r/cambridge_uni

Hi friends, I’m planning a fellowship in Cambridge during my graduate studies. I’m from the other Cambridge (think MIT/Harvard). Americans are helpful too, but locals are most likely to help me understand why. I have absolutely no idea how I’m going to handle the UK cultural dynamics.

I’m not trying to get an ear for the accents, I just want some allies here and there whenever I have a question about how to avoid making a fool of myself in certain situations when they come up.

I’ve been working on this thesis since I was 15, and UK departments like Cambridge matter. If I’m serious about what I’m building, I can’t really afford to make a bad impression on some of the most important departments in my field. Won’t take up too much of your time.

➡️ Economics
➡️ Computer Science
➡️ Public Policy
➡️ Not directly involved, but I get along well with physics peeps. Feel free to reach out anyways.

Also, if it matters, I’m told I’m really funny. ✨

PS Pls no “just be yourself you’ll be fine”, “class dynamics aren’t real”, and “understanding = mimicking”. It’s not helpful. I’ll assume you’re a bot.

Everyone else, feel free to dm me.

♥️🙂

I have few questions about Aerospace and Aerothermal Engineering in Cambridge.

1. Why on 1st and 2nd year you learn so much papers from electrical engineering, are these courses at same level as in electrical engineering or they are much simpler?
2. What title you get after finish 4 years, master of engineering or master of Aerospace and Aerothermal Engineering?
3. Why is pass rate at Cambridge is so high, 99%(AI source)? Does it mean it is easy? In my country on engineering pass rate is maybe 30%, it is very very hard, only best graduate..
4. You have only one exam at the end of year for each paper, so in case for 1st year you have 10 exams in May/June? What if you fail at one exam?
5. 50% percent on exam is minimum percentage for pass or you have scaling system?

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

1st year

https://preview.redd.it/2vedddjlr9bh1.png?width=1527&format=png&auto=webp&s=c932a90c320d3f312931f4fe0e8b4b2443112033

2nd year

https://preview.redd.it/q106msfrr9bh1.png?width=1032&format=png&auto=webp&s=303ae95bbb16f9020fba95a60483015bb6aa4c46

3rd year

https://preview.redd.it/ahw4xoztr9bh1.png?width=1081&format=png&auto=webp&s=2d37a7283bf00d543d4135f2aea104580288e19e

4th year

https://preview.redd.it/vn1oxk1wr9bh1.png?width=1116&format=png&auto=webp&s=17be1ebceff7a14abfa3990479a5468e50efd503

Hey i wanted to understand if i can defer the course if i haven’t got funding and try for scholarship

TLDR: Link to sign: https://democracy.cambridge.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?id=113

Hi everyone,

If you spend any time on this sub, or just walking around the city, Cambridge North, or the station cycle point, you know how rampant and brazen bike theft and anti-social behavior have become. It’s daily at this point.

One of the biggest hurdles right now is that organized groups are openly using balaclavas and snoods in mid-summer, not for warmth, but as a deliberate tactic to defeat CCTV, scout high-value bikes, and intimidate people with total anonymity. Right now, Cambridgeshire Police can only demand someone remove a face covering if a temporary, pre-authorised Section 60AA order is in place.

To fix this legal loophole, I’ve launched an official e-petition on the Cambridge City Council portal to implement a Public Spaces Protection Order (PSPO).

What would this PSPO actually do?
It would give authorized council officers and Cambridgeshire Constabulary the power to demand the removal of face coverings only where there are reasonable grounds to believe they are being worn to conceal identity for the purpose of causing harassment, alarm, distress, or committing crime (like cycle theft). Non-compliance carries a fine.

⚠️ Crucial Context (Before the comments section fires up):
This is not a blanket ban on masks. The proposed order explicitly and strictly exempts face coverings worn for:
Health or medical reasons (e.g., Covid/surgical masks)
Religious or cultural reasons
Weather/warmth (during winter months)

This isn't an untested idea, either. Exactly this measure was approved by Stafford Borough Council last month, Hammersmith & Fulham in February, and Wolverhampton in 2024 (where city centre crime dropped 16% and robberies halved in the year following).
How you can help:

If we get 500 signatures, the City Council is legally required to launch a formal debate on the issue and consult with the police.

If you live, work, or study within the Cambridge city boundary, you are eligible to sign.

Link to sign: https://democracy.cambridge.gov.uk/mgEPetitionDisplay.aspx?id=113

Note: Because it’s an official local government portal and not Change.org, you do have to register a quick account with the council site to sign. It takes about 60 seconds, but it’s the only way to make the vote legally count toward forcing the debate.
Let's actually force the council to address this instead of just watching the crime stats climb. Thanks for reading!

Over year 13 summer is it worth learning any specific skills (e.g CAD, coding)?

I’m an incoming post-grad student starting this September, moving with my spouse. I just received my 1st housing offer (out of 3 chances) from the University Accommodation : a 1-bed furnished flat at George Nuttall Close.

However, we prefer West Cambridge, Eddington, or the City Centre because of the easier commute to school and more cultural/social life for my spouse. (We also have a backup College accommodation result coming in August).

My deadline is soon, and I have two main questions:

1. If I decline this 1st offer, what are the realistic chances of NOT getting a 2nd offer at all? (I'm terrified of ending up with nothing and going private).
2. How difficult is it to get an offer for others(West Cambridge or Eddington) for a couple at this time ?

Should I play it safe and accept, or decline and wait for a better location? Any advice would be a lifesaver. Thanks!

Hi everyone, I got an offer from St Edmunds for my humanities MPhil in October. I am happy enough with it, from what I’ve seen it’s decent for postgrads. However, I have seen that accommodation is limited and I got my offer late, so there probably won’t be much left. Has anyone been able to change college? I would like one that guarantees post grad accommodation. What is the process like / what do I do?

Does anyone when the results of these are sent out? I haven't seen anything yet.

I am about to start uni at downing this October and am currently worried about the tap water situation. I’m from Yorkshire and here we have great tap water. However, when I was in London, the tap water was really gross and hard. So how is the tap water in Cambridge? And, if your room has a sink, can you drink it straight from the tap? Does a water filter jug helps with the hardness of the water if there’s any? Thank you xx

Hi guys, I will be taking my place on a masters in IR next term which I’m pretty excited about. For my undergraduate degree I studied at a mid ish ex-poly. I’m pretty exited about starting but I’m worried that I won’t keep up with the work, I guess it’s a little bit of imposter syndrome starting to kick in.

Any tips or things you did or felt you should have done before arriving at Cambridge?

Thanks in advance

I received news today that I was not offered accommodation for Hughes Hall.

The options suggested by the accommodation office seem to be mostly private rental agencies or landlords.

I’m wondering if there is any hope of finding accommodation within a college? As an incoming MPhil student, I was looking forward to the residential college element of my year in Cambridge as a key part of the overall experience.

I’ve heard some discussion about other colleges opening up spots. Any advice on where to look or how to approach this would be greatly appreciated.

Hi,

I am new to Cambridge university (doing a Master’s degree this autumn) and I got assigned a room by my college (Sidney Sussex) in an off-college house, in an en suite room. The house is a 25 minute walk away from Sidney and only houses postgraduates. Should I ask to be transferred to Cromwell Court instead? The rooms look a lot nicer there and it’s so close to the college, but I heard that it’s mostly for freshers, so I would hate for 18 year olds to party into the night the whole year round. Does anyone have experience living in Cromwell Court? Is it better to take the offsite room?

Hi everyone,

I'll be joining the Cambridge Postgraduate (Post experience) Master of Finance (2026–27) this year and thought it'd be nice to connect with others in the cohort before the program starts.

Whether you've already accepted your offer or are in the final stages, it'd be great to get to know each other. We could chat about colleges, accommodation, visas, careers, electives, or just say hello before arriving in Cambridge.

Feel free to comment below or send me a DM. Looking forward to meeting some future classmates!

I'm an incoming graduate student from the US at Kings College, and I'm a little bit lost with all the bureaucratic stuff. I need to book a plane sooner rather than later to actually get to the UK, but I don't know when the actual time to move in is, although I know the course starts on October 1st. Does anybody know how/when I could find this out? i can specify my course if it's helpful...

I have finished all the other paperwork and documents, but I haven't received my VISA yet, so I don't know if that affects things. I know that I will only get assigned accommodations in early September, but I'm hoping I can find out when move-in is before then, because a flight then is going to cost like a million dollars

I have gotten zero emails since I submitted all the documents, and the time difference is such that I can only call between 1am and 8am, but I'm not really sure who to call and I really don't want to bother my prospective supervisor with this..

Does this imply that I failed this module or the whole degree? Has anyone been through this before?

I’m so panicked and they want it literally tomorrow.

Hello, I have a summer internship at Cambridge, but finding accommodation has been extremely difficult. I've tried the accommodation service, Spareroom, and Rightmove, but most landlords don't agree with my period length or my start date. If anyone has any advice, it would be extremely helpful. I really need something from early July to early September, and I'm really running out of time.

I received a full scholarship to Cambridge but I am having a lot of trouble getting accommodations. I was denied housing at Hughes Hall because of my ESA cat, and now I’m having a rough time finding places that will allow pets. I’m international and here they don’t count as “pets” but Hughes didn’t honor that so I’m not sure how ESA’s work in the UK.

Does anyone have experience with this and how did you find accommodations that could work with an ESA? Is it only studio/1bd that would be accommodating?

Hi! I likely won't get a place in college accommodation, but i’d still love to live together with a few other students. Any suggestions where to look for this kind of flat, and how to find roommates (maybe even from the same college)?

(I’d also love to find something below 800-900£/month; the rent at my college is pretty high)

Hi, I hope it's okay to post here! I plan on visiting cambridge in September/October and an alumnus offered me his CAMcard for visiting the colleges. However, I am female and have very obviously not attended university in the 90s. Is it transferable? Would I be ok using his card or could I get him im trouble doing so? Thanks a lot! :)

edit: thank you! I won't use it then and just talk to the porters, the risk isn't worth it to me

I am desperate. That is all.