Cambridge University: Girton

What's it like as a place to live? Girton is an amazing place to spend three years. The building is beautiful and the grounds are huge, so football, rugby, tennis, squash (and even swimming in our indoor pool!) is never a problem. Plus, being slightly off the tourist route means you don't have people taking pictures of your through your window. Always a win.

How's the student accommodation? Rooms are pretty sizeable, getting larger as you go up every year. Everybody lives in accommodation provided by the College, which is really sociable, arranged along corridors with communal kitchens and a catered hall to use at will.

What's the student population like? The student population is one of the most diverse in Cambridge. There is an even number of males:females, a wide range of school back grounds (~2/3 state school), and quite a few international students. As one of the first higher education institutions to accept women, Girton has a strong emphasis on equality and welfare.

How do students and locals get on? Students and locals get along fine, although the only real interaction is in the co-op. Student nights in town are on weekdays, whilst most locals go out on weekends, so there isn't much trouble there either.

What's it like as a place to study? Girton has some of the best facilities of any Cambridge college. The library is extensive, with over 75,000 books, there are a large number of reading and computer rooms, and every room comes with a desk and filing space. The main advantage is being at the University of Cambridge, which means that every student gets one-to-one or one-to-two supervisions (tutorials) to go over lecture material, exam practice and anything they want to discuss – every week, for every module.

What are the teaching staff like? Teaching staff are often world leaders, and are on the forefront of academic research. People often worry that this means they're not interested in teaching, but on the contrary, they motivate students to push their understanding of the subject beyond basic lecture material. The staff are pretty down to earth, none more so than the all powerful Mistress.

What are student societies like? There are over 600 societies at Cambridge from the famous Footlights comedy to the Boat Club. College societies are less serious, and require less commitment. Girton is the only College with an indoor swimming pool, there's hockey, football, rugby and cricket pitches, tennis and squash courts, a gym, amateur dramatics, pretty good music, photography, the student union (or JCR), poetry, subject societies, drinking societies (officially banned)... oh, and a brand new sports pavilion in 2011. And if the society doesn't exist, you can make it with one of the grants College gives out each term.

What's a typical night out? A typical night out can be in the slightly cheesy clubs of Cambridge, at a gig, classical concert, theatre, or even a cheeky visit to London.

And how much does it cost? Taxis from Girton between 8 people cost under £1.50 each, and drinks prices are reasonable in Uni/College bars and on student nights.

How can you get home safely? Almost everyone cycles because cars are impractical in the medieval city centre, but there's always plenty of taxis if it's a bit too cold and late for you. The buses run every 10 mins Mon-Sat until late.

Is it an expensive place to live? Rent is only for 39 weeks (unlike in the private sector for 2nd and 3rd year at most unis), catering is available for whenever you want, there are communal kitchens, there's a cheap bar, a co-op and garage close by, and all costs are in 3 all inclusive bills (one per term).

Average price of a pint? £2.30

And the price of a takeaway? Chinese, £6. Half a large pizza, £4.

What's the part-time work situation? Cambridge only has three 8-week terms, so part time work is not allowed as timetables can be a bit heavy. But that means you're off from June until October, and for a month at Christmas and Easter, so there's plenty of time to work then (and you'll have first pick of jobs as Cambridge terms finish so early). You can work in the library and bar if it takes your fancy though.

What's the best feature about the place? The tourist-free building and grounds – they're fit!

And the worst? 10 min cycle into lectures.

And to sum it all up? Girton is one of the cooler colleges, with a more relaxing atmosphere than some of the stuffy colleges in town.

Arianna Stassinopoulos-Huffington (writer and broadcaster), Angela Tilby (writer and TV producer), HM Queen Margarethe of Denmark, Prof Rosalyn Higgins (professor of international law, University College, London), Mrs Doris Wheatley (chairman and managing director, Cambridge Communications Ltd), Prof Dorothy Wedderburn, Joan Robinson (economics), Baroness (Mary) Warnock, Professor Gillian Beer, Sandi Toksvig (comedian).

Contact JCR President on 01223 338898