EMMANUEL COLLEGE

The spirit of Emmanuel (known to students as Emma) is best captured by our students, who continue to shine academically whilst participating in a range of extracurricular activities and enjoying active social lives. Our modern library and large teaching fellowship help our students to reach their full academic potential. Despite our large size, we offer a dynamic, friendly and supportive community for students from all backgrounds, creating a home away from home. Whether it’s the hustle and bustle of the city centre right on our doorstep or the serenity of the duck pond in the Paddock, Emmanuel provides the ideal environment for our students to learn and to grow.

ACCOMMODATION AND FACILITIES AT EMMA

Nearly everyone at Emma lives on-site, which means that you will get to know lots of other undergraduates really well, adding to the close-knit community feel! College will accommodate you for the duration of your degree, so you never have to worry about finding private rentals. Rooms are graded 1 – 8 (1 being the cheapest, and 8 the most expensive), and in First Year you have the choice between Old South Court (corridors with around 5 – 12 other first years), New South Court (all the rooms are en-suite!) and North Court (older, prettier rooms, a bit quieter). Lots of specific information about first year accommodation pros and cons can be found on the?ECSU website.

In Second Year, there’s a random ballot system, and those whose names are drawn first get first choice. Second Years can live either in college, or in one of the Emmanuel-owned houses, Blantyre or Warkworth St. In Third Year, the ballot gets reversed, so those at the top in Second Year are at the bottom in Third Year. Third Year rooms are the nicest, with options to live in the on-site Park Terrace houses, or sharing an Old Court set with a friend.

All rooms are kitted out with a desk, light, high-speed Wi-Fi, and their own mini fridge. All have kitchen facilities nearby, some with hobs, cupboards, microwaves, and plugs for kettles, toasters and toastie machines. These ‘gyp’ rooms are shared between 2 and 12 students. Often, students opt to eat in Hall, which is open for breakfast, lunch and dinner every day, and brunch and dinner on Sundays – a highlight of the week, and a lovely time to socialise with friends over a pastry and copy of the infamous ROAR college magazine!

Other than its resident flock of ducks and moorhens, Emma is perhaps most famous for its outdoor pool, which is open to all in Easter Term. It’s a lovely place to splash about with friends (for as long as you can stand the cold!) or just to bring a book to unwind or chill by its side. Emma is also blessed with a large paddock and pond, which is transformed into a tennis, badminton, and croquet lawn in the summer, as well as being a wonderful place to sit with friends to eat lunch or dinner. Emma also has an on-site gym and squash courts, as well as a beautiful boathouse and gym on the river and sports pitches on Wilberforce Road, a 15-minute cycle from college.

The library at Emma is open 24/7, with lots of spaces for private study. There are two computer rooms, and several printers, which all undergraduates can use. The Chapel is a beautiful building, holding regular services for all who are interested, but available to everyone. There are also on-site reflection rooms. The JCR is fully accessible, filled with lots of comfy beanbags, a Wii, and a DVD player. The music practice rooms are available for all to use.

We’re a bit spoiled at Emma, because everyone is entitled to one 5.5kg bag of free laundry every week! This is washed and dried by the lovely laundry staff. The student bar is also a highlight. Run by students, it’s one of the cheapest bars in Cambridge, and in the evenings it’s nearly always full of people, chilling out after a hard day’s work!

Eliza Tewson, ECSU Buildings and Services Officer?

CLUBS AND SOCIETIES AT EMMA

The wide range of clubs and societies on offer at Emma guarantees that your time at university will never be boring. If you like to stay active, college sports can be a good way to let off steam and spend time with friends on the weekends. It doesn’t matter if you’ve got experience or not, sports at college level are just about having a good time and getting to know people in other years and subjects to you. Some of the most popular college sports are Football (Men and Women’s), Mixed Lacrosse, Mixed Netball, Badminton, Rugby and, of course, Rowing. Emma has its own boathouse and each October lots of students fall in love with the River Cam when they take up rowing, surprising themselves at how much they enjoy it, once they’ve gotten used to the early mornings!

If you’re musical, there are many groups within the Emmanuel Music Society that you can get involved with, from the chapel choir to the Emma Jazz Band to the Emma Chorus. The Revived Emmanuel Dramatic Society (REDS) puts on a play directed by and starring freshers every year and funds lots of student plays. There are also a host of smaller societies for a wide range of topics, usually depending on student interest. This year we’ve had a politics and current affairs discussion group, a board game society and a cake club, but in the past,? there has also been an ice cream society and skateboarding club. If there’s something you’re passionate about and want to share with others, you can apply for funding and set up a society yourself!

We’re really proud to have our own student-run bar and many like to earn a bit of money working shifts in the evenings. It’s a fun, sociable way to get experience working behind a bar and escape from your academic work for a few hours, but make sure you sign up quickly as shifts go fast!

Another way to get involved in college life is through running for a position on the Emmanuel College Student Union committee (ECSU). Known as a JCR in other colleges, this is a group of students who represent student interests to the college and put on lots of fun events throughout the year. Positions include President, Welfare officers, Charities officer, Ents officers and a host of liberation officers to represent women, BME, disabled and LGBT students. Our welfare programme is particularly impressive at Emma: the welfare officers organise chocolate fountain nights, pet therapy, yoga, pub quizzes, sweets in your pigeonhole once a term and a bouncy castle in summer term.

However, your university life doesn’t stop at the college walls; there are plenty of uni-wide clubs and societies you can get involved with. From university level rugby, to ultimate frisbee, to Welsh society, taking up an extra-curricular activity is a good way to meet people from outside your college. Lots of Emma students really enjoy participating in Cambridge theatre, in musicals, plays and the famous comedy scene. If you like writing, get involved with Varsity, the Tab or The Cambridge Student, or submit a contribution to a student led zine or anthology. As with college clubs and societies, if you have a passion which doesn’t seem to be represented at the moment, there’s scope for you to start it yourself!

Harriet Hards, ECSU President?

THREE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT EMMANUEL COLLEGE

1. We have a pool! We have an outdoor swimming pool which is available to students in the summer term. This is a great place to take a break from revision with your friends, and is the best place to celebrate finishing your exams! We are so lucky to be such a central college but to also have beautiful grounds with the luxury of a swimming pool. If swimming isn’t your thing, then sitting by the side and reading or chatting with your friends is just as nice an option.

2. The Emmanuel College porters are, without a doubt, the kindest people in Cambridge! Porters are members of college staff who are essentially the gatekeepers of college. They are the first faces we see when we get into college, and they are there to ensure our safety in Cambridge. Whether you’ve lost your keys, need to collect a package or want a cup of tea and a chat, the porters are there to help. They are known throughout the University as being friendly, and this is such an accurate reputation of them. The porters also get involved in student-led activities, such as partaking in the Great Emma Bake Off!

3. The third vital piece of information you should know about Emmanuel College is that we are in a great location. We are a central college, but just off of the tourist track so our college grounds are still quite private. We are opposite the Grand Arcade (a shopping centre), and right by different cafés and restaurants. A well-loved café amongst Emmanuel students is Savino’s, where they serve the best coffee, sandwiches and pizza! This is a great place to refuel on your way back from a lecture. Alternatively, we are in touching distance of Nando’s, Wagamama, Café Nero and Subway! The town centre is a minute walk away, where there is a whole number of shops and studying spots. We are also just up the road from Downing Site and New Museums Site, which is particularly useful for students studying the subjects which have faculty buildings in these sites.

Leoni Boyle, ECSU Welfare Officer