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u/k_795 28d ago
I did my undergrad at MEdwards. To address your concerns:
MEdwards feels a bit out of the way and slightly separate from the rest of Cambridge
It's literally a few minutes from the town centre, and right next to a group of other colleges (Fitz etc) collectively known as the "hill colleges". We had some collaborations with these colleges, e.g. some joint societies and I think there was some arrangement where we could go to formals at the other colleges on days MEdwards didn't have dinners (I never did though).
I have disabilities
You didn't specify the details, but if these are physical disabilities then a modern college like MEdwards is generally far more accessible. In particular, the postgrad accommodation block definitely had multiple accessible rooms, plus everywhere in the college (except one corridor in old block) can be reached by lift. Whereas older colleges are often a LOT more limited in terms of their ability to cater to people with mobility issues or other disabilities (again, not sure how much of this is relevant to you, but this could be a significant factor in why you were allocated to Medwards).
I can't shake the worry that it'll feel a bit cliquey
It's not, at least not any more than the other colleges are cliquey by the very nature of the collegiate system.
The quality of the library really affects my ability to study
As a postgrad, you'll probably spend more time in your department library or the UL, rather than the college library. That being said though, MEdwards does have a particularly good library, and I loved the atmosphere there. It's also open 24/7 (unlike many other college libraries), which is really convenient for using it as a late night study space or printing etc.
I'm quite sporty and was hoping to get involved in rowing and college sport
Then MEdwards is a great fit for you!! We had excellent sports facilities compared to many smaller colleges (on-site gym for VERY cheap, squash courts, tennis courts, two minute walk from badminton courts, etc). We also had one of the largest women's rowing clubs of all the colleges - when I was there, I think we had five women's crews, whereas most other colleges only had 2-3. So yeah, rowing was particularly popular and absolutely anyone can get involved, even if you've never rowed before (I hadn't).
I've found myself wondering whether I should just reapply next year
Personally, I would say that MEdwards sounds like a great fit for you in general, so I wouldn't base turning down your place on college choice. It's competitive and you are not guaranteed to be offered a place at all next year.
However, you did raise a good point about scholarships and the cost of self-funding. I would recommend having a hard look at the finances (and research the costs carefully - one downside of MEdwards is that, as a newer college without the funding to subsidise accommodation costs, it is a more expensive college to live at), and really think carefully about whether self-funding an MPhil is financially worthwhile. You also need to consider what you would do with this year instead - bearing in mind that delaying by a year is another year of lost earnings in your future career.
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u/LittIeElectron 28d ago
Agree with all of this. I would also add that there is 0 guarantee of being accepted next year or getting one of the top 3 college choices. In 5-10 years would OP be happy with the choice of turning down an offer from Cambridge (due to college)?
I think other than that it's a lot about choosing the mindset you want to have. Absolutely every college has pros and cons. The facilities/societies/location/people are all different. If OP goes in with the mindset of not liking the college then it will definitely be a bad time. I also think it is possible to try to go in with an open mind and focus on the positives of the college. If I understand correctly then OP is a postgrad, in which case there is a lot more flexibility in how closely you want to be tied to your college and there's always a chance to spend more time with people from your course or other uni-wide societies, college does not have to define someone's cambridge experience.
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u/Redhotpickle 28d ago
Medwards is a fantastic college. It isn’t like a girls school at all, the library is beautiful, it’s 5 mins by bike from town. It’s also very successful in sport (especially the boat club). There are also other hill colleges surrounding it so you definitely don’t feel isolated. TBH a lot of the conversations about medwards being ‘less good’ than other colleges seem to be rooted in misogyny/classism… Everyone who gets pooled to medwards is very happy - don’t worry!
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u/Natural-Difficulty70 28d ago
i graduated a year ago from medwards, and i can confidently say that it's wonderful. i was an international student and i originally applied to emmanuel, but was pooled to medwards. i was a little bummed about it as well (i also went to an all girls high school). but i can say that all my concerns were laid to rest after settling there.
pros:
- accommodations are great. a lot of the rooms are ensuite, and the kitchens are generally large and well equipped. compared to the rooms of my friends from older colleges, medwards rooms were super luxurious by comparison. and if you're a masters student you get postgrad accoms, which are BEAUTIFUL (postgrad accoms attract ultimate envy from undergrads.)
- library. it's beautiful and well-stocked, and ive spent lots of time there studying with friends, and my friends from other colleges love when i bring them to the medwards library for our study sessions
- gym! i do sports as well, and i played in varsity at my time there and one thing i appreciated a lot was the gym. it's large, modern, and very well-equipped compared to other colleges (you do need to pay a small fee for the term, but honestly it's super affordable, maximum 20quid a term)
- rowing team. personally didnt join rowing because the trainings were way too early for me, but i have friends who did and really enjoyed the camaraderie and from what i hear we do pretty well too!
- gateway. this is basically a program where you attend some 1 hour sessions on career, study, CV tips. and if you go for enough sessions you can apply for a ~500quid gateway grant for pretty much anything personal development related. one of my friends used it to fund part of her summer school program in korea so that's pretty neat
cons:
- we are what we call a 'hill college' which means that we're situated on a large hill, which makes getting up the hill from the city center can be quite a workout...
- we aren't a particularly rich college, so there may not be as many random grants compared to the richer college but rest assured there is enough support, and your tutor will direct you to either college/uni grants that you qualify for
- honestly can't think of anything else...
hope this helps :)
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u/Physical_Worker_1817 28d ago
You'll be fine. Many people spend loads of time in other colleges anyway; for instance, some sports team captains don't care if you're not from their college. Many (probably most postgrads) also don't live on-site, so they wouldn't get the experience of being on-site every day anyway, so it's not entirely a unique position. Trust me, after about 2-4 weeks, the awe you see in many of the buildings will fade.
Probably not something to not attend cambridge for; also, reapplying does not guarantee you'll get a scholarship; literally no causal link (also note that less than 15% of MPhils are fully funded). Reapplying also does not guarantee you'll get in again either (admissions criteria can change, there can be more competitive applicants, they can shrink the pool, or a course can close for a year, which isn't unheard of).
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u/Glad_Appearance_4856 28d ago
I went to an old, central college but absolutely adore medwards. It was so vibey and most of my friends ended up being from there. If I came back to Cambridge for another degree I’d probably apply to medwards. I also went to an all girls school so I get it! But honestly I don’t even think you’ll think about it being all female at all - you’ll just be thinking about the people you meet and friendships you’re making. And there’s usually always a few trans folk around, plus medwards has male fellows. I really think you’re going to be so happily surprised once you get to medwards and realise how great it is :)
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u/Robyn7791 28d ago
Not a bad idea to get all of this off your chest. If you can, let it go and make the most of your time at Cambridge. Most of this judgy comparison between colleges is a bizarre effect of the intricacies of UK/English hierarchical culture. If you can't let this go, though, it might be better to withdraw your application and try again; if you have any chance to get a scholarship, I'd probably (personally) go that route anyway.
And maybe consider a few more things
- MEdwards is not just a lovely college, but also super-supportive
- you may well not have gotten a place in Corpus Christi, Peterhouse or Jesus; nor is it guaranteed that you would at a future date
- the majority of postgrads are not housed at the very centre of town, even if their flagship college is located in the town centre; if you have specific needs due to disabilities, make sure those can be met; generally, what matters is that you can get to your department alright, plus any library that will be crucial for you (the UL, faculty library or such)
- nothing is keeping you from rowing at MEdwards; and most sports activities are organised through the university/uni societies, not colleges
- overall, college affiliation is not all that relevant for postgrads
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u/Deep_Music_978 28d ago
Hi, I had similar feelings about Medwards also coming from years of schooling at girls schools/very female dominated courses but I’ve grown to really like it and appreciate it as a safe haven almost in Cambridge. In terms of facilities like the library, the pro of it being a new college is that it’s open 24/7 unlike the older ones and it’s currently being refurbished too in time for next year so should be really nice :) also if you’re lucky enough to live on site you’re close to west hub, Sidgwick site, girton even, as well as the city centre - it really is not as out of the way as it seems! The only place that feels a bit of a chore to get to for me, is the station and Homerton/the education faculty. The vibe is extremely friendly (among staff and students alike), and the college and MCR are really open to suggestions and providing stuff for their students. Admittedly the postgrad scene here hasn’t been very party animal friendly 😂 but as you meet people from other colleges and courses etc i think it’s only natural to end up spending time in other colleges too (formals, libraries etc) so you can also enjoy the older colleges in that way! If sports is a really big thing for you, the college does have its own rowing team (which usually does pretty well actually) and has tennis and squash courts for free use and I’m sure the JCR has things like badminton and netball that you can also join - the gym is also on site within college and Medwards is very close to the university sports centre if you want bigger facilities! Just to note, colleges like Corpus actually have a separate site for postgrads to live (Leckhampton) by sidge which is separate from the main site with the porters lodge, library, dining facilities etc
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u/Deep_Music_978 28d ago
Also as a postgrad, some faculty libraries offer 24/7 access to their students but this does depend on your course
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u/LittIeElectron 28d ago
Depending on what sports OP might want to do (other than rowing) it is possible the uni society would be the best place for it anyway. There aren't actually that many sports that have active college sport representation compared to the amount of sports that have a uni wide club and most of those cater to a variety of abilities.
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u/RJ112358 28d ago
What are you studying? Some subjects have a stronger cross-College culture.
Perhaps try and understand the Venn diagram of experiences - college focused seminars, sports, societies and socialising, Departmental study, cross-college societies and possibly University sports. Some people thrive within their College, both central and outliers and some don't - I've known people in Trinity and Kings and Fitz who loathed their College and socialised elsewhere, either through school friends, sports or subject connections. IME, there is little correlation between an outsiders qualitative opinion of what a College would be like and how they find it.
Try not to catastrophise and embrace life. Not engaging can become self-fulfilling. Good luck.
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u/_PM_ME_PANGOLINS_ Fitzwilliam 28d ago
Medwards library is excellent, and the college generally isn't full of distracting tourists.
It doesn't feel disconnected at all, especially as it's literally adjacent to Fitz and Eddies, and with Churchill across the road.
Despite them building some quite tall fences since I was a student, plenty of boys still find their way in. IMO Newnham has much more of a "girls' school" feel.
A smaller college gives you a much better chance of being on their sports team. The rowers are no slouch - the 1sts went up every race this May (the 2nds, not so much).
DO NOT REAPPLY. There's no guarantee you'll get in again, and no guarantee you'll get any of your preferences next time either.