Going to Cambridge

Katherine Bradnock, née Ryder (New Hall/Murray Edwards 1966)

"It’s September 1965. I'm at the start of my Upper Sixth year when I'm met in the corridor by my maths teacher, Miss Campbell. 'Katherine', she says, 'there's a new women’s college in Cambridge. I think you should apply.' These five words changed my life.

Although I had been certain that I would go to University, Oxbridge was not on the agenda, but in November, I found myself in a little room on a cold wet day writing the New Hall [now Murray Edwards College] entrance paper. My fountain pen gave up during the third of the three essays. I wrote a note, apologising for the blots and splodges and finished the question in felt tip. I was applying to read natural sciences.

Early 1966, and I'm on a train to Cambridge on another pouring wet day. I arrived at New Hall and had interviews with Miss Murray, Miss Hammond and Radio Astronomer Ann Neville. I still remember the questions! Afterwards, I decided to walk back to the station. The rain had stopped and the sun had come out. Kings Parade glittered in the spring light. It took my breath away. 'My goodness', I thought, 'this is a magical place. I do hope I’ve got in.'

The letter of acceptance duly arrived; the offer was three 'E's at A-level. 'OK', I thought, 'I just have to pass!' Three 'A's ensured my place.

I do recall being rather non-plussed to discover that as well as physics I was required to study two additional sciences as well as mathematics, which rather filled up my timetable. The first term was quite intimidating, especially sitting in lectures alongside confident public school boys who had done third-year sixth and 'S' levels...

My lack of confidence faded during the Christmas break. I had made good friends, joined the Union Society for debates and found a choir suited to my musicianship. Work and social life were balanced and I was enjoying myself. At Cambridge, I slowly gravitated from physical towards biological science, taking finals in psychology. Two years later, I was a medical student in London."

Elizabeth Mackenzie, née Ryder (New Hall/Murray Edwards 1969)

"In 1965, my sister Katherine [above!] was successful in gaining a place at New Hall. Wishing to follow in her footsteps, in September 1968 I too sat the entrance exam and was invited to an interview.

I waited anxiously for a letter, knowing that offers to successful applicants would be made before Christmas. One morning at recess someone found me in the playground and told me to go to the School Office. There I was told by a delighted school secretary that my sister had rung the school to say that a letter had arrived from New Hall with an offer of a place! I was of course overwhelmed with excitement, but soon realised that the bell had already rung for the end of recess and my next class was A-level Latin with the formidable Headmistress.

Since there were only six of us in the class, it was held in the Head’s Office. I knocked on the closed door, mumbled my apologies and then blurted out my news. Her face changed from thunderous to stunned, and her piercing blue eyes popped out like organ stops. ‘Oh, how marvellous’, she said. ‘We must tell the school’.

Appropriately it was the day of the Varsity match, so when I finally got home from school that afternoon, Katherine and I sat down together to watch our university win!"

James Tirrul-Jones (St Edmund’s 1979)

"After I was accepted at St Edmund’s College my dreams were dashed as I did not win the necessary scholarship funding. That summer of 1979, I was working on an archaeological dig and, as was the tradition, we all celebrated 'Christmas' halfway through the year. We exchanged silly gifts and were getting into the spirit when the Director of the project came in from town with the mail. There was a letter for me from the Scholarship Office saying that the person who had been awarded the scholarship was declared ineligible and, as I was the person second in line, the funds were mine! I was in shock and disbelief and within a few months I was on the plane going to what was the most rewarding academic experience of my life. That day in July of 1979 was the best 'Christmas' ever!"

Stephen Kingsnorth (Fitzwilliam 1971)

"My school mentor in Exeter had encouraged me both to apply to Fitzwilliam College and audition for the National Youth Theatre. My letter of acceptance at Fitz arrived a day or two before my invitation to join NYT! Read English at Fitz, or live in London, probably in some garret with a future of unemployment? Risk-averse, Cambridge seemed the more hopeful opportunity! For Part 2, I read theology and religious studies, before training for the Methodist ministry, which occupied life for the next 40 years. I always thought that vocation, and particularly preaching, enabled me to exercise skills in English, theology AND drama!"

Michael Bacon (St John's College 1968)

"In 1967 we had to complete a UCCA form. I was advised to select two universities - Cambridge and Oxford, in that order. I then hitched up to Cambridge from Southend and had an informal chat with the tutor for admissions at St John's College. All very pleasant, so I walked down The Backs and thought, 'Yes - this is the place I want to be!' I finally got an A-level offer (2 A's and a B to study engineering, no requirement to sit an entrance exam). With 4 A's I was accepted. When I arrived, I was overwhelmed. The porter gave me my room number and my name was inscribed on a board at the bottom of the staircase, where you could press a button to indicate whether you were 'in' or 'out'. The porters also addressed me as 'Sir'!"

Kathryn Peake, née Wakeling (Newnham 1975)

"My offer of a place came by telephone telegram, just before Christmas 1974. I was asked if I would like a paper telegram. It was the first telegram I ever received!"

Eloise Skinner (New Hall/Murray Edwards 2010)

"My memories of my first week at Cambridge are a mix of excitement and overwhelm - there was so much to see and experience, so many things to get involved in, and so many events to attend! I remember lots of College dinners, excited walks around the city, and the feeling of anticipation before the academic term started. I’ll always remember that week as a really meaningful part of my Cambridge experience."

Justine Lovatt (Peterhouse 1992)

"I was the first person to go from my comprehensive to Oxbridge, and went to Peterhouse to read economics. I was very excited but nervous not knowing anyone, though the admissions tutor was really kind. In those days, Peterhouse was around 80 percent male and private school; I remember one male fresher exclaiming, 'Peterhouse is exactly like my old school' and I thought 'it's nothing like mine'. I found out my room was in St Peter's Terrace and arrived to find I had been given a huge room with views over the College gardens. It was lovely to meet all the new people and I loved my time at Cambridge."

Srivani Bairi (St Edmund's 2023)

"When I first arrived at St Edmund's, I was quite anxious and nervous, as it was my first time being away from my home country. I checked into my dorm room in the Richard Laws Building and was immediately struck by the high ceilings and studious atmosphere (haha). The view from my dorm room was amazing!

I was especially nervous about my first day of class at the Faculty of Education. Fortunately, a fellow student I had met at my matriculation event walked with me to class, and the beauty of the city centre left me in awe! The Bridge of Sighs, Trinity Lane, Corpus Clock... Central Cambridge really feels like stepping into a different era."

Brian Brocklehurst (Corpus Christi 1955)

"I remember having lunch with my mother in December 1954 when the doorbell rang. It was a telegram boy. It read, 'Congratulations on open exhibition' (an exhibition was a minor scholarship worth admission and 40 pounds). When I got back to school in the new year my teacher asked me if I was surprised. 'Yes', I said. 'Me too', he said."

Anne Mathews, née Wilcock (Newnham 1955)

"The one thing I really wanted to do at Cambridge, apart from study classics, was act. I was invited to play the Virgin Mary in the Jesus Miracle Plays at the end of term, and was also able to show the skills in stage make-up that I had acquired at school through being keen on drama."

"Another memory I have is of my supervisor for prose composition - a fierce woman whom I found quite terrifying. She lived on the other side of Cambridge, and I can remember cycling miserably back to College each week, feeling completely incompetent. I tried to tell myself that if those in the year ahead of me had survived her, then with any luck I should be able to as well!"

Hazel Aucken, née Brodley (New Hall/Murray Edwards 1980)

"I remember walking into the Dome with my parents and the wonderful Dr Moore coming towards us with her beaming smile to greet me by name, and then turn to my parents and say, 'hello, you must be Mr and Mrs Brodley.' It spoke volumes and they went home very reassured that their daughter was in safe hands. And I was!"

Patrick (Paddy) Robinson (King's 1963)

"On the evening of 22 November 1963, I'd arranged for friends to keep me a place at a table for that evening's dinner in King's College Hall, as I was going to be a little late. I found them right at the front after having walked the full length of the building and overheard many conversations on a common topic: 'Kennedy's dead'. On sitting down I just avoided becoming a laughing stock by refraining from asking, 'who on earth is Kennedy?' I really didn't know, and clearly knew little of world politics at the time!"

Flash qFiasco (St Edmund's 1981)

"I came up to Cambridge to study Wittgenstein's Tractatus with Prof. Anscombe. I had flown from San Francisco, then taken the train from King's Cross to Cambridge Station. I made the unfortunate decision to walk to the college from the station, lugging my suitcase. When I arrived I was exhausted and no longer entirely of sound mind.

The Master of St Edmund's at that time was the Rev. John Coventry, and it was he who greeted me at the door. Rev. Coventry was an old man, tall, thin as a rail, somewhat gaunt though kindly, and, to my immense confusion, bore some resemblance to a certain well-known philosopher at Trinity. 'We've been expecting you,' he beamed, 'I'll show you to your room.' In my addled state, I seriously thought that Bertrand Russell had come to greet me. I was stunned. He sensed that I was at the end of my strength, grabbed my suitcase and ran upstairs with it to my room. I struggled to keep up with him, staggering upstairs and trying to work out some simple math, 'Gad, how OLD must he be now? A HUNDRED-something??' I arrived at my room and stammered out, 'How shall I address you?' 'Master will do,' he replied. Still none the wiser, I fell into bed. We got it sorted the following day."

Ruth Alston, née Richardson (New Hall/Murray Edwards 1964)

"Getting accepted to Cambridge was one thing, but in October 1964, I found settling in was a bit of a challenge. It began at once, when I discovered that my trunk, sent in advance by rail, had not arrived. This turned out, however, to have a very silver lining indeed.

The advance information from New Hall had said that dinner would be served in the early evening of the first night. At home, dinner was eaten in the middle of the day; if the dinner was in the evening, that meant it was a special occasion, requiring special clothes. My mother and I had decided that a very smart short dress would be the thing, so I had been duly kitted out with a rather lovely shiny, pink ‘cocktail dress’ for the occasion. Lovely though my dress was, it was totally unsuited to the usually more informal realities of evening dining at New Hall.

I shall always be very thankful that British Railways spared me the embarrassment of wearing my shiny pink dress on that first night!"