Cambridge University: Trinity

What’s it like as a place to live? Impressive. The architecture is stunning and it will continue to impress you even after three years in college. Trinity also has an excellent location, right in the centre of town and within walking distance of most of the lecture rooms. They don’t let you bring a car to Cambridge so being close to everything is important.

How’s the student accommodation? Trinity offers everyone accommodation on site for all three years of their degree. The furthest block is ten minutes walk from the main part of college, but compared to other colleges this is nothing. 2^nd years in other colleges can end up half an hour away. There is a mixture of old and new rooms so what you choose will depend on whether you prefer fancy architecture or a nice shower. Everything is habitable though, none of the rooms are awful, and even the smallest is still a pretty good size. Kitchen facilities are poor though, only a few of the newer buildings have ovens and hobs, most just have microwaves, toasters and fridges.  Pricewise, Trinity offers a good range, so you shouldn’t ever have to pay more than you can afford. Taking a cheaper room might limit what location you can have, but they are at least available. You also only have to pay to rent your room during term time, and you can then either take all your belongings home each holiday, or pay extra to keep the room and leave your stuff.

What’s the student population like? Trinity has a lot of students, both international and domestic. There is no way you will ever get to know everyone, so the college tends to split into smaller social groups. The cliquing isn’t particularly negative though; everyone is very friendly; it’s just that there are too many people to be close friends with them all.

How do students and locals get on?  You don’t get a lot of locals studying at Trinity, mainly because they don’t want to go to Uni in the same place they have lived their whole lives. There isn’t a lot of student-local interaction; the big student nights are during the week, and Fridays and Saturdays are avoided partly because they are much more expensive, but also because things tend to get a bit more aggressive late on Saturday nights.

What's it like as a place to study? Trinity only offers the fairly traditional subjects, so make sure you check the website before applying. However, they are quite flexible once you are in, and they do help you out if you find that you hate your course and want to change. There are never any guarantees though, so try to be sure when you arrive! For big subjects like Maths and Physics you will have Trinity supervisors (like a tutor who goes through your work with you), but if you do a smaller subject you will be given supervisors from other colleges. Trinity is very science-oriented so there is less in-college support for arts students, but everyone does get a Trinity tutor and Director of Studies so there is always someone you can go to with questions or problems. Although they might not do your subject, they can usually help you or find someone else who can.

What are the teaching staff like? This varies massively depending on who you happen to get. Cambridge does have a lot of very famous academics, and you might have them lecturing you, but the teachers you see more regularly (the supervisors) are usually PhD students. This can be good as they have been undergraduates more recently and remember what it was like, but can also sometimes be a problem as they might not know as much as the professors. If there is ever a problem though, you are allowed to request to change supervisors so you can have someone else. Don't worry if you don't get a set of Nobel Prize winners teaching you; the best academics are not necessarily the best teachers.

What are student societies like? There are millions of societies at Cambridge, both Uni- and college-based. Since Trinity is so big, we have a lot of college-based societies which is excellent as you don't have to go very far, but if you are looking for something more niche there will definitely be a university society for it somewhere in town. Cambridge has everything from ballroom dancing and drama to Winnie the Pooh appreciation societies. There is also plenty of sport, so no matter how good or bad you are there will be a team that suits you. The University teams are really pro, but most College teams are desperate for more players so will welcome you no matter what your skill level is.

What's a typical night out? Cambridge has 4 main clubs, all of which are slightly 'unusual'. This is not the town to go to if you want a hard core rave scene. If you like Lady Gaga, Beyonce and the occasional cheesy classic, then you will love it. Most colleges also have their own parties on site. Trinity has around 3 a term, with discounted drinks and free entry.

And how much does it cost? Mid-week student nights are £3−£5 entry, with drinks from £1.50 upwards. Fridays and Saturdays entry can be up to £8.

How can you get home safely? Trinity is within ten minutes walking distance of all of the clubs (the closest one is 2 minutes), and there is also a taxi rank in the centre of town if you feel unsure about walking.

Is it an expensive place to live? Cambridge can be very cheap if you are clever about it. Trinity subsidises its food, so if you eat in College rather than eating out you can save a lot, and there are always wristbands and offers you can get when you want a night out. The rents aren't too bad, and they cover internet, heating and water. Electricity is extra, but only a few pounds a term. The student loan should easily cover rent and food in College, and then it's up to you how much you spend on extras. Another advantage of Trinity is the excellent array of grants and prizes on offer. They offer bursaries to students who can't afford to come to Cambridge, there are financial prizes for doing really well in exams, and there are several really generous travel grants that any student can get just by filling in an application form.

Average price of a pint? £3.20 upwards in most pubs, cheaper in Spoons.

And the price of a takeaway? Standard Dominoes offers. You'll get a whole bundle of vouchers in Fresher's Week.

What's the part-time work situation? University rules say you can't have a job during term time, which is unfortunate financially, but it is for a good reason. They give you so much work to do that if you tried to fit in a job on the side you would definitely struggle when it came to the exams in the summer.

What's the best feature about the place? Cambridge attracts a fascinating range of people, and especially as Trinity is so big, you cannot fail to find people that you enjoy spending time with. Whatever you enjoy doing, someone else will enjoy doing it too and there are facilities to do just about anything.

And the worst? Cambridge has an excellent academic reputation for a reason. They do work you very hard, and it can be very stressful at times. You could get away without doing much work because it's not like school − there's no detention if you don't hand things in, but if you slack off during the year the exams will be extremely difficult, and they do throw people out for failing the exams. Self motivation is essential to keep yourself on top of the work.

And to sum it all up? Worth the work (most of the time!)

A E Housman (poet), Francis Bacon (artist), Field Marshal Montgomery, Sir Isaac Newton (scientist), Lord Butler (civil servant), J Nehru (PM of India), A A Milne (author), R Vaughan Williams (composer), G M Trevelyan (historian), Betrand Russell (philosopher); Byron, Tennyson (poets), Lord Rutherford (scientist), Macaulay (historian), Wittgenstein (philosopher).

Contact tcsu-president@trin.cam.ac.uk.