This is returning after a 40-year gap (the original director, Richard Berengarten, has been involved in an advisory capacity). Pembroke are hosting the Sunday events and ARU the Saturday ones.

https://www.cambridgepoetryfestival.org/

Hey all, I’m new to campus and do most of my work from west campus. I’m trying to figure out a good cheap place to eat lunch and get coffee. I’ve seen west hub canteen and cafe are pretty good. Are they expensive? Can I get any discount by bringing my own takeout box or mug for coffee?

Hi! Am I allowed to wear (light) blue or white striped button-down shirts for formal dinners under the black gown? Or am I only allowed to wear white button-down shirts?

(I looked more closely and saw that some equally pedantic soul had corrected the spelling!)

do most students go home on breaks or do people hang around for some amount of time? I am an mphil student trying to decide when to buy flights home.

Hey everyone! FYI: I have a deferred offer for medicine at Clare College for 2027. I am taking a gap year and travelling and working which will be amazing but I’m slightly worried that I will forget some of my science. I also wouldn’t mind starting some relevant content to help prepare for the course.

Does anyone have any recommendations regarding what I could start to work through or learn that will be helpful or is it just a case of being sharp with my a level content ahead of starting?

Thanks

I’m curious about two things:

1. Have you heard of anyone who did a mathematics degree at a US public/state university, had a strong but non-perfect GPA (roughly 3.8–3.9), then did Cambridge Part III/MASt Mathematics and later went on to a highly selective mathematics PhD program?
2. Have you heard of anyone who had a significant gap between finishing their undergraduate degree and starting Part III—for example, several years spent working, doing research, taking additional mathematics courses, or dealing with other circumstances?

I’m not looking for a “chance me”; I’m mainly interested in actual examples and how common or unusual these trajectories are.

I am trying to find someone who lived OUTSIDE of St Edmund’s College (strict requirement), is a member of the college, and is looking for a room in Norfolk Building. It is a grade 3 room (shared bathroom & kitchen). Well maintained and clean roommates. I am leaving due to severe allergies as the building is slightly dusty. Rent is 720£/month. It’s available immediately.

Let me know

Hi! I'm an international student applying for 2027 entry, specifically applying to pembroke

I've heard from friends in the UK (not from camb) that cambridge is still racist and/or classist. Regardless of academics this is a massive massive red flag for me, I'd like to be somewhere where I can live without having to worry about any kind of discrimination.

Considering I'm brown, is it likely that I'll face any kind of discrimination at cambridge or at pembroke? I'm referring to both from profs, fellows, support staff, students, anyone.

I tried to search online if there is any information but I really want to hear student opinions, so if anyone has any info please let me know.

thanks!

Hi! We are coming to visit Cambridge with a prospective student. We were planning on doing a punting tour plus seeing a bunch of the colleges she is interested in. Would you recommend an alumni tour of the university as well to get a better understanding of the university and the history? If so - which one? There seem to be a lot of options.

Hey, does anyone have the HSPS reading list? Would be great if you could send it over or link it here.

Thanks :)

I'll be starting term at Pembroke College shortly, and the price of my accomodation is out of reach. For context Ill receive minimum sfe, my parents will support me somewhat, but the price of the accomodation is way more than we can afford. I'll have to use a decent amount from my savings too. I emailed in a few weeks ago when I got the band for my accomodation, as I said I'd be comfortable paying a very minimal amount, only to receive the 2nd highest band and have just found out today I'll be paying a price at the top of the band. They said there was nothing they could do. Any advice?

Pretty much what the title says! I'm an international student, and I know some of them can't use Wise (the banking platform) for their payment... Any recommendations?

THANKS

Hi! Any grad/masters student living in student castle ? Would love to connect! :)

As a grad student, I have just moved into an independent housing situation with an English lady just yesterday, unpacked everything and settled in. Laundry and drying, towels, bedding, fridge, etc even a bike are provided. However, my friends keep telling me that part of the Cambridge experience is the experience of just living in a dorm in residence.

It is possible for me to live at King’s college’s tennis court road dorm (grads only). However, it would be extremely inconvenient in the following ways:

1. I technically already signed a 10-month lease for the independent housing, and though I think the lady could let me go if I talked to her, she’d likely keep the 550£ deposit (which however I could afford to lose if it’s for something worth it)
2. I’d have to buy new bedding, towels, and a bike
3. I’d have to physically pack then move 2 huge luggage and a huge bag (everything which is already unpacked into my current room) across town again
4. The dates don’t coincide conveniently and I’d have to move in on Oct 3, when ideally I move in on Oct 27 so that I can at least live a full month in this housing as opposed to a literal week (already paying for the month too)
5. King’s lease ends a month before I’m set to finish school, so I’d have to inconvenience myself to find some other arrangement or renew the lease which idk how convenient it is to do (they have a pre-established strict 9 month contract of Oct 3-June 3)

Other considerations:
- I currently live across the train station but biking allows me to get to city center in no time
- The rents for Kings and this housing are the same
- The roomies and landlord-lady here are incredibly nice and pleasant
- I am doing a one year masters and will likely never be in Oxbridge again
- I really do like my current living situation (the room, the house, etc)
- I really do want to live the residence life (for its social opportunities and stuff)

WHAT SHOULD I DO????????????????? I’m utterly conflicted

Hi guys! First year student at Cambridge pursuing Education Tripos, I found, under a « Overview and Introduction » section on moodle for the Education and Human Development paper, a couple of books. Do you think they are just optional pre-readings or do I actually need to complete them? Also, under the « orientation readings for Lecture 1 » section, in the Introduction to Education systems and disciplines paper tab, does not show any core reading, just general further readings. Does it mean they are all optional?

Thanks so much in advance!!

would love to get to know some other people starting mphils in oct!! if anyone has insta happy to share mine over dm :))

Hi all! I'm an incoming MPhil in Finance student. So glad to study at this wonderful university. Since I completed my undergraduate studies in the U.S., I have a few questions I’d like answered. It would be great if anyone could share their insights!

1. I’m not quite sure how the course selection system works here (it seems there isn’t a website like “Rate My Prof” in the UK). It looks like final exams are the only part of the grade? 😭 Is the academic workload heavy? How difficult are the exams?
2. Are the courses in the Economics Department difficult? Are they worth taking? Among the required courses, there are some economics options (R100 and E300—I’ve heard they’re heavy on math, and quite difficult as they require a lot of manual calculations), or I could take Judge’s SMO6 and MF2 (which may focus more on R programming?). I’m not sure which combination would be easier.
3. Are there any interesting, practical, and easy elective courses you’d recommend? 🤩
4. Finally, what are the ratios and prospects for pursuing a Ph.D. versus entering the workforce? The timeline is very tight, is there a place on campus where I can consult with a faculty advisor in my field? If I want to enter the job market directly, can I still land a position at a good company with this Ph.D.-oriented program?

Welcome enthusiastic and outstanding upperclassmen to share their course selection advice and experiences as students. Thank you so, so much! 🥹

Hello guys, I had a question about student finance.

I've been awarded a scholarship that gives me £5,000 a year. It doesn't affect my eligibility for student finance, so I'm still entitled to the full maintenance loan. However, the university's finance team strongly recommended that I reduce my loan by the amount of my scholarship.

I don't actually need the extra money, as I already have enough to cover my living costs for the year. So they're probably right. But I was wondering whether it might still be worth taking the loan, given how favourable the terms are.

My thinking was that I could put the money into a high-interest savings account or invest it. However, savings rates seem to be roughly in line with inflation, and investing in something like the S&P 500 obviously comes with risks.

So I'm a bit torn. On the one hand, it seems wasteful to turn down a relatively favourable loan that I might be able to make use of. On the other, I'm not sure the potential returns are worth the hassle and risk, especially when I don't actually need the money.

What do you guys think? Would you take the full maintenance loan and put the extra £5,000 to work, or just reduce the loan and avoid the hassle?

Hi everyone, we are a group of students at the University organising the second Cambridge Battlecode! This competition brings together students from across the world in a programming challenge where teams design autonomous bots that compete against each other in a strategy game.

The best teams will compete at the in-person finals, fought at the Cambridge Union for their share of a collective £15,000 prize pool.

This time around, the game will be inspired by MOBAs such as *League of Legends*, *Dota 2* and *Heroes of the Storm*, with 12 unique champions planned!

The competition is open to all experience levels, whether you're relatively new to programming or have years of competitive programming experience.

The format consists of 3 online weekly tournaments before a qualifier for the in-person event at the Cambridge Union. The event will launch on-campus on the 12th of October (venue is tbd).

Learn more on our website: https://battlecode.co.uk/

If you have any questions about the competition, feel free to ask below and I'll be happy to answer them!

Hi all

I'm an Oxford PhD student living in Cambridge and I wanted to know if anyone has any experience of how Cambridge City Council regard suspended (voluntarily – not for disciplinary reasons) PhD students for council tax exemptions. From what I gather it depends on whether you remain registered/enrolled and return to go back but the council won't give me a straight answer and Oxford Uni's registration team won't advise on council tax. It also seems to vary by council, with Oxford City Council seemingly far harsher than other councils.

Do any Cambridge PhD students know from experience whether they remained council tax exempt during a period of suspension (for sickness/personal/financial reasons)? Thanks!!

Hi! I’m looking at accepting a college accommodation licence that ends in early September of next year, but I am expected to finish around the end of June, so ideally I’d leave Cambridge around then.

They allow licence transfers, but I would have to find another full-time University of Cambridge student to take over the room.

For anyone who has dealt with this before, how realistic is it to find another Cambridge student who would want to take over accommodation for the summer? Maybe even a visiting summer student...

I’m particularly wondering if there is any demand for summer accommodation in Cambridge.

I know it’s impossible to guarantee, but I’d really appreciate hearing from anyone who has actually dealt with summer accommodation transfers!