TRINITY COLLEGE

Home to more than 1000 students – some 650 undergraduates and 350 postgraduates – Trinity offers a cosmopolitan environment and stunning surroundings overlooking the Cam and moments from the bustle of Cambridge city centre. Students from all backgrounds and many countries participate in a wide range of societies, sports and College traditions at Trinity – and tread in the footsteps of Isaac Newton, Lord Byron, Ludwig Wittgenstein, Jawaharlal Nehru and Srinivasa Ramanujan. You’ll learn from Nobel Laureates, internationally acclaimed scholars and academics renowned for their teaching. Don’t be put off by Trinity’s 34 Nobel Prize winners – be inspired! Trinity provides the academic guidance, pastoral care and other support to enable you to explore your subject and deepen your knowledge. You’ll benefit from one of the best university educations in the world, make an incredible set of friends, and amass experiences to last a lifetime.

ACCOMMODATION AND FACILITIES AT TRINITY

Written by Elizabeth Beevers, TCSU Access Officer?

Trinity College is as much defined by its students and Fellows, as it is by its magnificent buildings. And as students at Trinity we are lucky enough to call such grandeur our home.

Now in my first year, I’d say that accommodation is a real asset to our College. In first year, we’re allocated a room on a corridor nearby other Freshers, and this allocation is based on budget (which you indicate before arriving) and personal needs. I was allotted a room on the first floor of Angel Court where I was lucky enough to meet some of my best friends at university. In subsequent years, there is a room ballot and students who do well in exams – and become ‘Scholars’ – start higher up the ballot.

My room looked onto Trinity Street, just above Crew shop, with a bay window, desk and cosy armchair. Bringing some photos, blankets and little keepsakes helped to make my room more homely. But beware… try not to bring too much as it can make moving in and out at the start and end of each term pretty chaotic.

Like all rooms, I had my own sink, but I shared a gyp (small kitchen) and bathroom facilities with others. Depending on your room, you may be lucky enough to have your own toilet, but that’s usually in the more modern accommodation, like the Wolfson Building. It’s safe to say that I wasn’t looking forward sharing two toilets with 11 people at the beginning of the year. But, like the amount of study at Cambridge, one has no option but to quickly adapt!

Now onto gyps…often a source of controversy at Trinity due to their limited facilities, I found it to be the hub of our corridor – a meeting place at 9am before lectures, or at 2am as someone is back from the clubs, whilst another is in the middle of an essay crisis. Most gyps will have a minimum of a toaster, kettle and microwave (which apparently also turns into a grill). Certain gyps have hobs, and even ovens, whilst mine limited me somewhat to soup, toast and coffee… or maybe I just preferred food in Hall. Bring a couple of plates, bowls, mugs (the versatility of mugs is both unexpected and welcome) and cutlery. You’re best laying off the pans and baking trays until you’ve checked out your gyp!

Another privilege we have at Trinity is our bedders; they come to change our bins and bedding and quickly become a friendly face around College. My bedder was lovely and our daily chats helped me to settle into uni life much quicker.

And then, of course, at the end of a hard week comes that mound of laundry. To wash those clothes after a late night, a muddy day of sports, or all that nervous sweating from an intense Supervision…there are enough facilities though for everyone to wash and dry their clothes and it’s all free! You can collect a laundry card at any time from the Porters’ Lodge. Just add your own detergent.

It’s fair to say that accommodation became a significant factor in shaping my first year at Trinity. As long as you pack with precision, are versatile and daring with a grill-microwave, and open to the possibility of sharing loos with more people than you can count on both hands, Trinity accommodation will shape you too. And in the best ways.

CLUBS AND SOCIETIES AT TRINITY

Written by Beatrice Codd, TCSU Junior Steward?

There’s always a lot going on at Trinity, and much of it is thanks to its clubs and societies. Because of our very large and diverse student body, we have many different societies that cater for a very broad range of interests. This enables us to host events in College, makes it easy to get to know people from other years, and generally creates a very close-knit community.

At Trinity, the Field Club is the sports society, and it includes all sports except rowing. There are over 20 sports teams ranging from classic sports like football and tennis to more niche ones like climbing or ultimate frisbee, and loads of people start a new sport from scratch when they arrive. College sport strikes a great balance between competitive spirit and fun: if you take it seriously, you get the chance to represent Trinity against other colleges, or even against Oxford at the annual matches against our sister college, Christchurch, but there are also plenty of teams you can join just to get some exercise and have fun. If you want to try your hand at rowing, the First and Third Trinity Boat Club has a brilliantly-run novice programme, and if you keep rowing for long enough, you’ll be racing in the famous Bumps.

If you’re not too keen on sports, there are even more societies that don’t involve them. The arts and drama scene at Trinity is big: there are lots of events, talks and classes organised by groups like the Fine Art Society or the Literary Society, and if you’re into films and plays, the Dryden Society will help you turn your creative vision into reality. Trinity’s oldest society, Magpie & Stump, puts on stand-up comedy shows in College and holds weekly writing groups. And the Trinity Music Society, one of the best-known college societies in the university, puts on excellent concerts and runs the Trinity Singers (one of Cambridge’s best non-audition choirs) and the college chamber orchestra.

For those of us who want to discuss serious topics or explore areas outside of our degrees, Trinity also has plenty of academic societies like the Economics Society or the History Society, which put on talks, careers events, and social functions. Fun fact: the Trinity Maths Society is the oldest maths society in the UK! You can also get involved with Travisty, Trinity’s satirical newspaper, which publishes updates on College life every fortnight. And if you want to make a difference, you can join groups like the Responsible Investment Society, which aims to influence the use of Trinity’s enormous endowment, or May Week Alternative, which hosts events in May Week that use the fun post-exam atmosphere to raise money for charity.

To help you get to know the different societies and what they do, Trinity holds its own Freshers’ Fair in Freshers’ Week called Chaplains’ Squash, where you can speak to members of all the clubs and put your name down for all the ones you’re interested in. And if you want to try something new later on in the year, everyone is welcome in any society at any time. Before you know it, you might be running for committee positions. And if you feel that a certain society is missing, Trinity has a generous funding scheme that funds societies throughout the year, so you can start it yourself!

THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT TRINITY COLLEGE

Written by Paula Wolff, Library Assistant

1.???? The Great Court Run and Dev Patel (who hasn’t run it)

The Great Court Run takes place every year in October normally on Matriculation day (when students are formally admitted to College and sign the Admissions Register in the Wren Library). At noon, students try to run around the perimeter of the Court before the clock has finished chiming 12 noon (which it does twice). The time to beat is 48.12 seconds (the current record) but no treading on the cobbles! The Great Court Run was famously depicted in the Oscar-winning film?Chariots of Fire?although the scene was filmed at Eton. More recently, in 2016, the film?The Man Who Knew Infinity?was filmed at Trinity, starring Dev Patel as the self-taught mathematician, Srinivasa Ramanujan, and Jeremy Irons as Trinity Fellow Professor G. H. Hardy.

2.? ?A Chair leg and Great Gate

The College was founded by Henry VIII in 1546. His statue is above Great Gate. Look carefully though and you’ll see that someone – many years ago – swapped his sceptre for a chair leg! Henry’s two daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, both funded building at the College. Great Gate is one of the most photographed parts of Trinity. Just outside, you can see an apple tree which grows in front of Newton’s former rooms and which is said to be derived from the tree at Newton’s home in Woolsthorpe which first inspired his theory of gravitation.

While Trinity is rooted in English history, today it is home to students, staff and Fellows from many different countries. We welcome students and researchers from all backgrounds to be part of our community.

3.???? Down by the river

Trinity’s buildings and grounds are Grade 1 listed and Great Court is reputed to be the largest enclosed university court in Europe. The Backs and Nevile’s Court are transformed for Trinity’s legendary May Ball, which is the culmination of Easter Term after exams – in June!

Trinity’s team of expert gardeners look after the beautiful grounds including the Avenue, which is a daffodil and tulip spectacular in spring. The new LGBT+ flowerbed facing the Cam is another highlight.

These areas are on The Backs: that’s the name given to the area along the river Cam, backed by several Colleges. It’s here that another Trinity tradition, ‘Singing on the River’, takes place on the last Sunday of full term in June when the choir performs a free concert from punts on the river. Earlier on the same day, the choir sings from the towers of Great Court. Even if it rains, it’s a lovely experience!