A l t e r n A t i v e p r o s p e c t u s

Transcription

1 A l t e r n A t i v e p r o s p e c t u s the students Guide to Murray edwards college

2 Welcome to Murray Edwards College You are holding the Murray edwards college Alternative prospectus, a student-written guide to life at a unique cambridge college. the aim of this prospectus is to give you a view of our college from a student perspective, and let you know why we think Murray edwards stands out. this prospectus matters to us Murray edwards is our home and our community, and is a college that has given each and every one of us a sense of courage, opportunity and empowerment. As students, we want to see our college continue to thrive and develop, and for this, we want you enthusiastic, bright, individual young women to consider coming here. Murray edwards is one of the newer cambridge colleges and while you get to enjoy the splendour of old cambridge, you also have the chance to be part of creating something new: Murray edwards is still writing its history, and that s something that all students are a part of shaping and developing. Being an all-female college is only one aspect of our identity, and is far from the only thing that sets us apart. the architecture, the accessibility of the grounds, and the supportive ethos of the college are just some of the things that make our college a fantastic working environment. not to mention the termly film festivals, the environment on the edge lectures, and the small fact that the college hosts the world s second largest collection of women s art, all of which allow you to be stimulated and challenged outside your studies. if you are looking for a college that is far from stuffy, very supportive of student initiatives and involvement, and that dares to do things differently, consider coming to our open Day, have a wander around the college and see if it s what you re looking for. staff and students will be more than willing to answer any questions you may have. Good luck with your decisionmaking! The Alternative Prospectus team

3 Murray Edwards in Cambridge the collegiate system is just one of the things which makes cambridge special. colleges are responsible for your accommodation: they are where most people sleep, eat and study and each has its own unique identity. Murray edwards is a relatively small college with only 360 undergraduates, and this makes college a strong community where we make some of our closest friends. Although as a student at cambridge you belong to a college this doesn t mean that you re restricted to it. lectures and practicals are all organised by subject departments and are in mixed groups from all undergraduate colleges. socialising is also not restricted to college. Murray edwards students are involved in university clubs and societies and regularly head to other colleges ents (strange cambridge vocabulary for music events in colleges) or into town to the pubs and clubs. Murray edwards is about a 20min walk or a 5min free wheel from town. Being slightly removed means that we get to escape the claustrophobic centre, have more space in college and aren t constantly photographed by passing tourists (which really annoys students at the old colleges after a while). Murray edwards is also one of the hill colleges the other two being Fitzwilliam and churchill. the three colleges are all nestled together on the hill and collaborate frequently such as with the hill college magazine and the orchestra on the Hill. Being close to Fitzwilliam and churchill, it is easy to visit their college bars, pop along to their events and make lots of friends. Murray edwards students are hugely active within the university and the college is generally seen as very outgoing. Murray edwards is far from insular and this works both ways. students from other colleges are always found at our ents, events, and just visiting. Friends from home or college, boyfriends or family are always welcome and visitors can stay in students rooms or book accommodation in the college. We get the best of both worlds. We belong to a unique, interesting and supportive community within college, as well as to the more diverse wider university. We can mix with other colleges, make friends elsewhere, get involved in university-wide societies and projects and yet can also come back to our home.

4 Student Spaces Murray edwards college has very few restricted areas that we, as students, can t access. We re encouraged to take as much advantage as we can of all the facilities that college has on offer and this means that the whole college becomes a second home very soon after arriving. However, there are some spaces that we use particularly frequently. the Jcr Junior combination room the Jcr is the student-owned room. it s a good space for spending time with other people, and is furnished with sofas, tables, beanbags and cushions. there is also the Froud room - a room for chilling and watching films and tv with friends. the Bar Murray edwards Bar has a very distinct architecture because it has two floors. the Bar is used for a bit of everything live music nights, film screenings on the 60 tv, casual afternoon art workshops not to mention breakfast. the Dome the Dome is the Grade ii listed venue where both cafeteria meals and Formal Halls (we have some of the best college food in cambridge!) take place. But it is also the best place in college to throw a really, really good party. the students union holds ents here several times a term, with everything from a Burn s night ceilidh to nights with the hottest DJs in town. Music and sports Facilities We have several music practice rooms and pianos (including a steinway for the keen pianists), as well as good sports facilities, such as our squash, netball and tennis courts and gym, so that most hobbies can be catered for! Art Facilities in the midst of all the hustle and bustle of uni life, Murray edwards art facilities offer a little oasis where all creative juices can spill, from stick men to photography, finger paints to batik prints. the coach House and adjoining dark room are unique art and design spaces available to all students, around the clock. these facilities can be used by students working on their own projects, and for the art workshops frequently arranged both for college and the wider public. the Gardens Murray edwards gardens are beautiful but different from all other cambridge colleges. For starters, we can walk on the grass, and we re also allowed to pick the flowers, grapes, apples and herbs that our award-winning gardeners provide the college with. it s all there for students to enjoy, amongst the contemporary art statues dotted around the gardens. And finally Your room! this is where you work and live and is your own personal space, which you can decorate as you wish! rooms can become incredibly personal. they are the best places to spend an evening in with friends especially our unique (and huge) split level rooms!

5 societies I've taught English at a local primary school, written for student newspapers and volunteered for Linkline, Cambridge's phone-in student support service. I'm most proud of my role as Student Ambassador for SOS Children's Villages, the world's largest orphan charity, in which I founded a teaching project to inform Cambridge school children on global and social issues such as AIDs. I also hitched from London to Morocco to raise money for charity, and received funding from College and the university to work in Thailand and Nicaragua in summer vacations. My best memories of Cambridge, however, will be the times I spent with the friends I made at Murray Edwards going out, staying in, moaning about boys or having a brilliant time without them, and eating the best hall food in Cambridge! There are so many opportunities at Cambridge social, academic and extra-curricular and Murray Edwards is a friendly, supportive place to take advantage of them, I wouldn't want to be anywhere else and I'll be very sad to leave when I graduate. Primrose Lovett, Theology there is plenty to get involved in at Murray edwards. there are lots of different societies and you can get involved with as much as you want! For sporty people, Murray edwards has plenty of teams from football to hockey, badminton to rugby, or you can try something a bit different: how about ultimate Frisbee? Anyone who is a little bit creative might want to get involved with life-drawing classes, or Madhouse, Murray edwards drama society, which puts on productions every year. Many subjects have societies such as the Franklin society for natural scientists, or the politics society, which put on talks and debates. if you want to try something a bit different, how about the Fairtrade society, or the ice-cream Making society? if there is something else you want to do, then any student can form their own society, so you needn t feel limited by what s already on offer. college also hosts lots of interesting events that students are encouraged to attend. these include termly film festivals and regular art exhibitions, which are free. past film festivals have looked at issues as diverse as human trafficking and the future of evolution; they often include films that you wouldn t get the chance to see anywhere else! Whatever you are interested in, there is always plenty to do!

6 if you are coming to cambridge, or thinking of applying, then you probably enjoy learning, and will thrive in the intellectual community Murray edwards provides. Hopefully you will soak up as much knowledge as your curiosity allows you to, and get up to lots more on the side. At Murray edwards you will be given the support you need to believe in yourself and in your intellectual and academic potential. the number of alumnae that return to give talks, offer internships and are willing to be contacted about careers through our Development office is testament to the bond that students form with college. in addition, the college provides support in making the transition to university, and making career choices through the Gateway programme (which is unique to our college). there are various ways of learning at cambridge, such as lectures, supervisions, practicals and personal study. lectures are held in your department, and are attended by all students doing your course. this is a great place to meet students from other colleges. You will be taught by the top specialists, whether they are into digging up dinosaurs or reading baroque poetry. supervisions are small group sessions, with Work often only two or three students and a supervisor. You will have at least one, if not more, supervisions a week. they give you a chance to dig deeper into the parts of your subject you love most, challenging you to explore a whole range of ideas and giving you the chance to stretch yourself intellectually. supervisions at Murray edwards aren t designed to test you, but to help you learn progressively. You will also spend a lot of time studying on your own, which gives you the chance to concentrate on the topics you find fascinating. Murray edwards has a really well stocked library (which means a lot in cambridge), that is open 24/7! in a recent debate at the cambridge union, it was voted that cambridge university was institutionally sexist, and this is why the women s colleges still exist to give women an equal opportunity in a male-dominated environment. supervisors at Murray edwards will never tell you to write in a more masculine style, nor will you be in the tiny minority if doing a subject like mathematics or engineering. We celebrate bright women, and we are a community that believes very much that well-behaved women don t make history, but intelligent ones do!

7 My school had never pushed people to apply to Oxbridge and I was convinced that I wouldn't get a place but as my family were always telling me, "If you're not in it, you can't win it" (cheesy, yes, but possibly the best advice I've ever been given!). I had originally applied to Downing and when I found that I had been pooled to an all-girls College, I was sceptical, as I was always used to a mixed environment. However, as I learnt from my first few weeks at Murray Edwards, there have been lots of opportunities to socialise with people from other Colleges. The really special thing about Murray Edwards is the offer holders' day when you have the chance to meet people who will be in your year and spend a night at the College. The experience helped with the nerves when I was moving over in October and was definitely worthwhile! Kirsty McCarroll, Law Welfare one of the special things about Murray edwards is the way in which students are supported by the college, and by each other. students form a tight-knit community where people look after each other, and, contrary to the stereotype, all-female colleges are not bitchy, and the atmosphere is different to that of girls schools. But it s not just students; everyone from the porters to the cleaners, the cooks to the academics, is always very friendly. this creates a relaxed environment where students are not left to feel stressed, lonely or down. if there are rough patches during your time here then you will find that the support structure is amazing. Friends provide immediate comfort, but when that isn t quite enough, every student has their own personal tutor and Director of studies. every first year is also assigned a college mum. this is a student from your subject in the year ahead, who will explain the many mysteries of cambridge colleges, hand down lecture notes, and bring you cake when you inevitably catch freshers flu. the Mecsu (Murray edwards college students union) is our student committee. As well as running student events and representing the students point of view on college council (the college s executive body), it also exists to provide a support network. in addition to a Welfare officer, there is a welfare sub-committee with representatives for academic affairs, lbgt (lesbigaytrans) and disabilities. the Welfare officer organises regular events, such as a weekly drop-in where we meet up, have tea and biscuits while the Mecsu Women s and Welfare officers are around to chat to, usually whilst chilling out with an art workshop. At Murray edwards, people matter more than exam grades. Although there is a lot of work, you will be supported and encouraged, rather than pushed to your breaking point. Murray Edwards is one of the coolest places in the world, and I am proud to call it my home-away-from-home! It's full of vibrant personalities which makes it all too easy to make friends from all year groups that you know you will keep in touch with long after you leave! The porters here are great and always give you a smile when you've come back from a hard day, the tutors are amazingly efficient and always there when you knock on their doors! And the maintenance people are like supermen... they fix everything! Aalaa Jawad, Medicine

8 We hope that, having read this prospectus; you re already a Murray edwards convert. However, if you re still not sure then please come and visit! check out the college website for information on open days. these are a really good way to get a feel for the atmosphere in college, look around and ask lots of questions. if you can t make one of these, then come and visit whenever you can - visitors are always welcome. You can always get in touch with the college even if you are unable to visit; the college admissions office is really friendly if you need any practical advice, or if you d like any information from a student perspective then the Mecsu access officer. We know that the applications process can be pretty scary after all we have been through it ourselves and so as students, we do our best to make those applying feel at ease by organising things like film nights for interviewees staying in college and our offer -holders overnight stay in March. For a lot of people, the idea of an interview is Applying the most daunting part of the application process, but they are actually not that bad! the people interviewing you will not expect you to know all the answers; they just want to see potential and a desire to learn. A lot of people are put off applying simply because they don t think they are smart enough. cambridge really is not full of child prodigies and most people are just bright, enthusiastic and dedicated. Murray edwards prides itself on its diverse and inclusive community people from all backgrounds are welcome here. so if you are concerned that you don t fit a certain cambridge stereotype then Murray edwards might be the perfect place for you. Wealth, ethnicity, religion, disability, sexual orientation and so on are all irrelevant unless you want them to be relevant. At Murray edwards there are no moulds to fit into, no hoops to jump through - this is a place where we are free to be ourselves regardless of who that might be. Get in touch... visit our website our new website will be You will be transferred automatically when the site is live. Alternitavely the Mecsu Access officer (student representative working with admissions) at [email protected] I knew nothing about Cambridge when I applied. I was given a couple of links to some of the websites of the old Colleges, but for some reason didn t feel at home with what I read and saw. Instead, I applied to what was then New Hall, and in retrospect, I know that was the best decision I could have made. All Colleges have their respective advantages and disadvantages, so in choosing which one to go to, you just have to make up your mind about what matters most to you. What I found appealing about this one was the idea of belonging to an academic community of interesting, diverse and outgoing women. Åsa Odin Ekman, Politics

9 Inspiring Unique Inclusive A l t e r n A t i v e p r o s p e c t u s the students Guide to Murray edwards college Murray edwards college is the operating name of new Hall