Student Life

Girton

Girton's one of the more fun and relaxed Colleges.  Sure we're a bit geeky, but we like to have a good time with our mates too.

Have a browse of the Freshers' pages to see the first week of uni frivolities, and keep reading for details on how Girtonians avoid the library.

Living

Girton's full of really long corridors, which is far better than the segregated spiral staircases at other Colleges.  You get to know everybody along your corridor really well, including people in other years.  Long nights in the corridor kitchen, or with the jammy person who got the bigger room, bring gossip, food to nick but definitely not drinking games - they're banned.  Honest!

All rooms come fully furnished and heated, with fast broadband access, and beautiful views of the landscaped courtyards around College.  There are different sized rooms, arranged on a grading system by the JCR, so those with smaller rooms previously have first choice when picking their next room.  There are some en suite rooms, but most share bathrooms (and all share kitchens) along each corridor section.  There are never more than 6 people to a bathroom, and there are usually fewer.

Although we're one of the largest Colleges almost everybody lives in the main College building.  Some second years live in houses around the College grounds or at Wolfson Court, the College site in town.  The second years at Wolfie are shortly set to return to College once the new Ash Court Wing is completed in 2013.  Its this massive student mix and our freedom from hoardes of camera-equipped tourists that makes us such a sociable lot.

For dinner most people go to the cafeteria, at around £3 for a meal its a good deal, and it keeps you away from the library.  But, there are also loads of kitchens all around college for people who don't want the heart-stopping standard issue oil from the chefs.  Of course, Saturday night cafeteria closures bring a kitchen turf war so keep your milk under lock and key people.

Evenings see some people head to the bar.  Concealed underground its a hotbed of cheap cocktails, cheesey music and an unlevel pool table (a.k.a. the home advantage).  Some people prefer to eat their weight in Ben & Jerry's in the JCR (common room) to the sound of Glee - whatever floats your boat!

College Night Life

Undergrounds

Deep in the cellars of the College, Girton Bar hosts a night of sweaty, alcohol fuelled raving three times a term.  With a late bar and music from leading student DJ's from all over Cambridge and beyond, undergrounds are a casual JCR hosted event that will leave you wondering, "Why?" the next morning.

Ents

Ents are a marginally more grand affair, starting with the fancy dress of Freshers' Week and running throughout the year.

Professional DJs grace Girton, along with all the chocolate fountains and haribo that the JCR Committee can lay its hands on.  Usually in the Old Hall, Ents keep the night rolling after a formal hall or give everybody something to do on a Saturday night when town is overrun with locals.

Bar

Failing an Ent or Underground there's always the JCR x-box or Bar jukebox to keep you company.  With £2 pints, £3 cocktails and disgusting wine for £5 the bar's one of the cheapest in Cambridge.

Town Night Life

Ironically, considering our location, Girton is the best College for throwing the books aside and heading out for the night.  

At around £1.30 each in a taxi its always tempting to ditch work in favour of a good night, but that's not always clubbing.  Cambridge is packed full of theatres, some of which are phenomenally cheap, and include the famous ADC Theatre, which has housed many famous Britons and is home to the sketches of Cambridge Footlights.

Girton Ball

 A biannual 9 pm to 5 am night of food, drink, fairground rides, top DJs, headline music acts (genuinely, it's like watching the radio... or something like that) and transforming aesthetics, the Ball is a student run event that marks the height of the social calendar.  Since its in March it doesn't even clash with other May Week (actually a week in June dedicated to post-exam partying) events.  Sweet.

Sports & Societies

There are loads of College socities, from the MedSoc, English Soc (a sorry excuse to read poetry and neck free wine) and Photography Soc (complete with dark room) to Girton Amateur Dramatics Soc (giving at least one production per term), the Music Soc (playing every week in College and town venues) and the JCR Committee.  The JCR Committee is the student union in College, representing student interests to the big cheeses and spending lots of money on free condoms and good parties.

Girton's big on sport.  The new sports pavilion will be completed by 2013 to add to the existing football, rugby, hockey and cricket pitches, tennis, netball and squash courts, the swimming pool (unique to Girton), the gym, the weights room, the ergometer room, and ... the orchard?

All of our sports facilities are on site, a major advantage over Colleges jammed into the centre of town.  This excludes the boathouse, which is best situated on the river bank.  The boathouse is HQ of the Girton College Boat Club, the largest sports club in the College.  Although some people have international rowing experience, most people in the lower boats haven't even seen a boat until they reach Cambridge.  If you can put up with 6 am starts, dodgy tan lines and want to attend the termly decadence of Boat Club Dinner, rowing is definitely worth a try.

Housekeeping

There are two laundry rooms in College, where the luxurious Speed Queens wash all your sins away.  You'll also have a corridor cleaner who will empty your bin, clear the kitchen daily and spruce up your room with a hoover once a week.  You can leave your bin outside your door if you'd rather not be disturbed, but its hard to imagine why you'd do that.

The JCR Green Officer is currently enforcing a recycling tyranny so there's recycling bins aplenty, and you can donate your scraps to compost for the JCR allotment.  We've got ethical written all over us.

Porters

The Porters are definitely people you want to keep onside.  They give your your post, help you stagger back to your room when you've had far too much, and (after some mickey-taking) give you your spare key when you've locked yourself out in a towel.

Some people get worried that Porters make Colleges like a boarding school.  They don't, they'd much rather keep to their cup of tea than consort with such ruffians as Girton students, but if you do need a helping hand they're there.

Libraries, Music and Study

Girton was founded in 1869 as the first residential higher education institution for women in the world.  Its been mixed since 1979, but the heritage of liberal values and a massive library lives on.  The library is huge, with over 74 000 books, since the women weren't allowed to use the university facilities until the mid-20th century.  There's plenty of work space, IT facilities and friendly staff on hand to explain why the photocopier won't cooperate with you.

There are lots more IT, study and music practice spaces around College which are described on the Academic page.  There's always your room too, with a desk, a desk lamp, and even a chair included without request.  

Chapel & Choir

There are non-denominational services throughout term time, and the Chaplain is reguarly around College, revving up his big and shiny Harley Davison.  He's happy to provide a listening ear and friendly advice to those who seek it, and the College choir is world-class and tours regularly.  Even for those who aren't religious, listening to the choir can be a window of tranquility in a busy timetable.

Travel

Girton is a 30 minute walk, 12-15  minute cycle (8 if you invest in a racing bike), or 10 minute bus ride from the main University teaching sites in the middle of Cambridge.  It is not true that we fly in by jet, nor is it necessary to pack emergency supplies to come and visit from town.

Much ado is made of the distance by students in town Colleges, some of which neighbour lecture halls.  The fact is that at other universities such a short distance between halls and uni would be coveted, and the cycle is usually pretty critical in slapping your hangover/sleepiness into submission on the way into morning lectures (if you're unfortunate enough to have them).  

In fact, your author will stick his neck out and say he prefers Girton's location.  It gives us huge playing fields, woods, spacious lawns (that we're allowed to walk on!), beautiful buildings, black suqirrels, and perspective.  Cambridge is a very stressful environment, and when degrading (repeating a year) is considered the drop-out rate is nearly triple the national average.  Not being surorunded by thousands of tourists in tiny medieval streets, and lacking a panoramic view of lecture halls, Girton really feels like home, outside of the term time bubble of downtown Cambridge.  

Come and see Girton for yourself, it really is quite beautiful.