|
|
|
Robinson College, Cambridge
From The Student RoomTSR Wiki > University > Choosing a University > University Guides > Cambridge > Robinson College, Cambridge
LocationRobinson is located on the west side of the city on Grange Road. It is approx. ten minutes walk from the centre (three minutes bike ride). It is close to the Arts Faculties on the Sidgwick Site, as well as being convenient for the Science Departments on the West Cambridge Site, and the University Library. It rather lacks local pubs and cash machines. AccommodationAbout a three quarters of the accommodation is in the main college building, with a large proportion of these rooms having an en-suite bathroom. Other rooms share a bathroom between two, and a tiny number share one between three. In the second and third year there is the option to move into the large Edwardian houses along Adams Road at the side of the college. In previous years, thirty second years had to go and live in Romsey Terrace (down Mill Road), which was rather inconvenient as it happens to be over two miles from college. A change of College policy (effective 2008 onwards) now means that all undergraduates will be housed on the main site. Rooms are decided for the second year by a random ballot which is inverted in the third year. Social SpacesThere isn't much in the way of social spaces with the exception of front court, where there are a few benches at which people tend to congregate before a trip somewhere. Nice place to sit and watch the world go by when you can't be bothered with your work. There is also a TV room with Sky TV. It smells and has no windows, so many people choose to watch TV in the JCR instead. GardensThe college gardens are some of the best in Cambridge. They are informal, and have a pond, a brook, a walkway, many plants and trees (including the infamous Yeti Tree). They are one of the few gardens in which students may walk on the grass and they are home to frisbee and picnics throughout the summer. They also, some people say, have deer and other strange rural creatures. For more information see http://www.robinson.cam.ac.uk/gardens/history.php Dining/HallFood is one thing that is very well done at Robinson. Halls serve amongst the best student food in Cambridge. There are two halls a week, a slightly less formal one on Tuesday, and a more formal occasion with high table etc. on Fridays. Prices are towards the upper end of Cambridge formal tickets, but it is certainly worth the money. Desserts seem to be a particular strong point. Unlike some other colleges, no corkage fee is charged for those wishing to bring their own wine.The cafeteria food is also good, if a little expensive. They do meal deals for £2.60ish, and these will easily fill you up. Breakfast is served every weekday with a Full English costing about £2. The one annoying aspect of the cafeteria is the fact that it does not provide food on Saturday or Sunday nights (although there is bar food on some Sunday nights). BarThe Bar in Robinson is, apparently, the longest in the university. The beers are kept well and there are always two to three real ales available, alongside the array of rather disgusting commercial beers. There are also two pool tables, a foosball table, and a darts board. The bar furniture is decorated in sexy pink and green plastic. There is a projection screen which is used to show major sporting events (normally football and, if it's something really important, rugby) and sometimes TV, normally on a Sunday evening. The bar also serves cooked food (which is slightly less good than the cafeteria food and in limited supply) on some Sunday nights. JCRThe JCR is bland. It has a pool table, a load of chairs, two computers (one for e-mail only and the other for any use) and a TV with Freeview which people use if they don't want to use the TV room. Since 2007 there have also been a bunch of communal board games bought for all to enjoy. Library and ComputingLibraryTo be honest, the library facility is not the best in Cambridge. Much of the stock is quite out of date, and many subjects are hardly covered. Much of the collection was bought from a theological college around the time that the college was built. If you're looking for 1970s texts of theology then I am told this is the place to look. It has a few computers and some nice cubby-holes to work in. Often it lacks light, and you can hear people walking around. It gets very hot and busy in exam term. That being said, we are very close to the university library, which provides a much better working environment. There are also several teaching rooms that can be booked out for work. Robinson has a separate law library for Law and Land Economy students. Computer SuiteThere is one computer room, and it is relatively well stocked. Printing is 6p a sheet for B&W and 25p for colour. This is put on your college bill. It works out about as cheap as owning your own printer. There's one or two apple macs to use, if you want Quark Xpress etc. Room ConnectionRoom connections are the same speed as any other connection in the university. For students beginning nowadays it is included in your "Residence Charge" along with your rent etc. The limits are as follows: 750Mb per day; 4Gb per week; 8Gb per 4-week period. WelfareAtmosphereAs the youngest of all the Cambridge colleges, Robinson is generally known for being unpretentious and friendly. This extends to staff too who are always happy to help, unlike some colleges where the porters in particular can be quite grumpy. We are also one of the few colleges to have grass that can be walked on all year round (all of it except some next to Herschel Road). There is a high intake of state-school students and a great variety of people and as such politically the college could be described as fairly liberal. There is also a reputation for apathy; those students who are interested in "real-world" politics tend to take their interests elsewhere, for example to the Cambridge Union, rather than being particularly active in college. The student politics scene is generally quite active, with RCSA open meetings normally well attended, even though recent years have seen no competition for important positions such as RCSA President and May Ball President. Other FacilitiesAuditoriumRobinson's Auditorium is used mainly for conferences but has a reputation for being one of the best college theatres in Cambridge. It is also the largest student venue by seating capacity, though not as technically well equipped as others such as the ADC Theatre. The resident theatre company, Brickhouse, generally puts on at least one show a term; in addition it is also used by outside companies such as the university Gilbert & Sullivan Society. ChapelThe college has a striking chapel with a huge colourful stained glass window. Services are held on Tuesdays and Sundays. The chapel hosts other events such as guest speakers and performances by the college music society. LaundryRobinson's Laundry has six washing machines and three tumble dryers. It costs £1.30 for a wash and £0.40 for a dry (though normally you'll need two dries for a full washing machine of clothes). They seem to be pretty reliable and unless you go at a time that everyone is trying to procrastinate (eg. Saturday afternoon) you won't have to wait for someone else's washing to finish. Maria Björnson Outdoor TheatreThe college has an outoor venue normally used for May Week plays by Brickhouse. It consists of a wooden stage facing grass which has been landscaped to imitate the raked seating found in theatres, except visitors get to sit on the grass and sip Pimms. MusicThere is a music room and two practice rooms containing pianos, a drumkit, a set of steel drums and some other random things. There's also a hi-fi room and a CD library containing several hundred CDs. Art RoomThe conservatory of one of the Adams Road houses has been made into a college art room for relaxing during stressful periods. DarkroomThe college has a small darkroom which doesn't get used very often. A couple of 35mm SLR cameras are available. Student-eye view | 
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
