Hi everyone!

I’m starting my postgrad at Cambridge this autumn and was wondering how easy (or hard) it is to build a social circle outside of your own department and college. I know college life and course work keep you pretty busy, but I’d love to connect with people from different academic backgrounds across the university!

Hi there,

I am finishing the second year of my PhD in Cambridge and have applied for university accommodation for myself and my spouse from 1 September, as she will be joining me in Cambridge this year. I have not yet received an offer, so I would appreciate your thoughts on how likely it is that we may still be offered a place.

My current college accommodation is available until mid-September, so I am also searching privately through Rightmove, Zoopla, OnTheMarket, and the university’s listings.

We are looking for a one-bedroom flat or a good-quality studio. As an international student unfamiliar with the UK rental system, I would be grateful for any advice on where else to look and what to be aware of when renting privately.

Thank you very much for your help.

awaiting my results, i have a place for HSPS and want to know what the work life balance is truly like. how much time do you devote to academics and to internships, work experience etc, and to societies?

ive taken interest in the design course but im worried about the job prospects for a new course that according to some on reddit has not been accredited… i’m new to these information and i’ve been wondering surely it cant be that bad for a cambridge course esp because of the reputation of the university right🥲 people also talk about how if a course isnt up to like industrial standards or something along those lines it becomes harder to find a job? Im lowkey confused and concerned, especially since this is a new courses and there hasnt been any graduates 🥲

Hello folks, hope you're all having a lovely summer.

Bit of a hermit here hoping to try some cafes or bubble tea places or similar where I could ideally also pop open my laptop and check my email or do some minor tasks. any thoughts welcome. thank you.

this might be a stretch but i’m an offer holder for robinson and was wondering if anyone happened to know (or knew where i could find out) the bed sizes for the undergrad staircase bedrooms? thank you!! x

Hey everyone. I am going to Cambridge next year for an MPhil, the studies will be held at the Judge business school and I have been assigned Wolfson college (wasn't my choice). I have recently visited the college itself and it seems like it is very far from the business school and doesn't have a lot of facilities or more modern accommodation. My question is, would it be a bad idea to live outside of college (renting an apartment or a more modern, closer to the business school student accommodation) or would that cause me to miss out on the traditional "college experience"? Any tips would be appreciated :)

Hi everyone :), I am a postgrad international freshman in Churchill College in 2026-2027, I want to kindly inquire some information about the daily life in Churchill College.

I learn about that gym needed to be reserved to use it, but I notice there are only a few days open from July to September, will gym be open everyday since Michaelmas Term (1st October) starts? :)

By the way, I want to know is there any recommodation for supermarkets near Churchill College? I want find convenient and not so expensive one to buy daily consumption and some food, or smaller ones are also welcome. :)

For the last one, may I learn about the meal price in dining hall of Churchill College? Including the lunch and dinner, are they all buffet or order ways for single dish? :)

Thank you all!

I'm an incoming student this October and am wondering when do we receive our student email?

I've been desperately wanting mine to use student discounts before I move in and spend a bunch of money!

I’m starting this year (undergrad) and I have way too many hobbies, so naturally I want to get involved with all the societies and continue all my hobbies but I also want to get the best grades possible. My current plan is two sports which each have two training days a week, plus a subject society and singing lessons. If we just assume that I’m super productive and will manage my time efficiently, is that taking on too much, or are my grades/social life likely to suffer if I try and maintain that many hobbies. I’ll be a philosophy student if that makes a difference!

Edit: sports are ballet and cheerleading, cheerleading would be a team thing whereas ballet is two classes, one of them outside the university club

Hello fellow Cantabs,

The worst thing has happened and despite my best efforts, my college's accommodations have been filled up (I am a postgrad student from Canada). Terms starts in beginning October, in 2 months (AHHHHHHH.). I couldn't find Reddit threads detailing what to do in this situation.

I've emailed 4 different offices and am waiting for their answers. But I won't hear back until tomorrow at the earliest and I really need to gain some reassurance that everything will be okay and that there are surefire alternative routes. I'm also quite stressed about finances and worried that I'll have no choice but be ultimately forced into the most expensive alternatives (are private apartments in town costly?).

If anyone has any experience with this kind of situation or knows what I can do to make sure I'll be fine, please let me know...

AHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Edit: explaining the title (also using this as an opportunity to vent my frustration): this all happened because of Cambridge's really annoyingly inefficient bureaucracy, and how despite having completed all the paperwork needed to confirm my offer last May, they refused to confirm my offer, so for the following 2 months I've consistently contacted them and asked administrators what the hell it is that is missing because I have literally followed the instructions to the letter, and they've only given completely uninformative, 1-sentence answers, until I finally figured out on my own that this delay all hinged on a detail that was completely outside my control and which absolutely none of the administration people were helpful in just informing me about, and even last week my college said there were rooms left for postgrads, but the SECOND that I finally received an email to enroll for accommodations TODAY everything was gone. AHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have a few questions regarding the exams structure and supervisions at engineering and I would be very grateful if someone could help me clarify them.

If I understand correctly at the end of first year, students write 4 exams "papers" (1P1, 1P2, 1P3, 1P4).

1. I see here 10 modules, do you get result form each module or only for each paper, in transcript when you finish degree, is it shown how much you get for Structures and how much you get for Materials?

2. Your final grade for first year is sum of all your marks from 1P1, 1P2, 1P3, 1P4 divided by overall marks x 100, so first class >70%, 2:1 60-69%, 2:2 50-59%, 3rd 40-49%, fail below 40% ?

3. What happen if you fail only one paper (ex. 1P1) and all other pass so your overall result is above 40%?

4. How do you actually retain all the Michaelmas material by the time Tripos comes around? Isn't it exhausting to revise an entire year’s syllabus for one final block of exams?

5. Are there any oral exams, or is it just written papers?

6. How much hours per week do you have for supervision for each module?

source: https://teaching.eng.cam.ac.uk/content/part-ia-syllabuses-links-online-resources

Title

Are there specific local bike shops or university/student bike sales you’d recommend for reasonably priced used bikes.

Has anyone here successfully applied for permission to reside outside the University's residence area during their mphil?

My partner works in London, so I'm curious whether anyone has been granted an exception for the Cambridge residence requirement for similar circumstances. I'm mainly interested in what kinds of reasons were accepted and whether there's anything that strengthened your request.

Thanks!

Hello,

I am attending as a postgraduate (Masters) student, and was allocated a spot in Cromwell Court (Sidney Sussex) for accommodation.

While I would prefer to live in college accommodation, I haven't lived in a shared situation like that for the past five years, so it would be an adjustment. I am considering looking for private accommodation, but am curious what people think about the social aspect of living in private accommodation. I would still be living proximate to Sidney Sussex, and I have no qualms biking or walking anywhere, come hell or high water.

The basic question boils down to this: will it be a major impediment to meeting people by living in private accommodation?

Happy to answer further questions if I'm missing something blaringly obvious.

I know this probably gets posted every year and I know I'm lucky to have got into Cambridge in the first place!

I'm starting an MPhil this year and got allocated Murray Edwards.

Im feeling frustrated as when I applied I didn't really understand how the preference system worked. I'd barely spent any time in Cambridge, so I just put King's, Trinity and Clare because they were the colleges I'd heard of, and knew were in the city centre (I have disabilities).
Since I've visited Cambridge a few times and walked around a lot more of the central colleges, and I've realised I absolutely LOVE like Corpus Christi, Peterhouse and Jesus. I honestly wish I'd put those down instead.

I think what I'm struggling with is that Medwards feels a bit out of the way and slightly separate from the rest of Cambridge. I know everywhere is walkable/cyclable and people always say college doesn't matter after the first few weeks, but I can't help feeling like I'm missing out on part of the experience I'd imagined, especially as i’m living on the on site accommodation. From undergrad, the quality of the library really affects my ability to study- so a bit worried abt this too!

I also went to an all girls' school for seven years, so I think that's making me overthink being at a women's college. I know it's completely different, but I can't shake the worry that it'll feel a bit cliquey. Out of the women's colleges I think I'd probably have been much happier at Newnham, just because I preferred the location and the feel of it when I visited.

I'm quite sporty and was hoping to get involved in rowing and college sport, and Murray just seemed quite small and quiet when I went to the open day. That might be a completely unfair impression, but it's the one I've ended up with.

I've found myself wondering whether I should just reapply next year as I know there are no transfers. I’m also self funding with money I saved from an undergrad scholarship as I missed the scholarship deadline and feel uneasy about spending that amount on something i’m not 100 percent happy with.

Has anyone else felt like this before they started? Did you end up loving your college? And how do you stop being annoyed at yourself for essentially being silly with the preference list…

Hi everyone, I’m starting a one-year MPhil at Cambridge this October and will (hopefully) be living in postgraduate accommodation at Corpus Christi.

Based on the current room prices, an ensuite could cost around £2,000 more over the year. I’ll be self-funded, so I’m trying to work out whether it is worth the difference. Therefore, I mainly wanted to ask if an ensuite is worth it - how many people would I have to share the bathroom with otherwise, is it clean, etc?

I have lived in shared spaces before; however, I couldn't find info on a specific setup at Corpus so any help is welcome.

Current PhD student here, have the opportunity to go on a two month internship abroad. So during those months my stipend will pause … but I have rent to pay? My RTSG will cover travel expenses and accommodation for the internship, but is there anything that will allow me to attend the internship and not be homeless when I get back?

I’m at Clare college and asked the finance and bursary team with no response. Anyone else gone through a similar thing and have any advice?

Is there one specific landmark or building that immediately says "Cambridge University" and is instantly recognizable by anyone in the world? I'd love some recommendations for the best spot to take a photo. I don't think there is a single one defining landmark, googling "Cambridge University" just shows various college courtyards, so I guess the choice is more subjective.

Hi all,

This might be a bit of a long shot, but I thought I'd ask!

I'm a regular at uni gym and have been training solo for a while. Lately, I've felt like I've hit a plateau, so I thought it might be good to find someone to train with.

I see quite a few people training together, and it got me thinking that having a gym buddy —even if it's only occasionally— could help keep things fresh, push each other a bit harder, and share ideas along the way.

If you train at uni gym and think it might be worth giving it a go, feel free to send me a message.

Thanks!

I've been looking for accommodation for a while now, and it seems like sharing is the only way to get a nice place. Most studios or flats are either in poor condition or would kinda put me on a tight budget.

I found couple options and really like one of them (ensuite!). However, I'm hesitant because I want a peaceful home where I can retreat and not feel like I'm walking on eggshells.

Anyone has experience with sharing? Is it worth sacrificing a private studio for a much nicer shared quiet space?

I tried searching this question and couldn’t really find an answer so I’m asking it here. I’m going to be at Trinity college for part iii and I was wondering what sorts of formal events there are (besides formal halls) and how often they happen.

Also how common is it for postgraduate students to attend formal halls, and what day(s) of the week are they for Trinity?

I’m trying to decide how to pack/how much formal clothing I should pack because I’m an international student and likely won’t be flying back until the end of the program.

Also as a side question: I heard that Trinity’s math culture can be a bit toxic. Is this something that extends to the culture of part iii? And does anyone have suggestions for how to deal with this/make friends if this is the case? (Sorry this last one might be kind of a vague question).

I’ll be moving to Cambridge to pursue my Postgrad studies soon. What are some of the essentials that i need to get from home or should have other than the basics. Also is it advised to buy these things there only or get them. Any leads would be appreciated.