Cambridge for a party girl?

[candlewicker]

My DD has decided to apply for Cambridge after encouragement from school. She is bright and is predicted great grades but she is not obsessively academic or studious. What she is, is wildly social. She loves to party and have fun. Before this she wanted to go to Manchester, Leeds or Glasgow partly for the nightlife. Do kids like this fit in at Cambridge?

Yes, work hard, play hard!

There are many many societies which will all have a lot of socials.

Let her apply. Visit. Wait and see if there’s an offer

decide then

There are lots of very sociable people in Cambridge. Work hard/play hard types.

The city itself isn't huge and probably offers less in the way of "nightlife" than many of the bigger university cities. Though there is plenty there for those who want it. But a lot of the social stuff is student led and happens in the colleges etc.

Just apply and see if it's an option. The workload is much, much more intense at Oxbridge so even the very bright have to work hard especially if they keep up a sport.

My dc sailed through gcses and A levels with top grades but found the workload high, he also said others would often dedicate time to study so not as many people around to have a "big" night out as they would often plan to study the next day.

Compared to Manchester or Leeds it would be more difficult to socialise.

Yes, lots of parties and sociable people. It’s not great for clubbing if that’s her bag- some fairly ropey student nights- but people go to London on the coach for that.

I wouldn’t say the workload is much less intense in the university of Glasgow. You would be expected to do similar workloads for similar degrees.

I would add that the college system can make it easier to socialise than at a big uni like Manchester- you have your own bar etc where you literally walk in and know everyone. But obviously that’s less high octane that clubbing every night.

It's a long time ago now, but my workload at Cambridge was genuinely a lot more intense than the workload for my friends doing the same subject at other "good" universities. My nephew's more recent experience has been similar.

As that’s anecdotal I still don’t think the workload at Glasgow uni is less than Cambridge.

@candlewicker has she thought about St Andrews or Edinburgh?

I don’t have first hand experience like some others on here but my best friend’s daughter is similar and she started there this academic year.

She’s having a great time but not in the same way as her friends at Manchester / Leeds are- not in a bad way- it’s just different.

Admittedly it’s medicine so very labour intensive but she’s constantly stressed.

She spent half of Christmas Day and countless other ‘down time’ days studying - because the workload is so intense which naturally leads to less partying as she doesn’t have the time and pressure to keep up with peers is immense.

She was consistently the brightest / most high achieving pupil in her secondary school and is now feeling ‘just average’. Not a bad thing but I think she’s struggled with the readjustment a bit.

That said she has made some lovely friends - not a huge chaotic party gang as maybe it’s harder to find this there - and they are going greek island hopping next week.

As others have said, it’s a long road ahead and so many don’t get in anyway so I wouldn’t stress too much at the moment. Let her apply and see how she feels when she’s further along / better informed as she will become more so as she goes along the process.

Of course it's anecdotal, and I can't comment on Glasgow in particular. I'm just commenting on my own experience in comparison to others who did "similar degrees" at other universities.

If this is a concern for the OP's dd, then it should be easy enough to ascertain what the relative workloads are in the different universities that she might be looking at - she can compare info around contact hours, submission requirements, assessment processes etc.

There’s trains to London.

As others say she should apply and see how she does – if nothing else, the work for application and interview is a great focus for her subject.

The uni is very social with lots of student activity. Cambridge is a beautiful but small city – I know a couple of YP who went there from bigger cities and found that. There's not much in the way of gigs, limited theatre and clubs in the city. But all of this means (like Lboro for example) that the student life is in big focus, which can be a massive positive.

Terms at Oxbridge are much much shorter - I had 3 terms of 8 weeks each. So all of the work for the degree has to fit into that time. Even if the overall workload at another university would be the same, the Oxbridge termtime workload would still have to be more intense.

Cambridge is not a great city for proper clubbing or big nights out - there is lots to do socially, but it’s more along the lines of chatting in the common room, college discos, and then the big May balls, so it’s different to what you would get at Manchester/Leeds etc. So I guess the question is - is she social (wants to chat lots, spend lots of time with people) or does she enjoy clubs (wants to dance under bright flashing lights in a big crowd). For me I’m social but hate clubbing, but I have friends who really love it so I don’t underestimate how important it can be.

It is definitely more intense in part due to very short terms so even if the work was the same level (arguable) there’s less time to do it in

I disagree. The 8 week terms at Cambridge make everything much more intense, for a start.

ETA: sorry, I see a PP has said basically exactly the same!

DD’s friends were working in the library in freshers’ week at Cambs - the workload is definitely more intense.

She can apply - chances are she won’t get an offer anyway (no shade on your Dd, just statistics) and then decide. Has she been to look round? She might not even like it.

My party animal DD applied to Cambridge but didn’t get an offer. She went to Manchester and had a wonderful time. Says how glad she is not to have gone to Cambridge having visited her friend there. Difficult to advise them though without appearing interfering!

Do you want the extra year at Glasgow? Lots of cities have a decent nightlife although clubs are closing! More members bars these days. Everywhere has pubs!

Cambridge hadn’t got the party vibe that Manchester or Leeds has but it’s still sociable if a little sedate. However, if she were lucky enough to get a Cambridge offer then i think it would be mad to turn it down just because it doesn’t have a big clubbing culture.

I went to Cambridge and found it a bit confining because I'm a big city person. There were plenty of party people there then and will still be now, but nightlife options are more limited and the workload is definitely far greater than at other unis (Oxford apart). However, the prestige of a Cambridge degree is worth A LOT and as soon as I graduated I was off to London for a lifetime of partying, so absolutely no regrets.

Ds said that the “party girls” (they actually called themselves that!) went back to London every single week and didn’t fraternise with the ordinary students. Yes, there are college “bops” (discos in old money) but not a real nightlife scene. Oxford is better for that.

The workload is insane during term time so to party non-stop during the week would take some serious candle-at-both-end burning!

I think very highly of Glasgow and gladly recommend it on this Board when appropriate.

However I know something about the exams in comparable courses in my subject at both universities, amongst others. The exams at Cambridge are in a different league to almost all of the Russell Group, including Glasgow.

DD is at Oxford and very much a party person but to do it at Oxbridge you need to not need much sleep during term time as terms are shorter and more full on. If your DD is like a Duracell bunny who the phrase I will sleep when I'm dead was made for like mine she will be fine. Though it's not nightclub partying. My DD manages a social thing most nights and about 5 hours rowing, and the course and also works in term time (gets paid now for some of the rowing). It's only one of 5 choices so would give it a go unless she absolutely wants nightclubs. Mine will start a party anywhere.