The Northern Society

Hello and welcome to the Cambridge University Northern Society! We’re a group made up of many friendly northerners who all want to use their experience of applying and moving to university in Cambridge to help others in the same position.

As a society, our initiatives take on two main challenges: firstly, we want to help those from the North already at Cambridge feel settled and supported. Through regular society events – including pub trips, college brunches, chippy trips and quizzes – Cambridge’s northern students have a space to meet, chat and hopefully offer a bit of ‘home from home’. Also, by bringing in speakers throughout the year, we hear from those who are successful in their respective fields and are proud of the North.

With only 14.4% of UK applicants and 13.9% of UK offer holders coming from the North of England (University of Cambridge – Undergraduate Admissions Statistics: 2023 cycle, p.16), there is a clear problem in how northern sixth-form students feel out of place applying or taking up their places at the university, and that’s what we hope to change. As a result, our second challenge is taking on the misconceptions about Cambridge being unwelcoming to northern students (as many of us were told by family and friends while we were applying ourselves). We hope to do this through going to northern state schools and talking about our own experiences at Cambridge, working with colleges here who have ‘link areas’ in the North. Our new ‘Prospective Student’ membership allows you to ask us any questions or share any worries you have about the process, and learn more about life as a northerner in the city and uni.

Let us know if you’d like to get involved with any of these schemes or if you have any ideas for society events; we’d be so happy to hear from you!

Elise Ainsworth

President, The Northern Society