Trinity College Cambridge Alternative Prospectus.

Trinity College Alternative Prospectus

Welcome to Trinity!

Hello and welcome to Trinity College’s alternative prospectus! Trinity is an incredible college to be a part of and we hope we can convey this to you in this book. This guide is intended to explain what it’s really like to be a student at Trinity – it has been written by current students, and in particular by Trinity College’s Student Union.

So what makes Trinity different? We are the biggest Cambridge College, with over 1,000 students. The college has a huge number of funds, scholarships, awards and prizes to help undergrads with money matters, as well as amazing and affordable accommodation for the entirety of undergraduate study.

With a large, diverse student body and many societies, Trinity has something for everyone. More information can be found on our website (www.tcsu.net) if you want to know any more about Trinity or Cambridge in general.

Happy reading!

Will Green, TCSU Access Officer

When it comes to student life, Trinity has a work hard, play hard attitude. With 8 week terms there’s a lot to fit in, and this comes in the form of lectures, labs, supervisions and independent work. When you come to Trinity you will be assigned a Director of Studies – an academic in charge of a group of students studying the same subject who is your main port of call for any problems you have with your academic work.

One of the major selling points of Cambridge is its supervision system – often individual or pairwise teaching sessions for a few hours each week. With Trinity’s list of fellows, the chances are this will be with a world-leader in the field. In general, supervisors will set work to be handed in before the supervision, which you will then go through in the supervision. This is a great way of making sure you are keeping up with the course and gives you the chance to ask about anything you’re struggling with.

Trinity has a very well stocked college library which also provides a silent space to work in.

Spread over two levels, it has some 300,000 volumes and has all the texts you will need for your course. What’s more, in exam term Trinity College’s Wren library is opened for students to work in! This is an incredible working space, built in 1695, which houses such things as a lock of Isaac Newton’s hair, the original Principia Mathematica, and A.A. Milne's manuscripts of Winnie-the-Pooh.

Trinity has many funds to help students advance in their academic life, from the Projects’ fund of up to £1500 to language bursaries to enable students to learn a language over the summer vacation, also up to £1500.

Finally, as well as a Director of Studies, students are assigned a Tutor on entering the college who provides a valuable source of pastoral care.

Studying at Trinity

A day in the life of… an Arts student Alasdair is a third year Historian 8:30

Wake up to the sound of three separate alarms strategically placed around the room to force myself out of bed. Have a shower and a quick bowl of cereal before cycling to the faculty.

9:00

Arts students have about 6-10 lectures a week, normally between 9 and 12 on weekdays.

They can be useful overviews of the topic before you start your reading, but aren’t compulsory (though they are often given by the same people who set the exams, so their opinions are generally worth hearing).

11:00

Time for some coffee at the Sidgwick cafe before heading to the library to do some work.

Every faculty has its own library with usually all the books you’ll need, as well as the University Library which has every book you can imagine.

1:00

Lunchtime. Head back to college to have lunch in hall and meet up with friends, or get something from the ARC cafe on Sidgwick.

Back to Trinity for a supervision on the essay I finished yesterday. Arts students normally have 1 or 2 supervisions a week, organised round discussing essays you’ve handed in. They’re normally 1-to-1 and often with one of the leading experts in the field, so it pays to have done the work!

2:00

3:30

Don’t be surprised if a supervision overruns; sometimes discussions can lead into interesting side topics. Now’s my chance to get back to the library for some more work before dinner, or catch up on anything else, like laundry, which needs doing.

6:30

Sit down in hall underneath an outsize Henry VIII for some dinner, and take the time to chat with college friends.

7:30

One of the best aspects of Cambridge is the number of societies and events — most nights of the week you can attend a concert, play, talk or society meeting (when you’re not running one yourself, that is).

A day in the life of‌ a Sciences Student Christina is a third year Chemistry student 7:40

Reach for phone to snooze alarm. My morning routine includes breakfast in hall because it is a sociable way to start the day.

9:00

On average there are two to four lectures per day, depending on your course choice.

As a scientist you may sometimes even have lectures on Saturdays!

13:00

For lunchtime go back to college, or not depending on what the catering department have in store for us on that particular day!

2:00

Labs run on two to three afternoons per week. When you’re not despairing over photosynthesis having sneakily sped up in the dark, or other failed experiments, you work for or attend the three or four supervisions you have each week.

5:00

Use this break productively. Or have tea.

6:15

Sit in hall and enjoy some stimulating conversation with the people you can make out in the candlelight!

7:00

Keep your healthy mind in a healthy body by doing some exercise, whether it is in college or with a university team.

8:00

Sit down at a desk of your choosing to have a go at your most pressing supervision work, read over the weeks lectures or prepare for tomorrows experiment.

10:30

When you admit to yourself that you can no longer focus, find friends to socialise with. Some among us will be out in town by this point!

Social and Student life at Trinity Despite what you may have heard, Cambridge isn’t all work and no play. Trinity entz (short for entertainments) are entirely student run events and so cater for what the students want to do and enjoy most. There are a wide range of events that take place each term including open-mic nights in the bar, quizzes, film nights and comedy evenings. A highlight of the college social calendar is the annual Garden Party which takes place during May week (this is when all the College balls happen).

Trinstock Ent at Burrells Field The biggest termly events are the College Bops – bops being the Cambridge term for party.

These take place twice a term and are a great way to mix with other years from college and blow off some steam with all your friends - expect cheesy music, crazy fancy dress costumes as well as lots of fun!

Open-mic Night in the College Bar Outside of college there’s plenty of lively bars and pubs where students go to socialize in the evening and, although Cambridge isn’t known for its nightlife, there’s always a lot of fun to be had on a student night out in Cambridge!

Jungle Ent in the Wolfson Party Room

Accommodation in Trinity At Trinity we are incredibly lucky to have College accommodation for the entirety of our undergraduate study. The average room is about £110 a week, but if you’re not staying over the holidays you only pay for 30 weeks a year which saves a lot of money!

Freshers are housed in one of three accommodation blocks, with rooms being assigned by the College before you arrive, mainly based on the rent band you have expressed a preference for – low, medium or high. In later years, you choose your own accommodation via a ballot system. Students who get a First in their 1st or 2nd years of study go to the top of the accommodation ballot, so it pays to do well in your exams! Some of the old courts feel very prestigious to live in but may require a small walk to the shower. Trinity also has some accommodation with kitchen facilities if that’s what you’re after!

Many rooms are in the College’s main courts

A typical fresher’s room We are also incredibly lucky to have people who make and change our beds, clean our rooms and change our bins. Don’t worry though – you can leave your bin outside if you need to recover from a night out!

Trinity accommodation is some of the best in the University. Some rooms have separate living rooms (sets), some have en suites, and some of the newer buildings have kitchen facilities.

A living room in Whewell’s court

Burrell’s field is a short walk from College

Eating at Trinity One thing for sure, you’ll never go hungry at Trinity. Every day there is breakfast, lunch and dinner available at affordable prices. A choice of three main dishes including a vegetarian option, soups, desserts and a large salad bar make it possible for everyone to find something. And if you have special dietary requirements, there is also always a Gluten and Dairy free option on offer. On Sundays, there is a hugely popular brunch, a great chance to meet your friends over a cooked breakfast.

Three times a week, you get the chance to dress up with suit and gown and get served a three-course meal instead of the ordinary dinner. This is very popular to celebrate birthdays and meet new people in a nice atmosphere.

One of the amazing things about being at Trinity is the place you eat in. All meals are eaten in Great Hall - a beautiful 16th century dining hall that makes you feel like Harry Potter. Even if you’ve been there for years, you never get bored of it.

All in all, Trinity offers something for everyone. Eating in hall is a great opportunity to meet friends and forget about your worries!

Societies at Trinity Trinity has more than 30 student run societies, including everything from Philosophy, through Board gaming, to the ‘Sauna and Health’ society! After fresher’s formal (you’re first big meal where you wear a gown in true Harry Potter style!) an event called ‘Chaplain’s squash’ gives you the chance to sign up to as many or as few of these societies as you like!

1TQ (the LGBT+ society) French Society Law Society Magpie and Stump (stand up) RAG Oriental Society Science Society Georgaphic Society Music Society

The Dryden Society (Drama) Travisty (student newspaper) Boardgaming Bridge Club Christian Union Photographic Society Ultimate Frisbee Philosophy Society Sauna and Health Society

Economics Society Engineering Society Field Club (sports) Frazer Society (anthropology) Jewish Society Rugby Football Team Yoga Society Politics Society Trinity Effective Altruism

Trinity First and Third Boat Club Literary Society Mathematical Society Medical Society

Don’t see anything that takes your fancy? Fear not - Trinity has one of the most generous funding systems for new societies! If you want to start your own society in Trinity you are able to apply for up to £500 to get your feet off the ground. The best thing is if your society does well Trinity will continue to fund you and may even increase what you get.

Welfare at Trinity We have a lovely Welfare team here at Trinity whose job it is to make sure you are healthy and happy. The Female and Male Welfare Officers are always available for a chat about anything and everything. We also give out FREE chocolate to everyone in college once a term and hold regular film nights where FREE snacks are abundant!

To help everyone settle in during freshers’ week we assign college families. This means every fresher will have fellow fresher college siblings and 2nd or 3rd year college parents. Your parents will introduce you to all aspects of college life and it’s a fantastic way to meet people.

Week 5 Chocolate!

Trinity Welfare’s Well-bear!

According to the TAB (one of Cambridge’s student newspapers) there are more LGBT+ people at Cambridge than any other university in the country; there is very little discrimination if any at Trinity. It's the perfect place to be who you are. Trinity has an LGBT+ officer to provide you with support, organise swaps with other colleges as well as tea parties and film nights.

Trinity has brilliant support in place for anybody suffering a disability or condition that may affect them physically or mentally during their time at university. When you arrive at university, you may feel that your first term is not the best time to start demanding access to certain facilities, provision of equipment, physiotherapy, counselling, or any other disability support – but in fact it is. And if you’re nervous about asking yourself, the TCSU Disabilities Officer is here to help.

Trinity Welfare’s Pub Quiz night!

Fees and Funding

Government loans cover the cost of your tuition and your maintenance fees (rent, college food bill). You may also be eligible for a government grant (which you don’t have to pay back!). This can be checked on the student finance website (www.studentfinancedirect.co.uk). It is also worth checking to see if you are able to get local council, charitable or corporate funding.

We are exceptionally lucky at Cambridge to have incredibly good funding provisions for students. If you are a UK/EU student and your household income is below £42,620 you are likely to be eligible for an annual Cambridge Bursary of up to £3,500 per year if the start date of your course is 2012 or later. This is in addition to any government loan or grant you receive and does not need to be paid back.

And on top of all this, Trinity itself has a huge number of prizes, scholarships and grants which you can apply for as a member of the college. These include Language Bursaries (up to £1,500 to learn a language abroad over the summer), the Project’s Fund (up to £1,500 to do a project not related to your course over the summer!), and - my particular favourite - the Dunlevie fund, which gives up to £300 a year to take part in life enhancing activities! In second year I was given £150 towards a skiing trip and this year I was given £180 for a trip to Venice! The college also gives its students yearly book grants, money towards dissertation expenses and may also cover your sporting expenses.

So, what are you waiting for?

Trinity is an absolutely amazing place to study, and we are very keen to receive your application! But just in case you’re still in doubt, consider…

If Trinity was a country, it would have the 5th highest number of Nobel Prize winners!

Alumni include Isaac Newton, Charles Babbage, Francis Bacon and Ludwig Wittgensteing, as well as 6 British Prime Ministers and 5 Fields medalists.

Trinity owns a huge range of awesome things, from the top gear test track, to part of the O2 arena, to the Port of Felixstowe

Trinity is rumoured to be the third largest land holder in the country! (Disclaimer – this is probably false!)

Great Court is the largest enclosed court in Europe, and houses the largest capped fountain in Europe (impressive, huh)

Once a year you prepare for the incredible Trinity May Ball – ranked the 3rd best party in the world by Vanity Fair and 7th best by Time magazine!