Churchill College. University of Cambridge

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1 Churchill College University of Cambridge

2 Welcome This prospectus is an introduction to Churchill College for potential Cambridge students. Supplementing the College s entry in the Cambridge University Undergraduate Prospectus ( it explains our distinctive and special identity and gives you a glimpse into academic and social life here. We hope you will identify with our purpose and character and we very much hope you will apply. I didn t really obsess about choosing universities. I knew about Cambridge quite early because, when I was about 12, I watched the Oxford and Cambridge boat race on TV. Later, when I came on a Churchill Open Day, I got excited by the prospect of studying at a worldfamous academic institution. There really is a vibe of excellence about the place that motivates you to do your best. Tom, Third Year, Law.

3 Churchill College, Cambridge Churchill s motto is Forward and this applies directly to the student experience. The College combines Cambridge s unrivalled academic excellence with a less stuffy and traditional atmosphere and world-class, modern facilities. Gabe, Third Year, History. 1 Churchill is one of the 31 independent, self-governing Colleges that make up the University of Cambridge. The University s Faculties and Departments provide lectures, laboratories and libraries, set and mark exams and award degrees. But every student is a member of a College and it is probably fair to say that it is their College that most characterises a student s time at Cambridge. Colleges control undergraduate admissions. They provide academic guidance and key teaching through their Directors of Studies and supervisions. They also provide library and computing facilities. Where appropriate, they give pastoral and financial support. Just as importantly, they offer student accommodation, amenities and clubs and societies. So for many students College is the centre of their social life. Although Cambridge Colleges are similar in many ways and although your statistical chance of admission to the University does not depend on the College you choose, most applicants think quite hard about College choice. How is Churchill different? Among Cambridge Colleges, Churchill is uncommonly distinctive. It was founded in 1958 as the national memorial to Sir Winston Churchill celebrated wartime leader and winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature. Today it reflects both his interest in science and technology, and his personal stature as a visionary politician and a great man of letters. The College is unusually conscious of its past especially its foundation and early history. But that past was all about building for the future and seeking to break the mould, so Churchill is notably progressive, and forward- and outwardlooking. How this difference manifests itself is unfolded by this prospectus. A scientific focus? We are probably best known in the wider world for the high proportion of science and technology students we admit (c. 65%). By the terms of our foundation we do indeed have a special focus on the sciences and Churchill has a great tradition in Computer Science, Engineering, Maths and Natural Sciences. Its members have between them won 21 Nobel Prizes. But because it is a large College our arts students are still very plentiful in number. We typically have substantial cohorts in Asian and Middle Eastern Studies, Archaeology and Anthropology, Economics, English, Geography, History, Law, Modern Languages and PPS, and also usually admit students in almost all of the University s smaller arts subjects (we do not take students in Land Economy or Theology). Moreover, academic performance in arts as well as sciences is outstanding; in recent years our results on the arts side have been among the strongest in the University. Those better acquainted with the College also know about our remarkable Archives Centre. This principally houses the papers of two of Britain s most important prime ministers: Winston Churchill himself and Margaret Thatcher. It also holds the collections of other significant post-war politicians, such as foreign secretary Ernest Bevin and Labour leader Neil Kinnock, as well as the papers of many critically important scientists and military commanders. Among the former are John Cockcroft, Rosalind Franklin and Frank Whittle, and among the latter Admiral Jackie Fisher and General Bill Slim. Because of the importance of the Archives Centre, the College regularly hosts high-profile conferences on modern history, politics and international relations, at which some of the world s leading figures in these fields speak.

4 Churchill is set in 42 acres of parkland, which means that, after I ve lifted my weights in the gym, I can go for a mile run without leaving the grounds! John, Third Year, Modern Languages/History. Churchill grounds are really spacious and nicely removed from the bustle and bikes of Cambridge city centre. Emily, Second Year, Medicine.

5 Striking architecture, a superb site and excellent accommodation Rooms are amazing large and with beautiful wooden floors. My favourite features are the big window seats, which are great when you have people round. Also the heating is good and the showers are undoubtedly the best in Cambridge! If you want to, you can choose a room with a fantastic view across the sports pitches. Emma, Second Year, Engineering. 3 Churchill s modernist architecture set within a spacious, green and leafy landscape gives it a definite and immediately noticeable character while retaining Cambridge s traditional interlinked courts and staircases. What works so well about the buildings and site is the way they combine wonderfully expansive outdoor space with a great deal of open and interconnecting indoor space: the concourses and foyers; the Bar; the Dining Hall; the student union areas. In most Cambridge Colleges, once cold weather, rain and fog set in, wandering social contact essentially stops, as people dash from one building to another, largely eschewing the exposed public space. Because of Churchill s spacious interiors, we don t have this problem. This is one of the reasons why our famous student Spring Ball (whose name is a triumph of marketing, given that it takes place in the middle of February!) is possible and works so well. The vast majority of undergraduates live in sociable courts around our gardens and on-site sports ground, rather than in distant outer hostels as is the case in many Colleges. We accommodate all undergraduates for three years and are usually able to provide accommodation for Fourth Years who request it. Accommodation is excellent: modern, very roomy, warm, internet-connected and nearly 30 per cent en suite. (Don t take our word for it: come and look for yourself.) Kitchen facilities are very good. Students choose their rooms each year in a housing ballot. Room prices vary with size and facilities, but we try to keep rents overall at about the Cambridge collegiate average. Amenities are exceptional arguably more akin to those of a large campus university than a traditional Oxford or Cambridge College. We have a wonderful on-site sports field, an excellent new gym, tennis- and squash-courts, a large theatre/cinema and an award-winning new music recital room with rehearsal and recording facilities, a Steinway grand piano and a Rubio harpsichord. We also have an art studio and a radio studio, which hosts Cambridge University Radio. Our Dining Hall is the biggest in Cambridge and our Bar, which operates throughout the day, is open-plan and right in the centre of College. It is wireless connected, so people quite often deal with their s there over breakfast or coffee. It has a giant-screen TV which we use to broadcast major news or sports events. Another Churchill plus is our location, just outside the city centre (it takes just ten minutes to walk to the middle of Cambridge), and adjacent to Fitzwilliam, Lucy Cavendish, Murray Edwards and St Edmund s Colleges, Trinity Hall s Wychfield campus and the University s exciting new West Cambridge Science development, which includes the worldfamous Cavendish Laboratory and the futuristic Centre for Mathematical Sciences. The University Library and the Arts Faculties and Departments are also nearby, so there is a real sense that we are at the centre of things as the University moves west. Centre-of-town Colleges can be right on top of Cambridge s pubs and bars, but this convenience often has a down side in lack of room and noise disturbance. Churchill is close enough to profit greatly from a city location, but far enough out to enjoy the huge benefits of space and quiet.

6 The sense of community is great and everyone gets on well together whatever background they are from. In fact, you often don t find out where people come from; we tend not even to talk about it. Harry, Third Year, Engineering.

7 A very friendly, unpretentious social atmosphere The only free weekly club night in Cambridge. Bar is very sociable. Formals are a great way to get together and special to Cambridge. Emma, Second Year, Engineering. Churchill s physical make-up a cohesive community around a single, attractive site that is very easy to socialise in facilitates the College being so friendly and open. All Colleges say they are friendly, and all pretty much are, in truth, but Churchill is exceptionally so. People in Churchill academic staff and students alike come from every sort of background, all over the world, and share a determination to engage and make friends across national, social and cultural divides. There are typically around 450 undergraduates here and nearly 300 postgraduate students. Around 25% of our undergraduates and the majority of our postgraduates come from outside the UK. Churchill has always been committed to widening participation and a notably high proportion of its undergraduates are state educated. But we are resolutely opposed to discrimination and admission is based solely upon academic merit and potential. Outside work, student life tends to centre around informal socialising in College or with the friends you will make in other Colleges or takes place via clubs and societies, of which Churchill has over 50. For you, relaxing and unwinding after work might mean Ultimate Frisbee or playing football for one of the College teams; it might mean a choir concert or orchestra rehearsal; it might involve editing Winston, the College s newsletter/magazine; or it might simply involve relaxing at Churchill Café or a film night in the theatre. A lot of activities and events are organised or presided over by the undergraduate and postgraduate student unions the JCR (Junior Common Room) and MCR (Middle Common Room). Making decisions democratically via open meetings, these are vibrant and dynamic bodies with great community spirit. The JCR and MCR officers represent student interests on all of the College s key decision-making committees. They leap into collective action to help with Open Days and Freshers Week. On Fridays in term-time they run our legendary Pav, the only weekly student club night in Cambridge, which is usually preceded by dinner in Hall. 5

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9 College teaching and learning Certainly in my subject Churchill has some of the University s best teaching Fellows. After an hour with them you really understand the course; no mean feat with Part IB Thermodynamics! Richard, Fourth Year, Physics. 7 College provides each student with a Director of Studies (DoS) who is responsible for steering and facilitating their learning. All DoSs are experts in the subject whose studies they direct; a great many are also world-class research academics. In Churchill most DoSs are Fellows (academic staff members) of the College. DoSs meet their students at the beginning and end of each term to provide them with formal advice and guidance, but they are available throughout a student s undergraduate career if particular issues crop up that need attention or action. Our DoSs are notably pro-active and immensely committed to their students academic development and well-being. The principal job of our DoSs is to arrange student supervisions the weekly, small-group, sometimes one-toone tuition that is unique to Cambridge and characterises its teaching and learning. For most students supervisions are immensely rewarding. They allow us to challenge and stretch you, and allow you the opportunity to develop your understanding and pursue the questions in which you are especially interested. The consequence is that your learning is broadened, deepened and made even more stimulating and enjoyable. At Churchill we pay above the standard rate to many of our supervisors in order to obtain the very best supervision for our students. Student teaching and learning questionnaires allow us closely to monitor the effectiveness of tuition. This effort is rewarded by the outstanding examination results our students achieve. Churchill also provides you with practical tools to enable your learning. The most important of these is probably the College Library, which is large and comfortable, open 24 hours a day throughout the year and which has good holdings in all subjects. The Library offers a number of different rooms and seating/studying options, but we also make seminar rooms available to students who wish to study privately in groups. Information Technology is increasingly central to education in Cambridge. Churchill was one of the first Colleges to invest heavily in this and our computing provision and staff are both excellent. We also provide specialist English language and writing support for students whose note-taking and essaywriting skills need to be improved. Subject-related socialising and the building of esprit de corps are important to academic development. In Churchill many subjects run academic student societies in which outside speakers give talks or students make presentations on their work. Sessions are often linked to subject formals in Hall and each year whole-college subject dinners allow the Master, Senior Tutor, Fellows, graduate students and undergraduates to get together and talk in a less academic setting.

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11 Pastoral and financial support I have made the best friends I could have hoped for and have been really encouraged to achieve my potential academically without having to sacrifice my musical interests learning to conduct and singing in both College choirs. Jo, Fourth Year, Physics. Each student at Churchill has a pastoral Tutor whose job it is to keep an eye on your academic and personal well-being with a light touch. Like your Director of Studies, he or she will meet with you at the beginning and end of each term to check everything is OK. Students may contact their Tutor at any time, though, if there are particular issues that are bothering them. In due course, Tutors often help with applications for jobs or further study by acting as referees. Contrary to popular perception, Cambridge is actually quite a cheap university at which to study. It is unheard of for a UK student to leave Cambridge for financial reasons. For UK and EU students fees are identical to those of any other UK university and the Cambridge Bursary Scheme is the country s biggest, providing UK students whose families have lower incomes with substantial support. Details of the scheme, and of other financial support provided by the University, are available via The cost of College accommodation is relatively low, transport costs are virtually nil and few students have to buy books because library provision is so outstanding. Churchill provides supplementary support in the form of up to ten 2000 bursaries each year through the Winston Churchill Memorial Trust. Students holding offers can apply for these bursaries before they arrive. The College also has substantial funds to assist students in Chinese Studies, Engineering and Law and to provide hardship support in the rare cases where it is necessary to students in any subject. We are able to provide a number of significant travel grants each year to help students fund academic travel, travel to China, or travel that is likely to bring benefit to disadvantaged people, especially in the developing world. Travel through the backwaters of Bosnia was genuine exploration, punctuated by wonderful, unexpected interactions. Without my College travel grant I would never have been able to experience Bosnia in this brief, post-conflict period, before it is (inevitably) overrun by package tourism. Matilda, Third Year, Archaeology and Anthropology. 9

12 Foremost among the things that make my job so rewarding is the opportunity that Cambridge provides to teach hugely bright and focused students in very small groups. This allows a dialogue between lecturer and student that both parties find stimulating and thought-provoking, and through which each individual is stretched academically. Dr Sally Boss, Fellow in Chemistry, Churchill College.

13 Applying Coming to Cambridge provided me with great intellectual challenge, both through the galvanic setting and the incredible people I have met. Responsibility for your learning lies with you. For me, responding to this challenge and the many hours of work it entailed was hugely rewarding. Tom, Third Year, Law 11 People come to Churchill to contribute and to enjoy themselves. But most of all they come to this great seat of learning to excel academically and intellectually. There are a few things that we should stress about admission to Churchill. The College runs an explicitly datadriven process in which we heavily prioritise examination results among the various indicators with which the Cambridge admissions system provides us. That said, we know that not all applicants have been able to benefit from the same educational opportunities, so we place your results within the context of your educational history and pay close attention to what your teachers/lecturers say in their UCAS reference. It is important that we take this careful, holistic approach because we actively encourage applications from students from a great diversity of backgrounds. Past achievement is the best evidence of your potential to achieve in the future, but you might also demonstrate potential typically in the form of strong subject interest and keen intellectual ability if you are called for interview. In some subjects we use aptitude testing in selection and in others we request that you send in some samples of school or college work. If you are among the very ablest and highest achieving students in your school or college, and if your teachers or lecturers support your application, you are likely to be a serious candidate and we strongly urge you to consider applying.

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15 Finding out more Comprehensive information about applying to Cambridge is available via Students The University of Cambridge website ( and the webpages of the University s Faculties and Departments include a great deal of information that applicants will find invaluable. Subject-specific and other useful information for Churchill is available via If you have questions that are not answered through these websites, then please contact the Admissions Office at Churchill College (see overleaf). If our Admissions Officer or Recruitment Officer cannot help you, they will put you in touch with one of our Admissions Tutors or Directors of Studies. Teachers and lecturers Churchill has a dedicated Recruitment Officer whose job it is to reach out to schools and colleges and demystify the Cambridge application process. She would be delighted to be contacted by any teachers or lecturers, to come to your school or college, or to arrange a visit by your students to Churchill. The Churchill Admissions team

16 Admissions Office Churchill College Storey s Way Cambridge CB3 0DS +44 (0) The world s first teddy-nauts, launched to the very edge of space from the College s sports field by Third Year Engineer Ed Moore and members of Cambridge University Spaceflight Club. The teddies mission, which made news headlines right across the world, was part of an undergraduate initiative to encourage interest in science among local schoolchildren. The intrepid teddies were safely recovered by the Churchill team after touchdown on a chicken farm in Suffolk. Text: Richard Partington, Brigitte Bousquet-Scott, Andrew Taylor, Colm Caulfield and Liz Neal. Photographs: Gavin Bateman, Nathan Blake, Matilda Duncker, Keith Heppell, Barry Phipps and Andy Sims. Design: Print: Printed on recycled paper by Piggott Black Bear.