A wisteria-adorned stone wall is famous for separating this charming and intimate college from the hustle and bustle of Cambridge’s thriving city centre.
History
Founded on Valentine’s Day 1596, Sidney Sussex College is known as the newest of the old colleges. In chronological order of their founding between 1284 and 1596, these ‘old colleges’ include Peterhouse, Clare, Pembroke, Gonville and Caius, Trinity Hall, Corpus Christi, Magdalene, Christ’s, King’s, Queen’s, St Catherine’s, Jesus, St John’s, Trinity, Emmanuel, and Sidney Sussex. Since 1768, there has been a flourishing of colleges including Homerton, Downing, Girton, Fitzwilliam, Newnham, Selwyn, Hughes Hall, St Edmund’s, Murray Edward’s, Churchill, Darwin, Wolfson, Lucy Cavendish, Clare Hall, and Robinson.
Undergraduate Study
At Sidney you can study the full range of undergraduate degrees available at the University of Cambridge. These include ASNC (Anglo-Saxon, Norse, and Celtic), Archaeology, Architecture, Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology, Classics, Computer Science, Design, Economics, Engineering, English, Geography, History, History and Modern Languages, History and Politics, History of Art, HSPS (Human, Social, and Political Sciences), Land Economy, Law, Linguistics, Mathematics, Medicine, MML (Modern and Medieval Languages), Music, Natural Sciences, Philosophy, PBS (Psychological and Behavioural Sciences), Theology, Religion, and Philosophy of Religion, and Veterinary Medicines. That being said, certain subjects at Sidney tend to be more oversubscribed than others, and Think Tutors have the inside track on how to increase your chances of acceptance at this prestigious college.
Musical Prowess
The college is renowned for its choir (The Choir of Sidney Sussex College, Cambridge) who sing for a number of Choral Evensongs and Latin Choral Vespers throughout the week. Generous choral scholarships serve to celebrate the musical talent of students, who also have frequent opportunities to make professional recordings and tour internationally.
Notable Alumni
Through history Sidney Sussex’s former students have risen to the top of many fields, but particularly famous alumni include Oliver Cromwell (Lord Protector), David Owen (Foreign Secretary), Sir David Lidington (Minister of State), Stuart Corbridge (Vice-Chancellor of Durham University), and Carol Vorderman (media personality).
Inside Perspective
Colloquially known as ‘Sidney Sainsburys’, Sidney is loved for its location in the middle of town, just a couple of metres from Sainsburys! However, the food at Sidney Sussex College is regularly voted by students as the best of any college, and bi-weekly ‘formal dinners’ provide an excellent three courses in august surroundings for about £10. There are a large number of student societies, specifically at Sidney, that cover most academic, musical, sport, and other interests. The Sidney Sussex College Boat Club has performed exceptionally well in recent years, winning the Marconi Cup in 2020. The college’s history society, known as ‘Confrat’ for short but ‘Confraternitas Historica Dominae Franciscae Comitis Sussexiae’ in full, is reputed to be the longest-running student history society in Europe.
Rankings
The Tompkins Table is an annual ranking reflecting the average undergraduate grades of students across all colleges. In 2020, Sidney Sussex came 16th with 27.62% of its students achieving a First. In 1st place, 46.1% of Christ’s students achieved a First, and in last place, 29th, 16.91% of Lucy Cavendish students achieved a First.
Contact Think Tutors
Choosing the right Cambridge college is heavily dependent on the personality, subject, and specific interests of each individual student in relation to the specific lecturers and teaching provisions of each individual college. Navigating these challenges can be particularly tricky but Think Tutors’ elite tutors and mentors can help you to make the right decisions, enable you to achieve the highest grades, and equip you for the interview process. Please contact us to find a tutor to help your child enter Sidney Sussex College at the University of Cambridge.