
And indeed it is, for me at least. The second oldest college in Cambridge, previously called "Clare Hall" (not to be confused with the present day Clare Hall) it was founded by Lady Clare in 1326 as a college of theology. Referred to by some in Cambridge as "the small one next to King's" its oldest part is located in the lee of King's Chapel. With an undergraduate population of around 450 it isn't too small and has further student accommodation across the river next to the University Library and beside Castle Mound.
Academically Clare is usually rated fairly highly in the Tompkins table of Cambridge colleges, Clare is usually stronger in the Arts but in the last few years the Sciences have been beginning to perform to the standard they ought. The college is more relaxed about academic performance than might be expected, and to a large extent they expect you to drive your own studies. Clare usually has a above average applicants to place for Cambridge colleges, so may be regarded as being tougher to get into than some. Having said that - they took me - and I still have no idea why, perhaps I interviewed well.
Interviews are fairly formal, but usually on a one-to-one or one-to-two basis and the interviewers are fellows. Although they may not succeed they do try to make you feel at ease. It probably doesn't help having the interviews in the Memorial court rooms though, the two door handles can be frightfully confusing after 30 minutes of 'torture'. Being unable to open the door really must have shown my nerves ;).
The Clare JCR [Junior Combination Room] is located in the chapel crypt and is fairly atmospheric, if not stuffy on ent nights. It serves as a dance floor for ents, an area to chill when the bar is open or to just play table football in when you should be working. It's also the location of the annual innuendo-ridden Clare Actors panto' and the hilarious Clare Comedy. There is a pool table, table football table, a games machine and a quiz machine to waste your money on. The bar is fairly reasonably priced, and serves Asahi dry Japanese beer, which is a very good thing.
Accommodation at Clare is generally good, though only the first years get the possibility of en-suite. All rooms have network points, which is a massive bonus for a compsci like myself. Most second and third years live by Castle Mound, which is unfortunately a ten minute walk from the main sites. All first years live in Memorial court, which also houses the college library and is just across the river and through the gardens from Old Court. The distance of the second and third year accommodation from the main sites is a major downside of Clare, though it isn't as bad as some colleges and you do get used to it. Or you use it as an excuse to avoid the catered meals.
Buttery, is the almost appropriate name for our catered food. The excess of oil on lots of dishes makes it not very high on my list of preferences, and I usually cook for myself. However, credit where credit is due, I do recommend anything Italian, their chicken curry (even reheated) and their deserts.
Formal Hall is pretty much silver service at Clare, and gowns/suit is required. The food is usually a bit better than Buttery food, but not as nice as when they do a 'super' type hall. Fortunately it isn't a college that uses benches, so it's fairly comfortable. One notable thing is that you are limited to a bottle of wine between two people, this is apparently attributed to some mathmos getting very drunk and attempting to throw profiteroles at the artwork. Perhaps that is why I've never been served profiteroles at formal hall too?
The people at Clare are usually very friendly, and we have a reputation as a friendly college. Perhaps because it's so nice in Clare people tend to socialise a lot in college and not be as extroverted as people from some other colleges. Swapping Formal Halls is always a good way of rectifying this though ;).
If there's anything anyone thinking of applying to Clare would like to know let me know and I'll try to help. Their union site may also be of use: UCS, I'm currently also webmaster there.
Kings
Kings has a reputation in Cambridge as a fairly militantly political college, whose tendencies are definitely left wing. It also has above average applicant-to-place ratios probably due to its prestige. The prestige also attracts lots of tourists, and this must be somewhat annoying to the students during the peak periods.The bar is comfortable, with the amenities such as table football and pool as one would expect in Cambridge and nicer seating than Clare. They also have a nice little coffee shop/sandwich bar next to the bar area, which serves good sandwiches and is somewhere pleasant to sit.
I'm told they do formal halls occasionally, but are not as keen on them as other colleges. Which is probably one reason why I haven't been there for formal yet.
Students aren't allowed on the grass until twenty years after they graduate, but the surroundings are lovely to wander through in the Easter term. Kings is also an excellent shortcut from Clare to the New Museums site in town.
Gonville and Caius
I'm not quite sure I understand Caius (pronounced keys) very much. They are apparently one of the richest colleges in Cambridge, yet they seem to make some odd decisions. They provide 2nd year accommodation some ten to fifteen minutes away by the university gym but don't provide pigeon holes there, and so to check one's pigeon hole they have to go back to the main college site. The main site of Caius is very pleasant with a few little courts with trees and a tower with a sundial on. The bar is on two levels, with general seating and the bar upstairs and in the basement an area to watch TV and play table football. This must be a very welcome division for people who want to watch the TV away from all the really tipsy people. Unlike Clare they insist on regulations about not allowing people from other colleges to just arrive and buy drinks - it is reasonably priced through that though.
Of course, what is making Caius one of the more hated colleges at the moment is the decision by their Bursar to not renew the lease of 'gardies' - a local fast food establishment. Whilst the Bursar protests that there are ample alternatives, I must care to disagree. Gardies is open at times when 'the vans' are not open and the only other alternatives are expensive chains. I also know nowhere else in Cambridge to get my favourite dish of chip butty with houmous.
Catering at Caius seems generally quite unusual. The students are compelled to buy meal tickets for the term in advance, including guest tickets. The inclusion of guest tickets probably does encourage inter-college mixing, but it seems a rather unfair system on the students.
Especially as it is widely regarded as the worst food in Cambridge. To some extent I kind of agree and disagree, last time I went the mass produced chicken kiev they served me was fine and the potatoes were better cooked than you tend to get that sort at Clare. However, do you really expect that from a formal hall? The soups that are colours and not flavours seem everyone's favourite anecdote about Caius hall.
The oddness is even further compounded by there not being a booking system, so you can turn up and not be allowed in because it's full, despite the fact you've already paid for the meal tickets. I really don't understand why they have this system still. It does promote socialising in hall and actually going to hall if you've already paid for it I guess, though they must spend a fair amount of time walking between Gresham road and Caius.
Queens
A major advantage of Queens as far as I understand is the provision of accommodation all on one site. The site is divided into the older and newer sections by the river. That is crossable by the mathematical bridge, which is certainly famous and has lots of myths involving Newton around it; it being wooden also makes it an oddity in Cambridge. The rooms seem alright, with network connections in all that I've been in, because they're all on one site it's probably fair to call them small. Some people share, though not in the first year as far as I'm aware.Their formal hall is curiously served in the new area, which was a bit of a surprise, but the food was good although it was a bit quiet in a very large hall with only a few people dining. They are also civilised enough to have chairs, which is always a good idea at dinner. The bar has a new conservatory-like extension that has increased its size, but it is light and pleasant and usually due to the proximity to the entire college quite busy. The table football table was free last time I went in because the coin mechanism was broken, which is always a bonus.
They also have a large multi-purpose hall with retractable seating, this means it can double as a mini sportshall (I've played Badminton there) or a cinema. When they run it as a cinema you can always rely on them to get a fairly good sound setup going, probably better than most college cinemas in Cambridge - certainly Clare.
I'm told the ents they run are very good, and although I haven't been, I'm sure they are because a friend from school is involved in running them... Remember, I'm not biased ;).
As far as compsci goes, they have good cross year socialisation, much like Trinity Hall, that puts places like Clare to shame. I suspect this may be something to do with the Wednesday compsci formals, or their legendary director of studies. Either way, it would be a good college for studying compsci.
Downing
I don't really know much about Downing, but since I've been to formal there I may as well say a little.The food served at formal wasn't as traditional as I'd expected, but was very good. There was even a little counter to buy your wine from on the way in, and it was reasonable wine for the price too. The people were also friendly considering we'd basically just turned up, the friend of a friend who bought the tickets for us didn't go because he was busy revising.
The bar area was good, but seemed slightly small and required being signed in at the porters lodge by one of the nice people we'd just met at formal. The only room I've been in was reasonably sized and wood panelled, but the public facilities had slightly of a run down feel. One room isn't exactly representative though.
Trinity
Well what can you say about Trinity, it's huge. Their porters wear bowler hats! I think one court must be the size of the entire Anglia Polytechnic University campus in Cambridge. There must be advantages to going to a college like Trinity, the surroundings are certainly impressive, not only by scale, most of their accommodation is situated on one long plot from the centre of town out towards the West Cambridge site. This means their playing fields are very close to college. It probably isn't as friendly and as close-knit community as the smaller colleges, but people seem friendly regardless of its size.
The formal was reasonable, and well attended considering it was almost exam season (although there wasn't much drinking occurring).
The students at Trinity have a reputation for being either really normal or ridiculously clever of the 'show the lecturer up' type.
Their first and second badminton teams are also really quite good ;)... as I found out the hard way.
